Top 6 Best Books on Henry V

1. Henry V by Christopher Allmand (Yale, 1992)

In this, the current standard biography (and the best single-volume text on the market), Christopher Allmand takes a comparatively sympathetic look at all aspects of Henry V’s life and reign.

2. Henry V by Keith Dockray (Tempus, 2004)

This shorter biography begins with a large historiographic survey, follows up with a quick narrative and then an equally quick examination of Henry's life. Taking a much more critical view of Henry V than Allmand's book, this is a perfect introduction to further study.

3. Henry V as Warlord by Desmond Seward (Penguin, 1987)

If Allmand is sympathetic and Dockray is critical, then Seward is outright iconoclastic to a Henry V he, often convincingly, interprets as intolerant, arrogant and warmongering. A classic counterpoint.

4. Henry V – The Rebirth of Chivalry by Malcom Mercer (National Archives, 2004)

Aimed at the younger reader, this short biography is heavily illustrated and accompanied by documentary exerts; older readers may still find the photographs of source material interesting.

5. Henry V – The Practice of Kingship by G. L. Harriss (Oxford, 1985)

If you have anything more than a passing interest in Henry V you should buy or borrow this collection of nine essays about Henry and his rule.

6. Henry V and the Southampton Plot by T. B. Pugh TB (Sutton, 1988)

The motives behind the Southampton Plot are still confused, and Pugh's book represents what is probably the closest we've come to understanding them, although his conclusions are still under firm debate.