To The Daily: After reading Franklin Harris' column about England's King Richard III, I thought it might be of interest to some of your readers who are history buffs to get a different perspective on "poor Richard." And nowhere is there a more enjoyable way in which to do this than by reading the novel "The Sunne in Splendour" by Sharon K. Penman. She spent 12 years researching and writing this major work, and undertook such a labor of love because she was convinced Richard III had gotten a bad deal from historians, most of whom seemed to be writing from the perspective of the winning faction with an intent to smear the loser.

Whether this is the true case or not will be up to every individual to decide. But there are definitely two sides to this story, and to get a totally fascinating look at it, pick up a copy of this novel. It is available at the Decatur library, along with a number of Penman's other historical novels. One word of warning, however: It is a very long book — nearly 1,000 pages, but well worth the effort.

Jim Holland

Decatur