The Princes in the Tower

Lore & Background

His son, Edward V, then at Ludlow Castle, and his brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester, at Middleham Castle, set out for London, meeting at Stony Stratford on 29 April. Gloucester arrested Edward V's retinue, including the boys' uncle Anthony Woodville and half-brother Sir Richard Grey, who were later beheaded. Gloucester assumed custody of Edward V, prompting Queen Elizabeth Woodville to take Prince Richard and her daughters into sanctuary at Westminster Abbey. Their coronation was postponed, and on 22 June a sermon declared Gloucester the only legitimate heir. Parliament declared the princes illegitimate, and Gloucester was crowned Richard III on 6 July.

Reader's Guide

The Princes in the Tower represent one of the most enduring mysteries in English history, symbolizing the violent uncertainties of the Wars of the Roses. Other theories implicate Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham, or later King Henry VII and his mother, though these are less credited. The mystery has shaped historical perceptions of Richard III, often casting him as a villain, and continues to inspire debate among historians and the public alike.

Did You Know?

• Dominic Mancini, an Italian friar, recorded that after Richard III seized the throne, the princes were taken into the inner apartments of the Tower and seen less and less until they disappeared.

Publication Format & Reader Experience

A distinctive structural choice was the journal-style presentation: page numbers flowed continuously from one edition into the next, so that the growing pile of pamphlets read as a single, ever-expanding volume rather than a stack of separate leaflets. The content was organized into 26 thematic volumes, each grouping a cluster of related articles under a shared letter or subject heading. Clarke's Mysterious World first aired, and it quickly became a hugely popular purchase for readers hungry for the unexplained. When the series eventually wound down, Orbis extended a practical consumer safeguard: anyone who returned their collected covers could receive a refund on the purchase.

Editorial Leadership & Advisory Expertise

Above him in the hierarchy sat Brian Innes as editorial director, a figure who brought direct prior experience to the role from his earlier work on Man, Myth & Magic: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Supernatural. The publication also leaned on external consultants to lend scholarly weight to its coverage. Dr. J. Allen Hynek, the astronomer long associated with serious UFO investigation, and Professor A. J. Ellison both served in advisory capacities, giving the masthead a layer of recognized expertise in parapsychology and the unexplained. This combination of a dedicated in-house editor, an editorial director steeped in supernatural encyclopedic work, and two prominent outside consultants in ufology and the paranormal helped the series strike a tone that felt researched and credible rather than purely sensational, a quality that likely contributed to its broad popular appeal during its run.

Breadth of Subject Matter

The 26 volumes collectively spanned an astonishing range of topics, moving fluidly between the paranormal, the historical, the scientific, and the purely bizarre. Readers encountered entries on UFOs, the Bermuda Triangle, ghosts, spontaneous human combustion, the Cottingley Fairies, ancient knowledge, sea monsters, the Yeti, weird coincidences, stone circles, and contact with the dead. Historical figures with occult connections featured heavily, from Madame Blavatsky and Aleister Crowley to Edgar Cayce and the Man in the Iron Mask. The series also grappled with philosophical and scientific questions such as the Anthropic Principle, black holes, the origins of life, evolution, and the existence of God. Specific cases and locations received dedicated treatment—the Enfield Poltergeist, Glastonbury, Oak Island, the Great Lakes Triangle, and even the Princes in the Tower—alongside broader themes like telepathy, psychokinesis, remote viewing, and the work of the Society for Psychical Research. No single reader could claim the set addressed only their particular niche of fascination.

International Editions & Post-Series Reissues

The material did not remain confined to British newsstands. A complementary French edition, titled L'Inexpliqué, was produced with articles that were written differently rather than simply translated, indicating a distinct editorial approach tailored to that audience. The French series was published in a variable number of volumes, ranging from 8 to 26 depending on the particular edition, whereas the British set settled at 26. During the late 1980s, publishers including Black Cat, Caxton, and St. Michael's Books reissued selections of the magazine's articles as standalone titles. This transition from a serialized newsstand product to collected volumes allowed the material to reach new readerships well after the original three-year run had ended, extending the cultural footprint of what had been a hugely popular publication.