King Richard II vs Richard III: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Quartos, Kings and rulers in literature, Problems, Bibliography, Drama, History
King Richard II
“Richard. Old John of Gaunt, time-honored Lancaster, Hast thou according to thy oath and band Brought hither Henry Hereford, thy bold son, Here to make good the boist'rous late appeal, Which then our leisure would not let us hear, Against the Duke of Norfolk, Thomas Mowbray?”
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"Richard is King. A monarch ordained by God to lead his people. But he is also a man of very human weakness. A man whose vanity threatens to divide the great houses of England and drag his people into a dynastic civil…
Richard III
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"containing his treacherous plots against his brother Clarence, the pittiefull murther of his innocent nephewes, his tyrannicall usurpation, with the whole course of his detested life and most deserved death" (Subtitle…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Richard III has the widest readership — 60209 ratings behind its score.
- King Richard II reaches further in scholarship and criticism — cited 55 times.
How to choose
Scores by source
| King Richard II | Richard III | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.8 (28837) | 3.9 (60209) |
| Hardcover | 3.9 (46) | 3.9 (89) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (7) | 4.0 (8) |
Reception
| King Richard II | Richard III | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 28837 | 60209 |
| Editions | 840 | 759 |
| Citations | 55 | 24 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 14544 | 168 |
| Reading it now | 660 | — |
| Written reviews | 2156 | 33 |
| Wikipedia attention | 94025 | 15977 |
| Pages | 88 | 65 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: King Richard II or Richard III?
Richard III has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Richard III 3.9/5, King Richard II 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: King Richard II or Richard III?
Richard III is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Richard III (65 pages, ≈ 1 h 12 m); King Richard II (88 pages, ≈ 1 h 38 m).
Which is harder to read: King Richard II or Richard III?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — King Richard II: Challenging; Richard III: Demanding.
Have both books been made into films?
King Richard II: no film adaptation on record; Richard III: 5 film adaptations.