Considering her in fuller light than simply the supplanter of Anne Boleyn or mother of Henry's long-waited male heir, Gross (history, Adams State College, Alamosa, Colorado) presents what seems to be the first book-length biography of the queen. She confesses that even thorough searching turned up only documents in which Jane is mentioned as though in shadow, and so we still do not know when and where she was born, how she was educated, what if anything she contributed to the reign of her son, or who her close friends were. Gross suspects she was the prototype for Plain Jane. She includes about 20 plates, most in color. The text is double spaced. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)