Queen Elizabeth II became Queen in 1952, and celebrates her Diamond Jubilee — the 60th anniversary of her accession to the throne — this year, in 2012. (Next year, 2013, will be the 60th anniversary of her Coronation, and of her first visit to New Zealand — on her Commonwealth Tour.)

With celebrations drawing to a close in the United Kingdom, we thought we’d take the opportunity to round up a few books and online resources on her life and the period of her rule. We’ve also included a quick mapping video from the collaborative historical photo-sharing website, Historypin — because we think it’s a neat idea — and the first part of a short film documentary about the Royal Tour to New Zealand (1953-1954), from NZ On Screen. And if you’re fielding homework questions about the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, head over to our Kids’ Blog.

Queen Elizabeth II : her life in our times / Sarah Bradford.
“Elizabeth II has lived through the Abdication, the Blitz and World War Two, the sex and spy scandals of the swinging sixties, the Cold War and the nuclear threat and the Fall of the Berlin Wall. She has known 11 US Presidents including JFK and Ronald Reagan, and other world leaders like President Mandela and Pope John XXII. Her Prime Ministers have ranged from Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher to David Cameron, the last only ten years older than her grandson. Her own family experiences, a mixture of happiness and crisis, weddings and divorces, and, in the case of Diana, violent death, have been lived in the glare of tabloid headlines. More than 2 billion people watched the wedding of her grandson Prince William to Catherine Middleton in 2010 shortly before she made the first State Visit to Ireland by a British monarch for 100 years. Our world has changed more in her lifetime than in any of her predecessors’: the Queen has remained a calm presence at the centre, earning the respect of monarchists and republicans. How has she done it?” (Amazon)

Sixty glorious years : our Queen Elizabeth II – diamond jubilee, 1952-2012 / Victoria Murphy.
“Since Queen Elizabeth II succeeded to the throne sixty years ago Britain has seen huge social, political and economic change. As her people have celebrated the highs and mourned the lows, she has remained a constant and stable figure at the head of the world’s most famous Royal Family. Through 12 Prime Ministers, four recessions, wars and a technological revolution, the Queen’s determination to carry out her duties and to connect with the public has not faltered. Sixty Glorious Years celebrates her extraordinary ability to have secured a place in the hearts of generations of Britons as the country moves further into the 21st Century. With rarely seen pictures, this book offers an unparalleled look at the life and work of the woman who looks set to become Britain’s longest surviving sovereign.” (Amazon)

The queens’ London : the metropolis in the Diamond Jubilee years of Victoria & Elizabeth II / Jon Curry & Hugo Simms.
“In 1897, the UK Commercial Travellers Association commissioned “The Queen’s London”: ‘a pictorial and descriptive record of the Great Metropolis’. The work, a collection of some of the finest photographs of the capital ever taken, was produced to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of her most excellent Majesty Victoria, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland and Empress of India. In 2012, when the eyes of the world will be on London, “The Queens’ London” brings this story up to date. Pairing these beautifully captured vintage views with 180 images taken from identical vantage points in the London of Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee, it gives the reader a fascinating perspective on the history behind London’s familiar streets. Richly illustrated with colour and with black and white, this stunning collection will delight Londoners and visitors alike.” (Amazon)

Diamond Queen : Elizabeth II and her people / Andrew Marr.
“With the flair for narrative and the meticulous research that readers have come to expect, Andrew Marr turns his attention to the monarch and to the monarchy, chronicling the Queen’s pivotal role at the centre of the state, which is largely hidden from the public gaze, and making a strong case for the institution itself. Arranged thematically, rather than chronologically, Marr dissects the Queen’s political relationships, crucially those with her Prime Ministers; he examines her role as Head of the Commonwealth, and her deep commitment to that Commonwealth of nations; he looks at the drastic changes in the media since her accession in 1952 and how the monarchy and the monarch have had to change and adapt as a result. Indeed he argues that under her watchful eye, the monarchy has been thoroughly modernized and made as fit for purpose in the twenty-first century as it was when she came to the throne and a ‘new Elizabethan age’ was ushered in.” (Amazon)

The Queen has visited New Zealand 10 times — the first time as part of her Commonwealth Tour after her coronation in 1953, and the most recent time in 2002, as part of the commemoration of her 50th Jubilee.

Historypin — a collaborative photo and mapping history site — has created a video of the mapped photo contributions of its users for the Queen’s Commonwealth Tour:

You can see more photos from the Queen’s Commonwealth Tour (1953-1954) on Historypin — and you can even view photos starting from when the Queen arrived in Auckland in 1953. There’s also a wealth of photos and video on NZHistory’s Royal Visit of 1953-54 media gallery, and more information in the main article on NZHistory.

And — from our databases — you can view original artices from The Times (London) from the week of the Coronation in 1953. Here’s a sample (you’ll need to log in with your library card details to view):

“Declaration Of Accession.” Times [London, England] 8 Feb. 1952: 6. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 5 June 2012.

“The Queen Crowned At Westminster.” Times [London, England] 3 June 1953: 12. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 5 June 2012.