History club
Best books on English Civil War
Matsikula · 06/12/2012 22:07
I am woefully ignorant about the Civil War, and want to educate myself.
I've tried a book by Michael Braddick (God's Fury, England's Fire), but I couldn't finish it because I got so frustrated with the way he felt compelled to given ten examples to illustrate eveerry point.
Anyone got any recommendations? pop history, historical fiction, worthy seminal works will all be considered.
R2PeePoo · 06/12/2012 22:25
Antonia Fraser- The Weaker Vessel, Women in Seventeenth Century England is excellent at giving an overview of the whole period from a female perspective.
Christopher Hill- A World Turned Upside Down - very good at describing the strange religious groups that grew out of the upheaval- Levellers, Diggers, Ranters, Quakers, Fifth Monarchists etc.
The English Civil War at First Hand by Tristram Hunt -uses first hand accounts to narrate the war
and finally as a general overview-
A Brief History of the English Civil War by John Miller is a very good, short, readable but not too dense introduction to the period.
R2PeePoo · 06/12/2012 22:32
Sorry, corrections, can't let them lie....
A Brief History of the English Civil Wars (there were actually three between 1642 and 1651)
and the Christopher Hill book is The world turned upside down.
kiwigirl42 · 06/12/2012 23:35
The English Civil War, a People's History by Diane Purkiss is informative and interesting with lots of personal accounts. Has pictures and all 
Matsikula · 07/12/2012 20:10
Thanks for the recommendations - might give the Diane Purkiss one a whirl. It's been a long time since university, I reckon I can admit to liking a few pictures in my history books now.
TunipTheVegedude · 08/12/2012 15:02
Would you consider children's historical fiction? Place Mill by Barbara Softly, and Children of the New Forest by Captain Marryat.
snowqueenrollo · 08/12/2012 18:08
My DH particularly likes this period of history. He agrees with all the suggestions so far and said he would especially recommend the Christopher Hill book.
He's just scouted through the bookshelves and would add Civil War:The Wars of the Three Kingdoms 1638-1660 by Trevor Royle.
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