Product Description

The most authoritative and complete history of Tudor England to appear in three decades

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19488 in Books
• Published on: 1990-01-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 624 pages

Observer
`The most comprehensive history of Tudor England for more than thirty years.'

Review
The most comprehensive history of Tudor England for more than thirty years. (Observer )

Good Book Guide
'John Guy provides a compelling account of political and religious developments.' Good Book Guide

Customer Reviews

Masterful survey of Tudor history
In the preface to this book, John Guy states that one of his aims in writing it was to provide 'a clear narrative account of the period of English history from 1460 to the death of Elizabeth I in a manner equally accessible to the general reader and to the student.' In this the book is an unqualified success; though the author presumes some familiarity with the era, it is a great narrative of England during their reign, presenting complex events in a straightforward and comprehensible manner.

Guy's focus is primarily on political and religious themes of the period, though he includes chapters on the economy, society, and culture as a means of fully developing his argument. Such an approach is understandable, given that the development of the state is one of the major events of 16th century England. The key figure in this, as with so much else in Tudor history, is Henry VIII, whose innovations would be felt for the remainder of the century.

Written with clarity and wit, Guy's book is the best single-volume history of the Tudor era. My only complaint is that, given his other professed goal of offering a synthesis of current research, a new edition is needed to maintain the book’s usefulness as a survey account. I can only hope that Guy does so before too many readers dismiss what is otherwise an excellent overview of Tudor rule.

Good if a little, well... dull.
John Guy's "Tudor England" is a well-researched book, crammed with facts and analysis, and is handy to have whether you're studying at 'A' level or are a university undergrad. It ticks all the boxes and as textbooks go, it does exactly what it's supposed to.

It's also as dull as dishwater.

Guy takes an exciting, interesting period of history and turns it into a snore & bore-fest. I found that while it is, on paper, an excellent resource, Guy's book sucks all the fun out of the subject and leaves no meat on the bones of history. It reminds me of the kind of dry, dusty, soulless history books I absolutely loathed reading at school.

Tudor England
An easily understood yet thorough summary of Tudor England for 'A'-level students that still finds its way onto undergraduate reading lists.