Customer Reviews
Solid, good value, but unremarkable - By: Stephen Bull, 21 Mar 2007 
There have been quite a few 'first hand account' Civil War histories, & this is certainly a good example. If you do not have one or two already this would be a good one to pick: but don't expect anything very new if you already have a library of Civil War books !
Old England's Fear of New England's Tears - By: Mr. R. White, 07 Aug 2006 I was disappointed by Tristram Hunt's selection of primary source material in this otherwise robust account of the
English Civil War. Dr Hunt is obviously a man whose appetite for radical ideas does not extend to religion. His account of the period relies heavily on the evidence left by the Royalist historian Clarendon, who was writing some twenty years after the event, yet he spurns the opportunity to make greater use of the evidence left to us by Parliamentary supporters such as Nehemiah Walllington & Ralph Josselin. He also seems to gloss over the outrages perpetrated against civilians by the likes of "Prince Robber" Rupert. A more ambitious account of the war at first hand might have made more use of the evidence provided by Parliamentary supporters, such as Lady Brilliana
Hartley of Bramton Bryan. However, that said, the book represents an accessible introduction to the period by an
historian who is obviously enthrallled by the political machinations of the King & Parliament as much as he is
repelled by Cromwell & the Puritans.
Readable introduction - By: , 30 Jul 2005 
As a History teacher I thought that Dr Hunt's book would provide an excellent source of primary material for me to pepper my lessons with & I was not disappointed. The author's readable style & justifiable choice of sources makes for a pleasant, chornological investigation of Britain during this tempestuous period. Dr Hunt clearly explains the complicated poitical wrangling that preceded the war & this book would prove either a good starting place for someone new to the topic, or a clarification tool for those wanting to have a rough overview of everything they had encountered so far.
All I would say to Dr Hunt is that, yes, some aspects of the period were indeed amusing, & rather than very vaguely allluding to this, you could have more of a sense of humour! A king stuck between bars on a window as he tries to escape is funny, lighten up!
