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Good English Civil War book recommendation?

• Message 1.Β 

  Posted by Mr Fatuous (U2421415) on Saturday, 22nd November 2008

  Hi,
  
  I'm fascinated by the whole civil war era (including the Protectorate and Restoration).
  
  Can anyone recommend a good objective book on the subject?
  
  Thanks
  
  Tumbledown Dick

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• Message 2

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by highchurchman (U7711917) on Sunday, 23rd November 2008

  CLARENDON'S HISTORY OF THE REBELLION.
  
  There are six volumes in my set and they in 1947 cost about 10 sh each volume. A lot then but worth it because it gives a comparatively honest view of the war in these Islands, It could be got from the library?
  
  The author was first an opponent of Charles and then became an admirer, but he tells the truth and doesn't intrude to many fancies in to the subject.

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• Message 3

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  Posted by flipacross (U9997641) on Sunday, 23rd November 2008

  A facsimile of the 1888 edition was published in the nineties. I'm not sure if all the volumes are still available but you'd be looking at Β£100 a volume.
  
  There is however, a selection of due to come out in February next year in the Oxford World's Classics series at the slightly cheaper price of Β£12.99.
  
  But, as they are well out of copyright, early editions of are available to download from the internet archive:
  
  
  It also has S R Gardiner's authoritative four volume History of the Great Civil War from the end of the nineteenth century as well but you could get the books through Amazon's used and new service for a fiver or so a volume. His follow on History of the Commonwealth and Protectorate is also available.
  
  For a good recent overview in one volume, you could get Trevor Royle's 'Civil War: The Wars of the Three Kingdoms 1638-1660' published in 2004 for Β£12.99
  
  Phil

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• Message 4

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  Posted by U2133447 (U2133447) on Sunday, 23rd November 2008

  In addition to the above i would recommend anything by C V Wedgwood as she is particularly good on the period. Her "The Kings Peace 1637-1641" and "The Kings War 1641-1647" are of particular note. She also wrote separately on the trial of King Charles I and about Oliver Cromwell.

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• Message 5

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  Posted by Allan D (U1791739) on Sunday, 23rd November 2008

  Trevor Royle's "Civil War: The Wars of the Three Kingdoms 1638-60" is a comprehensive account published in 2004 which integrates the most recent historical scholarship and pulls together the English and non-English elements of the conflict (the title English Civil War is a considerable misnomer bearing in mind the importance Scotland and Ireland had in the cause, continuance and resolution of the struggle) and demonstrates how the emergence of Britain as a unitary state ruled from London was the war's longest-lasting legacy.

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• Message 6

  , in reply to message 5.

  Posted by Anglo-Norman (U1965016) on Sunday, 23rd November 2008

  Sun, 23 Nov 2008 21:25 GMT, in reply to Allan D in message 5
  
  When Royle's book first came out I read a few critical reviews; I forget now most of the problems, but IIRC it includes some fairly basic factual errors. I'm really not convinced that Clarendon could be considered objective.
  
  Austin Woolrych's 'Britain in Revolution 1625-1660' is an excellent, comprehensive book, and written in a very 'readable' style even though it's an academic work.
  
  'The English Civil War' (Peter Young and Richard Holmes) remains one of the best books on the actual fighting; it covers all the main (and some of the less well known) campaigns, battles and sieges in England; the only real flaw is that Scotland (with the exception of Dunbar) and Ireland are excluded. I'm not sure if anyone would be able to suggest a military history to cover this gap.
  
  I'm not convinced there's any such thing as an objective history of Ireland's war (!) but one to steer clear of is Philip McKeiver's 'A New History of Cromwell's Irish Campaign'. A revisionist history, it includes many good points but there are one or two factual errors, and McKeiver goes, I think, too far in his defence of Cromwell - but worst of all, the punctuation is abominable, to the extent that the book is quite hard to read!

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• Message 7

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  Posted by highchurchman (U7711917) on Monday, 24th November 2008

  Flipacross.
  
  Six Hundred Pounds a Volume?
  
  My word! Of course it's sixty years, but even then it got to me with its clarity aand depth. My parents went away on holiday and left me alone in the house, I was to go to my aunts for meals and to stay the nights till my parents and sisters came home. I bought a volume on the Friday they left and on the Saturday arose at an early hour and read the book. I read all day sat in my father's chair with previously prepared sandwiches on a tray. Not till I had finished the book and made copius notes did I move. When I did I fainted. Only being saved by my aunt and cousin searching me out. My first and only faint was due, said the doctor , to my indolence in spending all day sitting reading a book.
  
  It gives a splendid account of the reign of James 1st, and develops to cover all aspects of Charles's reign right on up to the Restoration and this includes the wanderings of Charles11nd and the Interregnum.
  
  It gives a very clear picture of the causes of the Civil War and gives chapter and verse for both war and political events.
  I must have read it about 10 times now and haven't seen better.
  Veronica Wedgewood's books on the subject do not have the clarity that Clarendon has. She writes in a style reminiscent of an early day Trotskyist. It could be thought that Charles owed her money and refused to pay it back, or had seen her in her gym knickers and hadn't appreciated the honour!.Her writings are bitter and unpleasant. She comes across totally biased.
  
  LFD.

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• Message 8

  , in reply to message 7.

  Posted by highchurchman (U7711917) on Monday, 24th November 2008

  In regard to the previous letter and my very obvious error. I meant to say a hundred pound a volume!
  
  Sorry, it's the Sherry!.
  
  lfd.

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