No period in British history has more resonance and mystery today than the sixteenth century. New Worlds, Lost Worlds brings the atmosphere and events of this great epoch to life. Exploring the underlying religious motivations for the savage violence and turbulence of the period-from Henry VIII's break with Rome to the overwhelming threat of the Spanish Armada-Susan Brigden investigates the actions and influences of such near-mythical figures as Elizabeth I, Thomas More, Bloody Mary, and Sir Walter Raleigh. Authoritative and accessible, New Worlds, Lost Worlds , the latest in the Penguin History of Britain series, provides a superb introduction to one of the most important, compelling, and intriguing periods in the history of the Western world.
Others have written that this book is not a page-turner, but I respectfully disagree. Once started, I took this book with me everywhere I went so that I could continue reading every time a few spare minutes came along. Brigden's work is so carefully organized that my reading didn't seem to suffer at all from my piecemeal approach. I agree that there is a not a lot of heavy didacticism in Brigden's analysis, but I appreciate having the wealth of information she presents organized in such a way that I can readily see connections between people and events and draw my own conclusions.
Great book, sometimes a little tedious
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 21 years ago
The book is a wonderful read. Though required for my course in early modern European history, I still enjoyed it. Everything appears to be historically accurate and cited properly (citations are at the end of the book). However, it appears that Bridgen seems to have a habit of repeating the point from her book over and over again in each chapter, which gets a little tedious. Nevertheless, it's a good book for anyone interested in English royalty.
makes history fun
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 21 years ago
Wow! This is a great history of one of the most exciting periods of english history. Brigden does a fantastic job integrating politics, religion, popular culture, discoveries and exploration and so on. She has a natural talent for compelling narrative and detailed description. Buy this book, and you won't be sorry!
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