The English Civil War

A People’s History

Diane Purkiss

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English

Perennial Library
12 April 2007

History; British & Irish history; Early modern history: c 1450 to c 1700; Military history

A remarkable popular history of the English Civil War, from the perspectives of those involved in this most significant turning point in British history.

This compelling history, culminating in the execution of Charles I, brings to life the people who fought in it, died in it, and in doing so changed the history of the world forever. In an excitingly fresh approach to the period Diane Purkiss tells the story of this critical era not just in terms of the battle of ideas, but as the histories of the people who conceived them.

‘The English Civil War’ builds a gripping narrative of the individuals involved and their motives, from those whose reputations were made on the back of this violent and brutal war, such as Oliver Cromwell and Lady Eleanor Davies, to witchfinders and revolutionaries; and ultimately, the ordinary men who fought and the women who lived with tragedy, finding their political voice for the first time. The consequences of ten years of bloody revolution were to stretch from the cities to the villages to the grand houses, form Ulster to East Anglia to the outer reaches of Cornwall. The tales uncovered by Diane Purkiss paint a picture of a world turned upside down, where madness and prophesy play their part, and where normal life and times are suspended.

This important book uncovers forgotten lives and illustrates incisively the critical contribution of this extraordinary period in English history to contemporary politics and society.

By: Diane Purkiss
Imprint: Perennial Library
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 129mm, Spine: 43mm
Weight: 500g
ISBN: 9780007150625
ISBN 10: 0007150628
Pages: 400
Publication Date: 12 April 2007
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Diane Purkiss is Fellow and Tutor at Keble College, Oxford. She was formerly Professor of English at Exeter University. She is the author of the highly acclaimed 'The Witch in History', and 'Troublesome Things: A History of Fairies and Fairy Stories'.

Reviews for The English Civil War: A People’s History

'Rich, vivid and passionate...a moving, lyrical and principled piece of writing...Purkiss has a gift for evocation.' Independent 'You begin to get close to what it would have been like to live through the nine momentous years from 1640 to 1649...it would be hard to imagine anything more irresistible than this rich layer cake of a book, crammed with the stories and the voices that make history human.' Guardian 'Purkiss has an eye for the narrative vignette that can illuminate the age.' Sunday Times 'Wonderful...Purkiss offers a sumptuous portrait gallery of the men and women who lived, wrote and died during this turbulent period...A joyous read.' Daily Telegraph 'Narrative history at its best: gripping, heartfelt, complex.' Mail on Sunday 'This book vigorously brings the horror and humanity of the conflict to life.' Financial Times 'Light in touch, though grounded in an enormous wealth of documentary material this people's history shows how England's men and women coped with quite extraordinary times.' Scotsman