The Civil Wars: A Military History of England, Scotland, and Ireland 1638-1660 (Oxford Illustrated History) [Paperback]

John Kenyon (Editor), Jane Ohlmeyer (Editor), John Morrill (Contributor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 019280278X | ISBN-13: 978-0192802781 | Publication Date: March 14, 2002

This beautifully illustrated military history of the British and Irish Civil Wars offers an integrated account of the conflict that engulfed the kingdoms ruled by Charles I after 1638. On one hand, it studies the interaction between the Stuart kingdoms, comparing and contrasting their wartime experiences; on the other, it outlines the various civil wars which were fought in Scotland, Ireland, and England during the 1640s. Throughout the text, contributors examine how troops were raised, trained, clothed, armed, fed, and paid; the strategies adopted by the protagonists fighting in the various theatres of war; and the tactics used by their generals in combat. What role did siege warfare play in shaping the course of events? What contribution did seapower make to the conduct of combat on land? What impact did ten years of brutal conflict have on the populations of England, Ireland, and Scotland--especially on the women and children? Such are the questions this book aims to answer.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...noted specialists in seventeenth century Britain... provides a valuable look not only into the intricate religious, political, and military developments that shaped the civil wars of the period...of value for anyone interested in British history or seventeenth century warfare"--The NYMAS Newsletter

"...a collective study that substantially achieves Kenyon's goal of producing a work that adds great breadth to our perspective of the British conflicts of mid-seventeenth century...an excellent sampler of recent scholarship concerning the British Civil Wars...If you had to choose only one book produced on the British Civil Wars in the last decade, The Civil Wars is the one I would recommend. Likewise, if an introduction to the last decade's work in the field is desired, this is the place to go, as working out from it will lead you out to a vast and rich literature indeed."--Albion

"...a strong collection on which much effort has been expended to provide good value for money...Ohlmeyer is to be commended for executing Kenyon's vision."--The Journal of Military History

"This is a useful...collection....Good notes and bibliography; excellent chronology."--Choice

About the Author

The late John Kenyon was Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Kansas; Fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge; Professor of Modern History at St Andrews; Professor of Modern History at Hull.

Jane Ohlmeyer is a Lecturer at Aberdeen University. Previously visiting professor at New York University (1997); Lecturer at Yale University (1994-5); lecturer at the University of California at Santa Barbara (1992).

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (March 14, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 019280278X
• ISBN-13: 978-0192802781
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,684,233 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Collections of essays on the English Civil War, March 8, 2004

By 

lordhoot "lordhoot" (Anchorage, Alaska USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Civil Wars: A Military History of England, Scotland, and Ireland 1638-1660 (Hardcover)

Unlike the previous reviewer, I thought this book did a pretty decent job in going through the entire aspect of the English Civil War from the very beginning to the Restoration of Charles II.

The book is a collection of essays written by seven different authors, edited by two people. I don't expect consistancy under these conditions and expect more diverse opinions and facts relating to the matter at hand. Each essay covered certain part of the long conflict that engulfed the British Isles between 1638-1660.

The book comes well armed with maps, illstrations and I thought it was quite readable. Anyone who read this book should have a decent background reading on the English Civil War prior since you will be reading an essay which don't give you much introduction space.

3.0 out of 5 stars Not a military history, November 23, 2003

By 

A. B. Whiting (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Civil Wars: A Military History of England, Scotland, and Ireland 1638-1660 (Oxford Illustrated History) (Paperback)

The subtitle of this book is misleading. It would be better to call it something like "Aspects of current research into the English Civil War era." There is no coherant narrative of the period, no summary of events, rather a series of separate chapters by workers in the field. If you do not already have a basic knowledge of the war in a little detail, you will be at least a little confused; certainly you will not get it from this book. As a collection from various authors, it also suffers from the incoherancy of that form; for instance, we are told early on that the New Model Army was extremely well-bahaved toward civilians, indulging in no looting or assaults, while later on we are told that both sides were responsible for many rapes of civilian women. Finally there is the tendency toward journalistic prose: several things "allegedly" happened, but we are not told by whom, or given any way to judge how reliable the allegations are. Such an abdication of the historian's responsibility (to non-historians, at any rate) makes the statement quite meaningless.