Early Modern England: A Social History 1550-1760 (Hodder Arnold Publication) [Paperback]

J Sharpe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2009 | ISBN-10: 0340577525 | ISBN-13: 978-0340577523 | Edition: Second Edition

Early Modern England, first published two decades ago, and recently updated, is one of the most widely used texts in this area of subject study. This new edition incorporates the substanial changes which have swept the field combining more traditional concerns of

social history with investigation of the newer items on the agenda of historians. The result is a masterly study, providing the only up-to-date interpretation available for the period.

J.A. Sharpe is at University of York.

Early Modern England, first published two decades ago, and recently updated, is one of the most widely used texts in this area of subject study. This new edition incorporates the substanial changes which have swept the field combining more traditional concerns of

social history with investigation of the newer items on the agenda of historians. The result is a masterly study, providing the only up-to-date interpretation available for the period.

"A stimulating introduction to the social history of the early-modern period, one that can be recommended enthusiastically to students and the general reader...It catches the excitement of current research and never shirks the more difficult issues."—Social History Society Newsletter

"A book full of information, lucidly presented...a text which can be warmly recommended to the students for whom it is primarily intended. It is a book which their teachers will read with profit."—The Times Literary Supplement

"A stimulating introduction to the social history of the early-modern period, one that can be recommended enthusiastically to students and the general reader...It catches the excitement of current research and never shirks the more difficult issues."—Social History Society Newsletter

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A book full of information, lucidly presented...a text which can be warmly recommended to the students for whom it is primarily intended. It is a book which their teachers will read with profit."—The Times Literary Supplement

"A stimulating introduction to the social history of the early-modern period, one that can be recommended enthusiastically to students and the general reader...It catches the excitement of current research and never shirks the more difficult issues."—Social History Society Newsletter

About the Author

J.A. Sharpe is at University of York.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA; Second Edition edition (September 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0340577525
• ISBN-13: 978-0340577523
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #955,702 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A flawed classic, June 1, 2011

By 

Joyce Haworth (Midwestern US) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Early Modern England: A Social History 1550-1760 (Hodder Arnold Publication) (Paperback)

Undoubtedly, students of Tudor/Stuart England should turn to this volume. It's all here, leading off with a basic chronology of the period, and moving on to a wide range of subjects from agriculture to divorce. The scholarship is top-notch.

The book has several flaws, though. The first is that common error in scholarly writing, the use of overly complex language to convey simple ideas. Pg. 39: "One of the major discoveries attendant on family reconstitution was the finding that, contrary to a very persistent myth, the inhabitants of early modern England tended to marry fairly late in life." How about, "Contrary to myth, people in early modern England married late in life."

Another related issue is an unfortunate pomposity of tone: pg. 37: "Whatever the drawbacks of registers an an historical source, it is no accident that historical demographers should refer to the period 1538 - 1801 as 'the parish register era.'" Aside from the highly unlikely event of anyone would think that such a thing could be an accident . . . one too easily imagine this line delivered by an English butler who swallowed a dictionary. That is unfortunate. It interferes with clarity, which after all is one of the primary goals for a work such as this. Clarity and simplicity of language were problematic throughout this book.

A third issue is more subtle, and reminds us that this book was first issued over 20 years ago. There is a tone of amazement throughout that things in this era were not worse than they were. Women were not forced to marry against their wills. Husbands and wives loved each other. Parents and children were attached to each other. Religious people were often sincere. And so on. When this book was written, I suppose these things were news, and students and even scholars might have thought that this period was a nightmare of economic-based marriages, women with no choice whatsoever . . . etc. But it's been quite awhile since those myths were pared down, and it seems, to this reader anyhow, that they can be discussed and reshaped with more dispatch, and with less of a tone of amazement.

There are more readable volumes out there on this period; "The Oxford Illustrated History of Tudor and Stuart Britain" is one such choice.