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Diarmaid MacCulloch
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The Reformation: A History Hardcover – May 3, 2004

by Diarmaid MacCulloch (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 478 ratings
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  1. National Book Critics Circle AwardWinner, 2004
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The Reformation and Counter-Reformation represented the greatest upheaval in Western society since the collapse of the Roman Empire a millennium before. The consequences of those shattering events are still felt today—from the stark divisions between (and within) Catholic and Protestant countries to the Protestant ideology that governs America, the world’s only remaining superpower.

In this masterful history, Diarmaid MacCulloch conveys the drama, complexity, and continuing relevance of these events. He offers vivid portraits of the most significant individuals—Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, Loyola, Henry VIII, and a number of popes—but also conveys why their ideas were so powerful and how the Reformation affected everyday lives. The result is a landmark book that will be the standard work on the Reformation for years to come. The narrative verve of The Reformation as well as its provocative analysis of American culture’s debt to the period will ensure the book’s wide appeal among history readers.

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  1. Print length
    800 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Viking Adult
  4. Publication date
    May 3, 2004
  5. Reading age
    18 years and up
  6. Dimensions
    6.44 x 2.09 x 9.52 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0670032964
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0670032969
  9. See all details
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4.4 out of 5 stars
478 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book offers good information and a comprehensive history of the Reformation. They describe it as an excellent core text for Reformation study. Readers appreciate the author's witty and interesting style, finding the book worthwhile to read. However, opinions differ on the writing quality, density, and value for money. Some find it well-structured and detailed, while others feel it's obtusely written and a waste of money.

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Scholarly contentReadabilityWitWriting qualityDensityValue for money
82 customers mention "Scholarly content"65 positive17 negative

Customers find the book's scholarly content informative and well-researched. They describe it as a comprehensive history of the Reformation with plenty of detail and anecdotes. The book provides an excellent core text for Reformation study, though some readers would like to expand on it through additional readings.

"...MacCulloch makes fine and fascinating distinctions about a breathtaking amount of material, as he puts in rich full context a battle of ideas..." Read more

"...Bottom line, this book contains an amazing amount of information that will make reading this book worthwhile, even for those of us who have not done..." Read more

"...century and continues into the 18th century and covers the history of the Reformation in England, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Norway, Switzerland..." Read more

"...It is an extensive history – clocking in at over 700 pages of small print text...." Read more

38 customers mention "Readability"29 positive9 negative

Customers find the book well-written with fascinating historical details. They find it an engaging read with a brilliant introduction that makes it worthwhile. Many consider it a classic and an excellent first choice as a reference text.

"...For all its brilliance, this book is actually great fun. For the mainstream reader it is a treasure. I can not recommend it enough...." Read more

"...book contains an amazing amount of information that will make reading this book worthwhile, even for those of us who have not done a lot of reading..." Read more

"...breach between Catholicism and Protestantism, this book is an excellent first choice...." Read more

"...seeking a in depth overview of the Reformation, this would be a good book to read." Read more

7 customers mention "Wit"7 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's wit and engaging prose. They find the author's style interesting and easy to read. The book is well-researched, objectively written, and humorous.

"...what, where, when and why" of the Reformation in smooth, clear and inviting prose...." Read more

"This book is scholarly, witty, and fascinating...." Read more

"...Yet the author still finds time to inject humor and point out many of the inconsistencies in the competing dogmas...." Read more

"...The author's style is warm and engaging, at times humorous...." Read more

18 customers mention "Writing quality"7 positive11 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the writing quality. Some find it well-structured and detailed, describing an interesting time in Christian church history. Others feel it's obtusely written, not an easy read, with long and complex sentences.

"...familiar with all these people, the book is going to be very difficult to read...." Read more

"...The Kindle version of this book is very well done...." Read more

"...It is not easy reading-but a blessing if you are willing to take the sunglasses off to see clearly the reality he reveals...." Read more

"...I found his writing style to be hard to follow with sentences at times approaching paragraph length...." Read more

7 customers mention "Density"4 positive3 negative

Customers have different views on the book's density. Some find it a thick and weighty tome, while others find it a tough read but insightful.

"...to repeat what others here are saying, it is true that this is a very dense book packed with tons of information...." Read more

"...I wish I had written it, or that I could have. It is dense, about 700 pages that will seem like 7000 to some people, but I couldn't put it down..." Read more

"I'm halfway through this weighty tome, and have quite enjoyed it so far...." Read more

"This is a dense, detailed, intense examination of the Reformation...." Read more

5 customers mention "Value for money"2 positive3 negative

Customers have different views on the book's value for money. Some find it excellent, while others consider it a waste of money for school purposes. The scope is wide, but some readers feel the writing is unclear and obtuse.

"...This history is sweeping in scope but terribly, obtusely written -the long and complex sentence structure does not lend itself to easy reading or..." Read more

"...This is of immense value because we are, I think, still in the midst of religious revolution and reformation today. ----..." Read more

"...who writes a lot of words, yet you learn almost nothing, it has almost no value. Stay as far away from this trash as possible." Read more

"Item as described. A real bargain." Read more

Book Arrived Damaged
2 out of 5 stars
Book Arrived Damaged
I haven’t read this book yet, as I just received it as I’m writing this. But, I absolutely have no idea why the book came in such a poor condition. Kind of a let down.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Anne Rice
    5.0 out of 5 stars Deliciously Readable and Wondrously Comprehensive
    Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2006
    Verified Purchase
    Don't be put off by the size of this book or the size of the subject. The book will give you the "who, what, where, when and why" of the Reformation in smooth, clear and inviting prose. MacCulloch makes fine and fascinating distinctions about a breathtaking amount of material, as he puts in rich full context a battle of ideas that is still being fought today. For all its brilliance, this book is actually great fun. For the mainstream reader it is a treasure. I can not recommend it enough. --- Added 2008. ----- Having now spent over a year and a half reading this book, studying in it, underlining passages and writing in just about every margin, I have to return to my review here and try to do justice to the mammoth accomplishment of this work.---- It is a full multi-course education in one of the most baffling and violent periods in history, during which thousands died for varying religious positions, and we in America are some of the inheritors of the violence and theological speculation and doctrinal decisions of these times. ----- This book gives full rich portraits of Protestants and Catholics alike, striving to bring to us an understanding of how these men and women of religion saw themselves and their relationship to God, and why they were willing to go to such lengths for their beliefs.------ And, as the jacket copy tells us: "MacCullogh examines the impact of the Reformation on ordinary lives." ----- This is of immense value because we are, I think, still in the midst of religious revolution and reformation today. ---- Possibly we always will be.---- As Christians, we are part of a quarreling religion, a religion with great respect for debate and contrary opinion, yet a religion that strives constantly to put an end to all debate with inspired positions. ---- It never seems to come to that. ---- Our debates, within our denominations, and within the great church as a whole, go on. ---This book deals with some of the most vital and most fateful quarrels in which we've ever been involved, and to understand ourselves better, we need to know about them. ------ I recommend this book whole heartedly for a confrontation with our own religious obsessions and attitudes towards a whole range of life's most serious questions, including those pertaining to family life. --- For those presently watching the new spate of films and mini series about Henry VIII and his daughter, Elizabeth I, this book provides a great resource for examination of the misunderstandings, tragedies and accomplishments of the era which do not always make it to film. ---- Obviously people in America in the year 2008 are obsessed with religion, and nothing will help us more with our obsession than valid observations, and insights such as this book provides. Nothing, except prayer, that is, and an educated examination of our own consciences. -------- Let me add on a practical note the book is filled with valuable cross references. When you come to the life of Luther, for example, you'll find specific page references to Luther elsewhere in the text, and these cross references are of terrific help. The cross references help you to organize what you are discovering here and seeking to absorb, which is, of course, an immense mount. ---- For Catholics, this book provides a particularly rich description of what we call the Counter Reformation, and it seems to me that MacCulloch is as insightful and even handed here as he is with Protestant personalities and developments. ----- One final note: sink into this book. Sink into it. You may come out disagreeing with some of MacCullogh's views, but the book is bound to teach you more than you can possibly dream. ---- You will want to read biographies of people of whom you perhaps knew nothing before you started here. You will want the education to go on. ---- Recommended for everyone --- the armchair historian, the scholar, the teacher, the professional historian, the person who just wants to know! --- for us all.
    49 people found this helpful
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  • David Montgomery
    5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive Account
    Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2005
    Verified Purchase
    MacCulloch's engrossing account on the Reformation is a very comprehensive book on that critical period in world history that has shaped modern Christianity to this day. This period with all its complexities and theological debates makes it a more challenging period to read or write about, unless you narrow it down to a particular event or individual. It is a well-researched book by a distinguished professor whose experience and knowledge in this field of study will I'm sure make this one-volume book one of the more definitive accounts of this period.

    Now I must confess that my own knowledge of this period does not derive from many other readings devoted to the Reformation and Counter-Reformation. My knowledge, and I suspect like many others, derives from discussions and lessons at church and in survey classes at college and the likes. A good working knowledge of this period is certainly a prerequisite for reading this book if you do not want to be overwhelmed by the sheer scope of people, ideas and events that are cumulatively discussed in this book. It is indeed quite easy to be overwhelmed, as I was on occasion, but that is also the reward for reading a book like this in that you are exposed to so many topics you might not otherwise have thought about.

    The period in question, as stated by MacCulloch ran roughly from 1490-1700. In the space of that time we meet many of the familiar names who played such important roles including Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, and other reformers (as well as those who remained within the old church) both radical and those who were more conservative. But we also learn about so many other individuals and groups including monarchs, princes, clergymen, laity, theologians, humanist scholars and so forth. We learn of the doctrinal questions that led to the numerous confessionalist branches of Christianity evidenced to this day. These debates included the nature of the eucharist, infant vs adult baptism, the role of the clergy and laity, commonwealth vs church, the vernacular Bible, predestination, the sinfulness of man, the use of music and images in the church and so many other issues.

    Other topics covered included the renewal of interest in returning to the original sources, aka the Renaissance, the threat to the Holy Roman Empire from the Ottomans, Spanish and Portugese exploration and the exporting of their brand of Christianity, the development and use of the printing press, persecutions of dissenters and those considered deviant, political power struggles and the devastating Thirty Years War as well as the English Civil Wars. Of course this is just a sampling of what is included in this book.

    MacCulloch reveals, and this could be subject to some interpretation and debate, that the ideas that led to the Reformation and the resulting split within the Church were not necessarily original ideas as espoused by Luther, e.g. as MacCulloch states the influence of St. Augustine. It was also important to remember that while Luther's action was a major spark, other events made the ensuing splits and theological and doctrinal debates possible, for example some of the topics in my previous paragraph.

    MacCulloch also does a service for those more interested in more of the social history from this period, devoting his last section to discussing the role of the family, sexual identity, belief in witches and their persecution, and other topics that relate to how people lives were changed by the Reformation or alternatively how it had limited effect. Bottom line, this book contains an amazing amount of information that will make reading this book worthwhile, even for those of us who have not done a lot of reading on this period. Be prepared for history that presents the good, bad, and ugly.
    12 people found this helpful
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  • Valentin Varillas Henaine
    1.0 out of 5 stars Llegó en pésimo estado. Muy maltratado para la calidad que debe tener una edición de este tipo
    Reviewed in Mexico on February 19, 2023
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    Valentin Varillas Henaine
    1.0 out of 5 stars Llegó en pésimo estado. Muy maltratado para la calidad que debe tener una edición de este tipo
    Reviewed in Mexico on February 19, 2023

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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book-subject matter still relevent today
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 14, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Well written, full of significant information-like an encyclopedia of middle ages politics & religion
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