The Tudor Age - Softcover

Ridley, Jasper

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0879516844 ISBN 13: 9780879516840

Publisher: Overlook Books, 1996

Synopsis

Beginning with the arrival of Henry Tudor and his army at Milford in 1485 to depose Richard III, and ending with the death of the great Queen Elizabeth I in 1603, this incisive and informative brief history provides a vivid account of Englands most eventful and contradictory age. Its presentation of the life both in the burgeoning capital of London and in the countryside includes 16 pages of full-color and black-and-white photographs, as well as discussion of the costumes of the period, modes of travel, food and medicine, sports and pastimes, and the amazing explosion of English drama that would make the name of William Shakespeare a household word for all time. Nor does this volume overlook the stultifying narrowness of peasant life, the harsh treatment of heretics and traitors, the intrigues and machinations at the court, and the miseries of the plague. In all, A Brief History of the Tudor Age paints an astonishing panorama of an England of great beauty and violence, of splendor and squalor, of achievement and despair. Bursting with factual evidence ... a bright and lively compendium.The Observer Jasper Ridley is one of the most accomplished and successful historical biographers.Times Literary Supplement

About this title

About the Author

Jasper Ridley was a former barrister turned author and became one of England's leading biographers, recent works including lives of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. His Lord Palmerstone was winner of the James Tait Black prize. His last work, The Freemasons, was highly acclaimed.

From Library Journal

A well-known writer of popular Tudor biographies ( Henry VIII , Penguin 1988; Elizabeth I , Penguin 1988), Ridley here presents a topical rather than narrative overview of 16th-century England aimed at the general reader. Beginning with a family portrait of the Tudors, he explores in subsequent chapters such subjects as London, houses, furniture and food, law enforcement and war, and sports and pastimes. The illustrations--color as well as black and white, many full page--complement the very readable text. Some professional historians will disagree with a few of Ridley's interpretations, but The Tudor Age is worthwhile for its fascinating descriptions of daily life and anecdotes about the era's famous figures. It will be an informative and attractive addition to public library shelves.
- Ronald Fritze, Lamar Univ., Beaumont, Texas
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Overlook Books
• Publication date: 1996
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0879516844
• ISBN 13: 9780879516840
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 385