Mark Kishlansky

Mark Kishlansky offers and excellent survey volume of the Stuart Dynasty in England - the seventeenth century. As a survey, he obviously does not delve into great detail, but he does a very good job discussing both personalities that moved the age and the great events that shook the age. I felt that many times I wanted more detail, but that is not the intent of this book. Rather, Kishlansky is trying to give an over-view of the age. This book provides a good foundation upon which to build show more one's knowledge by seeking out more specialised studies.

The writing style is clear and concise, especially as he tries to untangle the myriad religious issues and conflicts of the age. Kishlansky opens each chapter with a tantalising event relative to that chapter. This captures the reader's attention and keeps one focused on the theme of that chapter. Its a technique that works well within the context of a survey history.

I would have liked to have had endnotes, but Kishlansky advises the reader at the outset that he is not providing them. There is a very good section for further reading at the back of the book. On the whole, this is a great book for someone just beginning to explore the Stuart Dynasty in England. show less

I sometimes think that my love of 'Penguin History of x' series is straight masochism; but Kishlansky's volume on seventeenth century Britain is very well done. He writes clearly, his sentences follow on from each other (not always the case with today's historians), and he seems to have written for people who are interested in history, rather than for professors who need a text-book for an era they know little about: this book is not about settling scores with other professors.

The book show more focuses mainly on narrating the Main Story of the times, but it does start with a couple of chapters on social and political structures. He's also a good bibliographer, giving you plenty of options for further reading. The only real caveat is that the book is probably better for someone who already knows that, e.g., there was an English Revolution and so on. Kishlansky does a great job of showing how and why things happened, and he doesn't focus on any particular set of causes over any other. I'm not sure how good he is at making sure you know who Cromwell is before launching into the events of the age. show less

A good introduction to the first civilaztions and thier political, economical and family structures. My version was split into two volumes. The first one covered Prehistoric Europe to the rise of Christianity. The second which I am currently reading covers the Rise of Islam through 1715. I love the narrative and the maps provided in the book. The writing is down to earth and doesn't shy away from the horrible things humans do to each other. Each chapter ends with futher resources and most of show more them provide additional history or information that is really well thought out and useful. show less

A Monarchy Transformed is the history of the Stuart Dynasty in England and Great Britain, beginning with the coronation of James I in 1603 and ending with the death of Queen Anne in 1714, when the throne switched to the Hanoverian Dynasty. On the whole, I thought it was a very interesting book. It deftly told the story of all of the Stuart monarchs, as well as the story of the Commonwealth that disrupted the Stuart monarchy from 1649 to 1660. Kishlansky is an engaging writer, and it read show more like a novel in many ways. It is detailed, thorough, and, in my opinion, very well written.

I did feel that Kishlansky did leave some areas lacking. It was historically accurate; there is no doubt about that. However, he tended to skim areas that I feel should have been covered in more detail. I was assigned this book for a class and, in all honesty, I felt that if it had not been for my professor's lectures, I would not have understood some of the details and events Kishlansky described. I also felt that he paid too little attention to the last monarchs of the dynasty, William and Mary, and Anne. Anne, in particular, received very little attention, only really being mentioned in the epilogue, and with nothing positive being said about her.

In spite of it's flaws, I believe A Monarchy Transformed should be read by anyone with an interest in the history of England, or the Stuart Dynasty in particular. I also believe that those who are interested in the English literature and writers of the time, such as Milton and Pepys, should read this. It provides interesting details of the monarchy, and of England as a whole, and it gives some insight into the environment and atmosphere which these writers lived in. Very, very informative and easy to read. show less