THE COMMONWEALTH OF ENGLAND

by Charles-Ed. Blitzer ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 8, 1962

Mr. Blitzer has assembled a useful collection of documents of the English civil war of 1642, the Commonwealth and Protectorate. Part I describes the chain of events that led to the outbreak of Civil war, and the editor picks as his starting point the passage of the Grand Remonstrance (1641); Parts II and III include excerpts from Clarendon, describing the battle of Naseby, and from the trial of Charles I. Part IV is perhaps the most interesting, characterizing Cromwell through his letters and the contemporary observations of Milton and Warwick. The last three parts of the anthology deal with the commonwealth and protectorate, and the restoration. Mr. Blitzer has shown great skill in selecting the documentary data, and has included extracts of Cromwell's speeches and portions of Hobbes' essays. The editor has added a brief introductory comment, and has included a chronological table to aid the reader. Unfortunately a book devoted to documentary excerpts can be a very dull dog. But Mr. Blitzer has performed a great service in bringing together hitherto widely scattered materials into one volume. This volume will be invaluable to students, and is recommended to supplement standard texts in introductory courses in English history.

Pub Date: Oct. 8, 1962

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Putnam

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1962

Categories: NONFICTION