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A Century of Troubles: England in the 17th century by Stevie
Davies (Channel 4 Books, 2001). Out of print; may be available from libraries
or second-hand bookshops.
A fascinating political and social history of England from James I's ascension
to the English throne, through the English Civil Wars, the Commonwealth and subsequent
Restoration of the monarchy, to the Glorious Revolution of 1688. Features new
evidence and insights on the Gunpowder Plot, Oliver Cromwell, the Plague and
the Great Fire of London.
 The Stuart Age: A history of England 1603-1714 by Barry Coward
(Longman, 2nd ed 2003)
A single-volume thorough and readable account of England in the 17th century,
ideal for the general reader.
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 The Early Stuarts: A political history of England 1603-1642 by
Roger Lockyer (Longman, 1998)
One of the best introductory surveys for beginners who need an overall perspective
on 17th-century English history.
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 England in Conflict, 1603-1660: Kingdom, community, Commonwealth by
Derek Hirst (Hodder Arnold, 1999)
A sound textbook that covers intellectual, economic, social and political life
in the first part of the 17th century.
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 Birth, Marriage and Death: Ritual, religion and the life-cycle in
Tudor and Stuart England by David Cressy (Oxford University Press,
1999)
A picture of the classic rites of passage in Tudor and Stuart England, from
childbirth and baptism through to courtship, weddings, and funerals.
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 The Dreadful Judgement: The true story of the Great Fire of
London by Neil Hanson (Black Swan, 2002)
A panorama of the Great Fire of London and the stories of those who lived through
it.
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 The Great Plague by Stephen Porter (Sutton, 2003)
Well-illustrated account of the Great Plague. Porter also describes the impact
of earlier outbreaks that swept across Europe in the previous three centuries.
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The Shorter Pepys by Samuel Pepys, edited by Robert Latham
(Penguin, 1993). Out of print; may be available from libraries or second-hand
bookshops.
Pepys's diary is a slice of 17th-century life and an acknowledged literary
masterpiece. It is crammed with Pepys's socialising, his amorous entanglements,
his theatre-going and music-making, but it also includes eye-witness accounts
of the Great Plague and the Great Fire of London, as well as details of the
official journey to bring Charles II back from The Hague. This edition – with
1152 pages – contains about a third of the original text.
 Samuel Pepys: The unequalled self by Claire Tomalin (Penguin,
2003) £7.99
This award-winning biography covers his childhood and young adulthood, then
moves through the famous diary years and beyond, to the death of his wife and
the setting up of a new household. While using the diary as a source, Tomalin
goes beyond its narrative to the inner man, at the same time revealing life
in Restoration London.
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 The Diary of John Evelyn by John Evelyn, edited by Guy de la
Bédoyère (Boydell Press, 3rd ed. August 2004)
John Evelyn lived through the Civil War, the Commonwealth, the Restoration,
the reigns of Charles II and James II, the Glorious Revolution of 1688, the
reigns of William and Mary and the first part of Anne's. He was both a friend
and associate of royalty and the famous, and an erudite man at the centre of
17th-century English society and learning. His diary offers a vivid account
of contemporary life and manners, including an eye-witness account of the Great
Fire of London.
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Charles II: King of England, Scotland and Ireland by Ronald
Hutton (Oxford Paperbacks, 1991). Out of print; may be available from
libraries or second-hand bookshops.
A unique feature of Ronald Hutton's authoritative study is the attention given
to Charles's reign over Scotland and Ireland, as well as England, giving the
first united history of the British Isles in this period.
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