Here you will find suggested reading that covers the broad scope of Early Modern history (c1600-1800). This will be continued to be updated but please do not hesitate to ask for guidance or particular areas that interest you that you cannot find here. Any book marked with an * means we have a copy available to loan.
Early Modern history is vast and it would difficult to incorporate every single area within this list. Here are a few areas that have not been included that we can provide recommendations for:
The rise of European nations: Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Russia.
The French Revolution and rise of Napoleon.
Major conflicts: Seven Years War, American War of Independence.
Irish history
*Ackroyd, Peter (2015) The History of England Vol III: Civil War. London: Macmillan - In his third volume of six, Ackroyd details the turbulent 17th century which led to Parliament executing King Charles I in 1649
Elliot J H (2002) Imperial Spain 1496-1716. St Ives: Penguin Books. - Is the go-to book on the subject. Not only was Elliott one of the first modern English-language historians to focus on the subject, his book has stood the test of time and is highly readable.
Cameron, Euan. 2013. Early modern Europe: an Oxford history. Oxford: Oxford University Press - This extensively illustrated book offers a new kind of introduction to Europe between 1500 and 1800. It considers the evolving economy and society - the basic facts of life for the majority of Europe's people. It shows how the religious and intellectual unity of western culture fragmented and dissolved under the impact of new ideas. It also examines politics to consider the emergence of modern attitudes and techniques in governing.
Chase, Malcolm (2007). Chartism: A New History. Manchester: Manchester University Press. - Chartism, the mass movement for democratic rights, dominated British domestic politics in the late 1830s and 1840s. Chartism: A New History is the only book to offer in-depth coverage of the entire chronological spread (1838-58) of this pivotal movement and to consider its rich and varied history in full.
E.J. Evans (2011) The Shaping of Modern Britain: Identity, Industry and Empire, 1780-1914 London: Pearson, -
Harris, Tim (2006). Restoration: Charles II and His Kingdoms. St Ives: Penguin Books. - These are the best accounts of the transition from the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, to the Glorious Revolution of 1689, and the aftermath leading to the coronation of a German prince in George I. Harris’ works are excellently written, full of important insight, and have set the standard for accounts on the later Stuarts.
Harris, Tim (2007). Revolution: The Great Crisis of the British Monarchy . St Ives: Penguin Books - See above.
Hobsbawm, Eric John (2012). The age of capital: 1848-1875. London: Abacus. - In the 1860s a new word entered the economic and political vocabulary of the world: 'capitalism'. The global triumph of capitalism is the major theme of history in the decades after 1848. It was the triumph of a society which believed that economic growth rests on competitive private enterprise, on success in buying everything in the cheapest market (including labour) and selling it in the dearest
Hobsbawn, E. J (2014). The Age of revolution: Europe 1789-1848. London: Abacus. - This enthralling and original account highlights the significant sixty years when industrial capitalism established itself in Western Europe and when Europe established the domination over the rest of the world it was to hold for half a century.
Israel, Jonathan (1998). The Dutch Republic: Its Rise, Greatness and Fall 1477-1806. Oxford: Clarendon Press - An impressive scholarly well-documented account of the history of the Low Countries (in relation to the rest of Early Modern Europe). Yet, very accessible for the general reader.
Kishlansky, Mark (1997) A Monarchy Transformed, Britain 1603-1714. St Ives: Penguin Books. - The best introduction to seventeenth century English history. Kishlansky is able to explain the complicated political manoeuvres over the course of the century, from ascension of a Scottish King to an English throne, to Civil Wars and a regicide, and a Glorious Revolution. Throughout Kishlansky is able to combine information on politics, economics, and religion to elucidate the history of Stuart England.
Koch, H W (1982) The Rise of Modern Warfare. Worthing: Littlehampton Book Services Ltd - Absolutely full of etchings, portraits, and diagrams. Divided into several sections based on country: England, France, Russia, etc., as well as general discussion of modern warfare. Each section discusses uniform, armament, and tactics. Suitable for in-depth study or just looking at the pictures.
Levack, Brian (2015). The Witch-Hunt in Early Modern Europe. Abingdon on Thames: Routledge. - Levack gives important background and context to his discussion of the witch-hunt. The work's value as an introduction to the topic is evident, as the book is now in its third edition.
*McPhee, Peter (2002). The French Revolution 1789-1799. Oxford: Oxford University Press. - This lively book sets out the answer to the fundamental questions posed by the French Revolution and the repercussions of the Revolution on daily life of ordinary French citizens.
*Merriman, John (2004). A History of Modern Europe: From the Renaissance to the Present. London: W.W Norton and Co. - Students and instructors alike praise A History of Modern Europe for its authoritative coverage from the Renaissance to the present day. Written in Merriman's signature narrative style, the book is brightened with humour and biographical sketches.
White, James L. (1964). The Origins of Modern Europe 1660-1789. London: John Murray Publishers. - Readable summary of European history during that period
Wilson, Peter H. (2010) The Thirty Years War: Europe's Tragedy. St Ives: Penguin Books. - One of the most popular English-language accounts of one of Europe's most destructive wars, an important factor in the Reformation, Counter-Reformation, the fate of the Holy Roman Empire, and one that leads to the Peace of Westphalia.