Rowse, A. L

New York. 1950. Macmillan. 1st Printing. Very Good in Worn Dustjacket With A Number of Pieces Missing. 547 pages. hardcover. keywords: History England . FROM THE PUBLISHER - Widely regarded as one of the leading English historians of his generation, A. L. Rowse has accomplished a task of unusual magnitude. He has drawn, with triumphant success, a ‘portrait' of the small society, tough, vigorous, pulsating with energy, that made the Elizabethan Age one of the most remarkable periods in the history of mankind. Having shown in this volume what that society was, Mr. Rowse will show in a succeeding volume what it did. Masterful chapters deal with agriculture, economics, the towns, social classes, government, law, the church, and education. Throughout these chapters the reader observes the rising and falling rhythms of two great themes: the Reformation, at first destructive and darkening, and then generating a constantly increasing energy; the rise of the gentry, overflowing into so many diverse fields, leaving its imprint on culture and commerce, in politics and administration, in the universities and schools. So short a step is it from the Age of Elizabeth to the founding of the American nation, that the reader can clearly trace here the roots that were to astonishing growth in this country. The Washingtons, Franklins, Winthrops, John Cotton, Thomas Hooker and John Harvard - all were products of Elizabethan England, and all find their place in this admirable history. With a wealth of such concrete examples Mr. Rowse is able to show the strong cultural and spiritual links which reach from Elizabeth's times down to our own. This book is not only a work of historical research, but an outstanding example of interpretative sympathy and imaginative insight. Mr. Rowse has captured the drama, surge and high excitement of the times, epitomized in the commanding figure of its great Queen. His book is a superb achievement, admirably reflecting the vigor and sparkle of the age itself. It will rank as its author's finest work and, with its successor, take its place as one of the great historical works of our time. inventory #6351