The English Reformation: A Very Brief History (Hardcover) by Alec Ryrie
'This book does not tell "the story" of "the English Reformation". It tells the stories of six English Reformations, or rather six stories of religious change in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century England. The stories are parallel and overlapping, but each has a somewhat different chronological frame, cast of characters and set of pivotal events, and has left a different legacy.'
'This brief but masterly account illuminates our understanding of what happened, why it happened, and why it still matters, by showing us how many different perspectives there are on this world-changing event. It's not just Henry VIII and his wives: as this book shows, the spiritual and political consequences of the English Reformation, good and bad, are still very much part of our world today.' ― Eric Metaxas, host of the nationally syndicated Eric Metaxas Radio Show; author of Martin Luther: The Man who Rediscovered God and Changed the world
'Alec Ryrie here performs an extraordinary feat: his deep knowledge and fresh, original understanding of the period are packed into every line but in such delicious, efficient prose that one barely notices what great draughts of learning are being gulped down. A little gem of a book.' ― Suzannah Lipscomb, FRHistS, FHEA, Professor of History, University of Roehampton; author of A Visitor’s Companion to Tudor England
'A mould-breaking little book. Ryrie persuades us that how we describe and interpret the English Reformation can owe almost as much to who is telling the story and what we want to hear as to the facts. It's a message that's long overdue, a wake-up call to anyone interested in the topic.' ― John Guy, University of Cambridge