Winner of the 2004 Wolfson Prize for History, "The Reformation" is the definitive account of one of the most dramatic upheavals in history. 24-page...
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Nov 06, 2010
Adam
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This is simply put the best popular history book I've ever read. The subject is the Reformation, but MacCulloch goes far beyond the traditional "Luther to Westphalia" timeline, using the first few chapters to flesh out the world of Latin Christianity as it existed during the century or so before Luther arrived on the scene. Geographically the book also extends well beyond the borders of what we often view to be the main sphere of the Reformation - Germany, France, and England - to ex
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Jul 05, 2009
J.
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I picked this up because I knew almost nothing about the Reformation, and I felt like I should at least have the basic history straight for events which were so vital to the shaping of the modern world.
And, it mostly covered me for that. He did an excellent job of putting you inside the very alien worldviews and socio-cultural arrangements of the time, and illustrating just how revolutionary and sudden a change the Reformation really was. He gave engaging and detailed sketches of mos More...
And, it mostly covered me for that. He did an excellent job of putting you inside the very alien worldviews and socio-cultural arrangements of the time, and illustrating just how revolutionary and sudden a change the Reformation really was. He gave engaging and detailed sketches of mos More...
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Jul 12, 2009
David
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An excellent overview of the cataclysmic splintering of Western Christianity, The Reformation is long (700 pp) and intricate in detail, but the narrative never drags. Diarmid MacCulloch is thorough and almost always balanced in his view of both the Protestant and Catholic sides of the struggle.
The only time his biases seem to show are when he discusses the English Reformation. He seems to have very little patience for the more conservative and, to be honest, catholic side of the Chu More...
The only time his biases seem to show are when he discusses the English Reformation. He seems to have very little patience for the more conservative and, to be honest, catholic side of the Chu More...
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Jan 06, 2010
Ron
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There is so much information in this volume that it could easily have slipped into a sort of almanac. But thats not what happens, not at all. Its basic structure is chronological, with some of the usual overlapping of time and events as is required to tell a story this complex, and is infused with many cross references to other parts of the book which I found very useful. Its written with a very appealing combination of straightforward historical narrative and insightful opinion, and sprinkle
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Nov 20, 2011
Christopher
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This is another book that has been sitting on my shelf, unread, for some time. Now, I've finally finished reading it and I am glad that I did. Mr. MacCulloch sweeps through the Reformation with an energy and verve that is not found in many similar, one-volume accounts of history. And he is quite adept at switching between the historical, theological, and social aspects of the period that tore Western Europe apart. For those who have taken a course on modern Western history, the basic outline
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Oct 17, 2010
Kaput
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I consider it a minor achievement just to have finished this book. If it was written in the same print size as say, Cormac McCarthy's The Road it would be about, I dunno a million pages long. As it is you have to sift through 700 pages of fairly dense print. Beyond the stamina needed for such a venture it's a very easy and accessible read.
It really does gives some sense of the staggering enormity of the reformation on Western Europe. It didn't just affect the people who lived throug More...
It really does gives some sense of the staggering enormity of the reformation on Western Europe. It didn't just affect the people who lived throug More...
May 21, 2009
David
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If you want a one-stop history of the Reformation, this book is the place to go. Rather than tackling each area separately (German Reformation, Swiss Reformation, Catholic Reformation, etc.), MacCulloch provides us with a story that weaves all of these various plots together. In doing this some depth is sacrificed, so if you want to learn more about a particular figure or event you have to look elsewhere. But if you want to see the whole story, complete with background leading up to the Refo
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Oct 25, 2008
Rich
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This is a comprehensive, single-volume history of the Reformation. It is more encyclopediactic and complete than other histories of the Reformation.
MacCulloch had to sacrifice some details for coverage of the whole Reformation. He cannot fully describe every important work by every figure involved and some figures make multiple reappearances and the effect is jarring. For example, John Jewel is only mentioned once. For this reason, the book is more captivating if one has some backgro More...
MacCulloch had to sacrifice some details for coverage of the whole Reformation. He cannot fully describe every important work by every figure involved and some figures make multiple reappearances and the effect is jarring. For example, John Jewel is only mentioned once. For this reason, the book is more captivating if one has some backgro More...
Nov 20, 2007
Paul
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The story of the Reformation is long and complex, and so are many of MacCulloch's sentences, but never mind. This is a rich and full account of the Reformation, in which the motivations of faith and feeling, power and practicality are woven fine, the players in the drama are presented as whole people, and the meaning of this chapter of Western cultural history is modeled "in the round." Rakow and Torda are meaningfully placed in it, as are Calvin's two foils: Michael Servetus and Margu
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Sep 17, 2007
Nick
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Writing a one-stop survey of Reformation history offers one of the great challenges for historians. In few historical circumstances do so many themes intersect. The whole process is as much an act in not writing on certain areas as choosing to expound on other themes at length. Ultimately, Reformation narratives are almost universally cumbersome - MacCulloch's 700+ pages are no exception to the rule. His work does, however, introduce the reader to a flurry of characters and plots without sacrifi
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Aug 23, 2007
Bart
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I, for one, have never understood the conplete time-line of the Reforamation, it eluded me no matter how many history courses I audited. I just assumed there was a through-line to the religious upheval. Well, it seems logical through-lines and religion are chalk and cheese, that the upheaval was extant long before Martin Luther, and that a majority of the political and relgious warfare the world is curently mucking about in is directly related to this continuous disarray. Enter 'Reformation:Eu
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Aug 22, 2007
Cat
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Even though it clocks in at seven hundred plus pages, I wouldn't call it the definitive book on the reformation. Perhaps that's because one needs more then a single volume to deal with this particular subject. It's really more like a very good introduction to a difficult historical subject. I applaud MacCullough for his objectivity, but I'm not convinced that objectivity is something that's possible, or really even necessary for a project like this.
I was struck, time and time again More...
I was struck, time and time again More...
Jan 20, 2012
Maria
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This is dense literature! I enjoyed it, though, because the author is able to give you a broad panorama of this fascinating period of political, social and (above all) religious change. MAny different threads merge, converge and diverge as you read on and on, and you can see an enormous panorama evolving before your eyes.
When you are not accustomed to all the names and events (and I surely was not) its a little bit difficult to get on without loosing the thread but it is worth it!
When you are not accustomed to all the names and events (and I surely was not) its a little bit difficult to get on without loosing the thread but it is worth it!
Sep 06, 2010
David
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Excellent but it's, occasionally, difficult to see the forest for the trees. Too much detail and written too close for comfort. A little on the dry side as well. But if you can persevere then you will learn a very great deal about the Reformation (1490-1700). Doesn't matter whether you are an atheist or one of the faithful baboons this will be a useful contextualizing history. Brilliant. Highly Recommended.
Aug 06, 2011
Yael
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Absolutely *brilliant* book. Meticulous research. Captivatingly well-written. And I learned so much. I love historical nonfiction, and tend to be very picky about which people I trust to give me not just a solid sense of time & place, but also a deeper understanding of the facts. This book would be of interest to any reader wanting to delve into historical European theology, politics, culture, etc.
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Jun 28, 2010
Brennan
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Meh. This book is written in a bloodless style that prevents the reader (or in fairness, "this reader") to really get to know the people behind the movements of the age. Good place to start as a survey, but know going in the author's strong (and stated) protestant feelings and fairly narrow focus on Luther, Cauvin (Calvin) and Knox.
Aug 28, 2011
Fred
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Well this is the most complicated history I've ever read.
The subtext of the story is the complicated relationship between abstruse religious debate and broader social trends. Generally it looks like it takes a few decades for intra-elite controversies to trickle down to the common people, and then explode.
The subtext of the story is the complicated relationship between abstruse religious debate and broader social trends. Generally it looks like it takes a few decades for intra-elite controversies to trickle down to the common people, and then explode.
Jan 27, 2011
Graham
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Though this might be a touch dry and a trifle long for those who prefer their history books on the light side, it is still an excellent, informative read. MacCulloch does a wonderful job illuminating this transformative period in Western culture, and the relevance of this material to our modern world is striking.
Jul 30, 2011
Stuart
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This is a great readable history of the reformation, written with scholarly knowledge but with lay readership in mind (me). It brings a new viewpoint to the history, describing the time in terms of mass movements rather than individuals. Very good. But be prepared to devote a lot of time to it!
Apr 20, 2008
Russ
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This comprehensive survey of the Protestant Reformation is a long book (700+ pgs.), but is engaging throughout. The work explores the causes of the Reformation, the personalities of its greatest figures (Luther, Erasmus, Calvin, Zwingli, etc), as well as the Counter-Reformation and the other historial figures influential at the time (royalty, the papacy, etc), and the effects of the movement on Europe and elsewhere. The book also features a 'coda' describing cultural aspects of life in Protest
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Aug 09, 2011
Outstanding. A very important book if you want to get a feeling about Europe during the Early Modern Time and its connections with nowadays religious differences and struggles in Christendom.
Jan 02, 2010
Alison
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If you are going to have one book on the Reformation, it should be this. The coverage is amazing, and unlike most historians of the Reformation, MacCulloch pays attention to Iberia. And I'm in two footnotes.
May 05, 2010
Phil
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This 1st survey history of the Reformation I've read. Enormously pleasing, & full of obscure bits that delighted me. (Picked off the open shelves of W. Chester's library ... happy circumstance.)
Aug 14, 2009
So far this book is really intersting as to what Christianity has been up to since the Middle Ages. Hope it keeps it up.
Dec 24, 2008
Sweatherford
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Great book for a detailed account of the reformation, its causes and ramifications for our current world.
Dec 17, 2009
Allison
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This is exhaustive scholarship, folks. I used every ounce of my Ivy liberal arts degree to get through it - it really is necessary to have a firm grounding in European history. The author takes for granted that you are well informed.
That said, the writing is so fluent and smooth that the pages turn themselves. His information is detailed and his source catalogue is excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed it all 1000 pages of it or so until my bathtub overflowed and it got all wet and More...
That said, the writing is so fluent and smooth that the pages turn themselves. His information is detailed and his source catalogue is excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed it all 1000 pages of it or so until my bathtub overflowed and it got all wet and More...
Jun 06, 2010
Matthew
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Very interesting, particularly the portions dealing with the average person's experience of the Reformation.
Sep 15, 2009
Huge breadth of knowledge and scholarship. A "big read" in every sense but worth every moment.
Sep 11, 2008
Abe
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It is a laborious but fascinating read. I never realized how much killing was involved during the Reformation period. It certainly doesn't endear one to religious philosophy but rather portrays how religion has been used to promote the self-righteous objectives of man. Quibbling over the meaning and interpretation of scriptures, and then actively killing those who don't believe or conform to the accepted doctrine, does not represent a religion that I would want to embrace.
The book is a More...
The book is a More...
May 16, 2010
Michael
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Fascinating and comprehensive. A little meandering at times. I'll read it at least twice.
