1. This book is so good my dog ate its cover. What he left for me to read pleased me as much as the four colour cover pleased my dog. A volume in The New Oxford History of England edited by J.M. Roberts, it replaces part of J.D. Mackie's The Earlier Tudors and all of J.B. Black's The Reign of Elizabeth (1936, 2nd ed. 1959) in the original Oxford History of England. As a replacement it stands as a monument to the evolution of Tudor historiography since World War II. Black's history was preoccupied with high politics and high culture while Williams's history successfully blends social, political, intellectual and diplomatic histories into a single narrative.

2. Those familiar with Williams's work will find the structure of this book similar to that of his The Tudor Regime (1979), but the narrower focus and greater length of this volume allow him more space in which to connect institutional structures and histoire evenementuel.

3. Perhaps because he is influenced by the annalistes, or because this is a text that assumes that undergraduates need a knowledge of Tudor geography, the book opens with a physical description of the land. Following the description of place he sketches the sources and methods for constructing a history of the period and provides an overview of the whole period.

4. This introductory material sets the stage for the next section, a narrative of the political and religious history of the reigns of Edward VI and Mary. Although it follows a well-known cursus, discussing the goals of Northumberland, the Marian Council and other traditional subjects, he enlivens this, as the he does the rest of the book, with a fine eye for telling stories from the sources. He uses telling quotes like that of the Spaniard who said Queen Mary 'is a perfect saint and dresses badly' (86) to encapsulate Marian politics.

5. Between Mary and Elizabeth come chapters that do what Williams does best, explain the structures of the central and local governments. This he juxtaposes with a treatment of society Starting with the problem of inflation (complete with price series), he incorporates a discussion of issues like crime and vagrancy within sketches of classes and social structure. This trip through the Mid-Tudor crisis depends heavily on the now standard accounts, such as Thirsk's Agrarian History and Kerridge's Agrarian Problems. There is not much here of new interpretation, but it is a good summary of the recent state of the field.

6. Elizabeth's reign receives similar treatment. A three chapter political narrative recounts national and international politics. The remainder of the book is devoted to chapters on the culture and the social order, religion, the family and 'England in the World.' Throughout these chapters we find the interpretations built on familiar scholarship, with Williams often adjudicating scholarly debates. For instance, in discussing the Elizabethan Settlement he repeats J.E. Neale's interpretation, explains why it has been discredited, explores the interpretations of Hudson and Jones, and then delivers his own verdict. Though accepting most of Jones' argument he adds the correctives that the Queen remained a conservative Protestant and that the Court, about which little is known, was likely to have played an essential role in the shape of the Settlement. Fair and open, his treatment does justice to the historiographical problems without pretending, as many texts do, to a magisterial authority on the subject. (234-6) He does the same in many other places. For instance in discussing censorship he takes issue with Annabelle Patterson, explaining that he finds Blair Worden's arguments more convincing. (414) In short, students using this book will be introduced to the historiographical debates over the period in a way that does not mar the narrative.

7. Of course no book of this scope can do everything, just as no author can be expected to have read everything. When Williams is on his home turf of government and the Court his portrayal is unerring. When he ventures into social history he is more dependant on his sources and less sure of the questions. For instance, in his discussion of the family he fails to notice that most children were put out to service in other peoples' families, creating a unique social dynamic that is very alien to our modern sense of family structure.

8. Although he does spend a little time on economics, they are missing from a crucial era, the 1590s. His account there is of the Succession Crisis, the death of Burghley, the Irish rebellion and the Essex revolt. The economic troubles that so disturbed the late years of Elizabeth are scarcely present except as political problems such as the debate over monopolies or the beginnings of overseas trade.

9. On the other hand, he successfully contextualizes some things that are often ignored or treated as separate from this history. Focusing on Tudor Britain, Williams ignores Scotland but treats Ireland as an integral part of the realm. Rather than relegating it to a separate chapter he weaves Ireland into the general narrative, giving it the importance it had to the Elizabethan government.

10. Conceived as a textbook and a reference work, The Later Tudors is generously illustrated and provided with plenty of aids. Maps and genealogical tables help clarify confusing issues, as do a glossary and a chronology of political and cultural events. Last but not least, there is an annotated bibliography for each chapter, supplementing the footnotes. It is a book that will teach well once it is available as an inexpensive paperback.

11. Given the difficulties inherent in writing a narrative recounting the political history while exploring the social and cultural histories Williams has done an excellent job. The book reads well, it introduces the major debates, and it will be useful to students and professional historians. It is a fitting capstone to Williams's long career as a Tudor historian, standing as a monument to the over half a century of research that has made J.B. Black's predecessor volume completely out of date.

NORMAN JONES
UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY