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The Early Modern Period



General Bibliography

The recommended survey text is Merry E. Wiesner-Hanks, Early Modern Europe, 1450-1789 (Cambridge U.P., 2006).   In preparation for this section of the core course, you should read chapter 1.

Other one-volume surveys include:

  Euan Cameron, ed., Early Modern Europe: An Oxford History (1999): stimulating thematic essays, but not the place to get your facts straight
  George Huppert, After the Black Death: A Social History of Early Modern Europe (2nd ed. 1998): highly recommended, readable overview but only covers social history

Numerous publishers have a multi-volume series that covers the early modern period.   They include ---

Norton:
  Eugene Rice & Anthony Grafton, The Foundations of Early Modern Europe, 1460-1559 (2nd ed. 1994)
  Richard S. Dunn, The Age of Religious Wars, 1559-1715 (2nd ed. 1979)
  Isser Woloch, Eighteenth-Century Europe: Tradition and Progress, 1715-1789 (1982)

Macmillan:
  Richard Mackenney, Sixteenth Century Europe (1993)
  Thomas Munck, Seventeenth Century Europe (1990)
  Jeremy Black, Eighteenth Century Europe (1990)

Oxford University Press:
  Richard Bonney, The European Dynastic States, 1494-1660 (1991)
  William Doyle, The Old European Order, 1660-1800 (2nd ed. 1992)

Blackwell:
  J.H. Elliott, Europe Divided, 1559-1598 (2nd ed. 2000)
  Geoffrey Parker, Europe in Crisis, 1598-1648 (2nd ed. 2001)
  J. Stoye, Europe Unfolding, 1648-1668 (2nd ed. 2000)
  Olwen Hufton, Europe: Privilege and Protest, 1730-1789 (2nd ed. 2000)

Penguin/Allen Lane:
  Tim Blanning, The Pursuit of Glory: Europe 1648-1815 (2007) (other volumes in preparation)


Cambridge University Press has a paperback textbook series entitled `new approaches to european history’.   Intended as high-level introductions to specific episodes and topics, volumes in this series tend to be of high quality.   I strongly recommend them.

In addition to the Further Reading lists... [continues]

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