The English Civil War Through the Restoration in Fiction

A period of tumultuous political and religious strife, the English Civil War has inspired writers for the past four centuries. Their works vary widely in quality from the hurriedly written political verse of the 17th century and the superficial or sentimental novels of the 19th and 20th centuries to the brilliantly conceived novels of Daniel Defoe, Nigel Tranter, and Iain Pears. All provide a perspective on a turbulent era. A useful tool for historians and researchers, this bibliography provides access to verse, novels, short stories, and plays about the Civil War era written between 1625 and 1999.

The book opens with an introductory survey of the political and religious conflicts that led to the war and the execution of Charles I and that continued through the Interregnum, Cromwell's Protectorate, and the Restoration of Charles II. It then provides a discussion of some of the fiction written about the events and personalities of the period. With over 900 annotated entries, the bibliography itself includes virtually all of the fiction written about the period.