Charles the Second: King of England, Scotland, and Ireland

In Charles II, Ronald Hutton, Britain's foremost historian of the English Restoration, offers a comprehensive biography of the king who returned to England in triumph after the death of Cromwell, re-establishing the monarchy that continues to reign to this day. Hutton reveals the excitement and tragedy of Charles's youth, as the realm erupted into savage civil war, leading to the execution of his father King Charles I at the hands of the rebellious Parliament. He offers a vivid account of Charles's long, desperate struggle to claim his crown, which included the catastrophic invasion of Cromwell's England that ended in a lonely flight, as he hid in orchards, ditches, and the famous Boscobel Oak. Yet Charles persevered, and was finally recalled from exile by an exhausted nation in 1660. Charles emerges in this narrative as a "monarch in a masquerade," a charming, duplicitous, and astonishingly lucky king who spent less time governing than he did at play (when he wasn't hunting, racing, or sailing he was with one of a series of mistresses--he acknowledged seventeen bastards during his lifetime). His reign endured catastrophe and unrest, from the plague and the Great Fire of London, to defeat at the hands of the Dutch, to Protestant hysteria about a Catholic plot to seize the throne, to the disastrous results of his own secret diplomacy. But Charles in his good fortune survived it all, and this lively, eminently readable book presents an unmatched account of the private life and dramatic public career of a fascinating and enduring king, while capturing the politics and personalities of a mometentous era.

Hutton, Ronald

Biographies & Memoirs

Oxford University Press

An entertaining book that breaks new scholarly ground, The Rise and Fall of Merry England explores the rituals which marked the passage of the year in late medieval and early modern England. Treating both religious and secular rituals, and both popular and elite ones, Hutton tells how they altered over time in response to political, religious, and social change. He also addresses some key issues in English history: the character and pace of the Reformation, the context of beloved writers like Ben Jonson and Robert Herrick, the origins of the science of folklore, and the impact of the English Revolution. A comprehensive work that breaks several frontiers, this highly readable book will delight all those interested in English history and folklore.

The Rise and Fall of Merry England: The Ritual Year 1400-1700

History

Europe

Highly readable and entertaining, Ronald Hutton's acclaimed work is the first comprehensive account of the religious and secular rituals of late medieval and early modern England.

Comprehensive and engaging, this colourful study covers the whole sweep of ritual history from the earliest written records to the present day. From May Day revels and Midsummer fires, to Harvest Home and Hallowe'en, to the twelve days of Christmas, Ronald Hutton takes us on a fascinating journey through the ritual year in Britain. He challenges many common assumptions about the customs of the past, and debunks many myths surrounding festivals of the present, to illuminate the history of the calendar year we live by today.

Stations Of The Sun

Here is a book that brings witchcraft out of the shadows. The Triumph of the Moon is the first full-scale study of the only religion England has ever given the world-modern pagan witchcraft, otherwise known as wicca. Meticulously researched, it provides a thorough account of an ancient religion that has spread from English shores across four continents. For centuries, pagan witchcraft has been linked with chilling images of blood rituals, ghostlike druids, and even human sacrifices. But while Robert Hutton explores this dark side of witchery, he stresses the positive, reminding us that devotion to art, the natural world, femininity, and the classical deities are also central to the practice of wicca. Indeed, the author shows how leading figures in English literature-W.B. Yeats, D.H. Lawrence, and Robert Graves, just to name a few-celebrated these positive aspects of the religion in their work, thereby softening the public perception of witchcraft in Victorian England. From cunning village folk to freemasons and from high magic to the black arts, Hutton chronicles the fascinating process by which actual wiccan practices evolved into what is now a viable modern religion. He also presents compelling biographies of wicca's principal figures, such as Gerald Gardner, who was inducted into a witch coven at the age of 53, and recorded many clandestine rituals and beliefs. Ronald Hutton is known for his colorful, provocative, and always thoroughly researched studies on original subjects. This work is no exception. It will appeal to anyone interested in witchcraft, paganism and alternative religions.

The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft

From the twelve days of Christmas to the Spring traditions of Valentine, Shrovetide, and Easter eggs, through May Day revels and Midsummer fires, and on to the waning of the year, Harvest Home, and Hallowe'en; Ronald Hutton takes us on a fascinating journey through the ritual year in Britain. His study encompasses the whole sweep of history in all the British Isles from the earliest written records to the present day. Treating rituals ancient and modern, Christian and pagan, Hutton's colorful and absorbing history debunks common assumptions about the customs of the past and the festivals of the present. Stations of the Sun is the first complete scholarly work to cover the full span of British rituals. Challenging the work of specialists from the late Victorian period onwards, the book reworks our picture of the field thoroughly and illuminates the history of the calendar we live by.

The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain

Politics & Social Sciences

Social Sciences

An entertaining book that breaks new scholarly ground, The Rise and Fall of Merry England explores the rituals which marked the passage of the year in late medieval and early modern England. Treating both religious and secular rituals, and both popular and elite ones, Hutton tells how they altered over time in response to political, religious, and social change. He also addresses some key issues in English history: the character and pace of the Reformation; the context of beloved writers like Ben Jonson and Robert Herrick; the origins of the science of folklore; and the impact of the English Revolution. A comprehensive work that breaks several frontiers, this highly readable book will delight all those interested in English history and folklore.

The years 1658-1667 form one of the most vital and eventful periods in English history, witnessing the Plague, the Great Fire of London, the naval wars against the Dutch, and, above all, the transformation of Oliver Cromwell's Commonwealth into the Restoration monarchy of Charles II. Hutton's detailed study of the period returns to nearly all the extant manuscript sources and reworks every issue afresh. The result is an absorbing and perceptive account of national experience as government policy changed, influenced by the interaction of central concerns, local perspectives, and the various social, political, and religious groups.

The Restoration: A Political and Religious History of England and Wales, 1658-1667 (Clarendon Paperbacks)

Clarendon Press

From the twelve days of Christmas to the Spring traditions of Valentine, Shrovetide, and Easter eggs, through May Day revels and Midsummer fires, and on to the waning of the year, Harvest Home, and Hallowe'en; Ronald Hutton takes us on a fascinating journey through the ritual year in Britain. His comprehensive study covers all the British Isles and the whole sweep of history from the earliest written records to the present day. Great and lesser, ancient and modern, Christian and pagan, all rituals are treated with the same attention. The result is a colorful and absorbing history in which Ronald Hutton challenges many common assumptions about the customs of the past and the festivals of the present debunking many myths and illuminates the history of the calendar we live by. Stations of the Sun is the first complete scholarly work to cover the full span of British rituals, challenging the work of specialists from the late Victorian period onwards, reworking our picture of the field thoroughly, and raising issues for historians of every period.

Literature & Fiction

Dramas & Plays

Here is a book that brings witchcraft out of the shadows. The Triumph of the Moon is the first full-scale study of the only religion England has ever given the world--modern pagan witchcraft, otherwise known as wicca. Meticulously researched, it provides a thorough account of an ancient religion that has spread from English shores across four continents. For centuries, pagan witchcraft has been linked with chilling images of blood rituals, ghostlike druids, and even human sacrifices. But while Robert Hutton explores this dark side of witchery, he stresses the positive, reminding us that devotion to art, the natural world, femininity, and the classical deities are also central to the practice of wicca. Indeed, the author shows how leading figures in English literature--W.B. Yeats, D.H. Lawrence, and Robert Graves, just to name a few--celebrated these positive aspects of the religion in their work, thereby softening the public perception of witchcraft in Victorian England. From cunning village folk to freemasons and from high magic to the black arts, Hutton chronicles the fascinating process by which actual wiccan practices evolved into what is now a viable modern religion. He also presents compelling biographies of wicca's principal figures, such as Gerald Gardner, who was inducted into a witch coven at the age of 53, and recorded many clandestine rituals and beliefs. Ronald Hutton is known for his colorful, provocative, and always thoroughly researched studies on original subjects. This work is no exception. It will appeal to anyone interested in witchcraft, paganism and alternative religions.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Hutton, Ronald. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Hutton, Ronald

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Hutton, Ronald. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Charles the Second: King of England, Scotland, and Ireland

The Rise and Fall of Merry England: The Ritual Year 1400-1700

The Rise and Fall of Merry England: The Ritual Year 1400-1700

Stations Of The Sun

The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft

The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain

The Rise and Fall of Merry England: The Ritual Year 1400-1700

The Restoration: A Political and Religious History of England and Wales, 1658-1667 (Clarendon Paperbacks)

The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain

The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft