History of Hope

Distinguished British historian Dame Cicely Veronica Wedgwood here assembles 44 of her essays, articles and lectures dating from 1942-78, dealing mainly with the period of her specialization: 17th century England of the civil wars. Among the pieces are perceptive portrait-assessments of Kings Charles I and II, Martin Luther and Oliver Cromwell, Machiavelli and Cardinal Richelieu, William Penn and Edward Gibbon. But there are also several important essays on the aims, purposes, requirements and value of history as an art, craft and discipline, pieces on Germany and Shakespeare, cavalier poetry, social comedy and Paris during the winter of 1945. Most of these essays were previously collected, but eight are published here for the first time. The book is rewarding reading for historians and history buffs alike. (May)