Reviews
"This isn't merely 'a history' of the Reformation, but rather 'the history.'" - Michael Dirda , The Washington Post "MacCulloch brings the history of the Reformation into vivid focus, providing what must surely be the best general account available." - Financial Times "A lasting work [and] one of the most magisterial and stylishly written historical works to be published in a decade." - The Atlantic Monthly, Praise for The Reformation "This isn't merely 'a history' of the Reformation, but rather ' the history.' One would be hard put to imagine a more detailed, even-handed, clearly written account of the religious controversies of the sixteenth century. . . . The Reformation is a learned, enlightening, and disturbing masterwork." --Michael Dirda, The Washington Post Book World "Richly encyclopedic . . . MacCulloch brings the history of the Reformation into vivid focus, providing what must surely be the best general account available." --Financial Times "Monumental . . . The Reformation is set to become a landmark." --Lisa Jardine, The Observer "Handled here with brilliance, this is the kind of history that normally gives even academic historians vertigo." --The Economist "Deserves to become the standard history of early modern Europe religion and its legacy, synthesizing and assessing a quarter-century of international scholarship . . . Like the best of historians, he helps us to understand why we are; and why we need not be so." --Ronald Hutton, The Independent "Wide-ranging, richly layered and captivating . . . This spectacular intellectual history reminds us that the Reformation grew out of the Renaissance, and provides a compelling glimpse of the cultural currents that formed the background to reform. MacCulloch's magisterial book should become the definitive history of the Reformation." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) "A masterpiece of readable scholarship . . . In its field it is the best book ever written." --David Edwards, The Guardian "From Politics to witchcraft, from the liturgy to sex; the sweep of European history covered here is breathtakingly panoramic. This is a model work of history." --Noel Malcolm, Sunday Telegraph "Excellent . . . There are moments of sheer pleasure. . . . MacCulloch's well-paced style makes the book seem half its length." --Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, The Sunday Times, Praise for The Reformation "A learned, enlightening, and disturbing masterwork . . . This isn't merely 'a history' of the Reformation, but rather 'the history.'" -Michael Dirda, The Washington Post "One of the most magisterial and stylishly written historical works to be published in a decade . . . MacCulloch's analyses of the lives, personalities, ideas, and struggles are at once sharp and profound. . . . A lasting work." -Benjamin Schwarz, The Atlantic "Evenhanded, learned, and profound . . . It is difficult to imagine anybody writing a better book about the Reformation." -Karen Armstong, Los Angeles Times Book Review "Superb . . . MacCulloch brings the history of the Reformation into vivid focus, providing what must surely be the best general account available." -A. C. Grayling, Financial Times "Dazzling . . . A magnificent achievement . . . It is hard not to admire a book that is such a masterpiece of learning, and yet written with a disarming lightness of touch." -Michael Howard, The Times Literary Supplement "A masterpiece of readable scholarship . . . In its field it is the best book ever written." -David Edwards, The Guardian , Praise for The Reformation "This isn't merely 'a history' of the Reformation, but rather ' the history.' One would be hard put to imagine a more detailed, even-handed, clearly written account of the religious controversies of the sixteenth century. . . . The Reformation is a learned, enlightening, and disturbing masterwork." --Michael Dirda, The Washington Post Book World "Richly encyclopedic . . . MacCulloch brings the history of the Reformation into vivid focus, providing what must surely be the best general account available." --Financial Times "Monumental . . . The Reformation is set to become a landmark." --Lisa Jardine, The Observer "Handled here with brilliance, this is the kind of history that normally gives even academic historians vertigo." --The Economist "Deserves to become the standard history of early modern Europe religion and its legacy, synthesizing and assessing a quarter-century of international scholarship . . . Like the best of historians, he helps us to understand why we are; and why we need not be so." --Ronald Hutton, The Independent "Wide-ranging, richly layered and captivating . . . This spectacular intellectual history reminds us that the Reformation grew out of the Renaissance, and provides a compelling glimpse of the cultural currents that formed the background to reform. MacCulloch's magisterial book should become the definitive history of the Reformation." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) "A masterpiece of readable scholarship . . . In its field it is the best book ever written." --David Edwards, The Guardian "From Politics to witchcraft, from the liturgy to sex; the sweep of European history covered here is breathtakingly panoramic. This is a model work of history." --Noel Malcolm, Sunday Telegraph "Excellent . . . There are moments of sheer pleasure. . . . MacCulloch's well-paced style makes the book seem half its length." --Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, The Sunday Times, "This isn't merely 'a history' of the Reformation, but rather 'the history.'"-- Michael Dirda , The Washington Post "MacCulloch brings the history of the Reformation into vivid focus, providing what must surely be the best general account available."-- Financial Times "A lasting work [and] one of the most magisterial and stylishly written historical works to be published ina decade." -- The Atlantic Monthly
