The English Revolution, 1688-1689

This slim volume by Trevelyan is one of the most gripping history books I have ever read. In 130 pages, the author succinctly describes the various interest groups involved, and how they interacted during the revolution and its aftermath. If you think you might be interested in the English revolution, but are concerned that some authors' treatment of the topic might be dry and unengaging, I recommend that you start with this book. Trevelyan succeeds in distilling the revolution and its aftermath into 130 pages of economic prose, without ever becoming superficial or glib.

Trevelyan's English Revolution provides a good look at the reigns of Charles II and James II and how the Catholics and Protestants were struggling for superiority in England in the 17th Century. Background information and effects after their reigns is also added to give the reader a better understanding of events which are covered in the book. English Revolution is well written and entertaining while educational, a stand alone work or good companion to other books covering this era.

Professor G.M. Trevelyan (1876-1962) is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential British historians of the 20th-century. Specializing in the years of Stuart rule over Britain (1603-1714), Trevelyan's books are still considered "definitive" in the historiography of Stuart England; in fact, Trevelyan's works, such as his multi-volume account of Queen Anne's reign, often document under-examined topics. In 1938, Trevelyan authors the definitive account of England's so-called "Glorious Revolution" with The English Revolution, 1688-1689. Employing a rich, clear, literary narrative Trevelyan argues that James II is a tyrant whose obstinacy and stupidity leads to James' loss of the British throne. Moreover, Trevelyan argues the Revolution, which raises the power of Parliament at the monarch's expense, sets Britain on a course of relative stability and toward ascendancy in Europe. When one looks at the historiography of the Glorious Revolution, one finds a paucity of books devoted to the Revolution itself. The sixty-six years between the publication of Trevelyan's work and today have not produced another volume so comprehensive and readable. In other works, the Revolution tends to be covered as part of a Stuart biography or mentioned as being "important" in a survey of England or America in the late 17th-century. All the while, little new information is being collected and published in book form. Oftentimes, the Revolution serves as a line of demarcation, a place to start or end a study of English history. In the past few years, revisionist historians have challenged the notion of James II as tyrant, preferring a portrayal casting James as the victim of scheming daughters and their husbands (as is most notably found in Maureen Waller's popular Ungrateful Daughters, published in 2003 by St. Martins). Nevertheless, most British historians still hail Trevelyan's work as the "gold-standard" narrative of the Revolution. In fact, the book is still in print some 66 years after its initial publication. Since the book is accessible and clear, and one of the very few books in print devoted solely to the Glorious Revolution, Trevelyan's work retains great importance to British historiography. Trevelyan's interpretation and narrative style may seem quaint and old-fashioned, but the information gathered and presented by his work serves to enlighten the 21st-century mind as to the importance of England's Glorious Revolution.