The Reformation
A History

At times this book seemed like the most magisterial and thoughtful work I'd ever read on religion or early modern Europe. MacCulloch's descriptions of the Catholic Church before Luther, and of the monumental changes in life and society after Luther, are clear and beautiful examples of the history of......more

This is simply put the best popular history book I've ever read. The subject is the Reformation, but MacCulloch goes far beyond the traditional "Luther to Westphalia" timeline, using the first few chapters to flesh out the world of Latin Christianity as it existed during the century or so before Lut......more

This book deserves five stars for several reasons, in my view. First, it is a complete history of the Reformation. MacCulloch delves into its origins, developments, and effects. He looks at its effects throughout Europe and ultimately, although briefly, in the America's. Fair warning to anyone consi......more

This is a rather exhaustingly detailed account of Christianity's great age of fanatical strife. I was most interested in the events affecting women. For example, after the Christian reconquest was finalized in 1492, popular religion in Spain still featured numerous independent female saints (known a......more

This was excellent -- readable, smooth, as comprehensive and unbiased as one can hope for. I now understand a whole lot of things more clearly, and know about a host of other things of which I was ignorant. I recommend this to anyone with an interest in European intellectual and social history. I es......more