Cromwell by Antonia Fraser (1973, Hardcover)

Where I live, down here in South Carolina, one can incur polite rebuke if one refers to the 1865 war as a civil war. Older Southerners will point out that Massachusetts (and other NE states) wanted to secede in connection with the War of 1812. Now I can respond that I am talking about the BRITISH civil war, thanks to the wealth of material in Antonia Fraser's book, which is very well written, developing the story in chronological (and sometimes genealogical) order. I'm glad I read it. These were the days of Isaac Newton, that is, the beginning of our technological journey. It's not particularly encouraging to think that much of the political wrangling that we hear in the news in 2009 is not all that different from events that took place in the Protectorate, possibly owing to democracy and human nature; but one would think mankind should have made some progress in the intervening years. In any case, I do recommend this book and particularly commend the author for her excellent research and exposition.