Originally published in 1952 but here reissuing the updated edition of 1978, this book has long been established as a classic and a central text for students of seventeenth-century English history. The book covers every aspect of English life from the arrival of James I in England to the death of Queen Anne. The chapters on political history are organized chronologically, interspersed with thematic chapters which analyse change and development in family and social life, literature and the arts, scientific and philosophical ideas and the growth of the first British Empire.