1517 by Peter Marshall

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1517 by Peter Marshall

Did Martin Luther really post his 95 Theses to the Wittenberg Castle Church door in October 1517? Probably not, says Reformation historian Peter Marshall. But though the event might be mythic, it became one of the great defining episodes in Western history, a symbol of religious freedom of conscience which still shapes our world 500 years later.
Marshall's narrative skills and his probing analysis are equally enjoyable and insightfulHis work is a reminder that histories and anniversaries are contextual, with one eye on the past and the other on the present ... an engaging and stimulating look not only at an historical event, but how such an event took on an oversized life of its own through anniversary celebrations over the centuries. * Mark A. Granquist, Reading Religion *
Wonderful... an enlightening and convincing discussion of the elaboration of a historical and cultural myth. * Mark Konnert, H-Albion *
Insightful and illuminating. * Andrew Pettegree, Theology *
An absorbing and scholarly work, cramming a huge amount into just over 200 pages. * Alan Wakely, The Reader *
A fascinating re-examination of the celebrated events of 1517 and their impact on Western history. * Simon Burton, The Expository Times *
Highly recommended. * Church of England Newspaper *
1517 sorts fact from fiction and provides an intriguing case study of the way historical memory is created. * Jonathan Wright, Catholic Herald *
Compelling. * Anne Inman, Pastoral Review *
In 1517, Peter Marshall rounds up all the available evidence ... and lays it tidily before us with both clarity and a puckish enjoyment of its more absurb manifestations ... In this quincentennial year, the market is inevitably awash with books on Luther and the Protestant Reformation. If you only want to read one or two of them ... you could do a great deal worse than starting here. * Moira Briggs, Vulpes Libris *
Anyone wanting an accessible overview of the beginning of the Reformation and the role of Martin Luther will find Peter Marshall's 1517 an ideal read. [...] This is altogether an excellent book, not only for those who wish to learn something about the start of a movement, but also how today we try to come to an understanding of what history was, is, and can be. * Peter Costello, Irish Catholic *
Admirable work of detection, demythologisation, and historiography. * John Arnold, Church Times *
A story worth telling... a beautiful example of what popular cultural history can be... Writers of future anniversary histories should take note. * Dmitri Levitin, Literary Review *
Interesting reading for both scholars of the Reformation and history buffs in general. Marshall finds a unique niche in a year replete with wider biographies of Luther and histories of the early Reformation. * Kirkus *
1517 is a remarkable exploration of the Reformation's most famous scene, Martin Luther's posting of the Theses on the Wittenberg church door. By unpacking the memory and meaning of this episode as it has been interpreted and reinterpreted across five centuries of European history, Peter Marshall reveals how the contingencies of time and place have shaped our understanding of the Reformation and how the Reformation, in turn, has maintained its place in the historical imagination as a turning point on the path to the present. Packed with detail, stories, facts, and arguments, and beautifully written, this will surely prove to be one of the most original of the books written to mark the Reformation quincentenary. * C. Scott Dixon, author of The Church in the Early Modern Age *
Peter Marshall, a native of the Orkney Islands, has since 2006 been Professor of History at the University of Warwick, and is a leading expert in the history of the Reformation and its impact in the British Isles and beyond. He is a winner of the Harold J. Grimm Prize for Reformation History, and has been shortlisted for the Longman/History Today Book of the Year Award. He is co-editor of the English Historical Review, a frequent reviewer for the TLS, Literary Review, Tablet and other periodicals, and a regular lecturer to school and community groups. He is married with three daughters, and lives in Leamington Spa.
SKU Unavailable
ISBN 13 9780199682010
ISBN 10 0199682011
Title 1517
Author Peter Marshall
Condition Unavailable
Binding Type Hardback
Publisher Oxford University Press
Year published 2017-08-10
Number of pages 256
Cover note Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.