Margarette Lincoln London and the Seventeenth Century The Making of the World’s Greatest City, Yale University Press, 2021

Thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book as an advance uncorrected page proof copy.
Margarette Lincoln has established London as a great city, with a colourful history impacting upon its citizens at all levels. From the introduction with the funeral of Queen Elizabeth 1, to closing with the end of William and Mary’s reign, it would be simple to say that the century and book were bound by royalty. However, Lincoln is true to her aim in writing a social history of the century when she gives the smog that hovers over London in 1699 almost the last words. People, rather than royalty feature, in the poor capacity of candles and torches to penetrate the gloom. The world of the Londoner is referred to as having an ideologically unclear idea of the future, as well as the physical lack of clarity. However, finishing on a positive note, Lincoln features the grandeur of London seen from above: St Paul’s overlooking what was to become the immense City of London, and closer to the worker, Greenwich Park, overlooking the source of future trade and manufacturing power.

Turning first to the academic nature of the book: the citations are numerous, informative, and clearly established for each chapter; notes clarify the abbreviations; an additional bibliography of material for further reading is included, as well as the bibliography; there is a wonderful index and maps provide further detail about the events. At the same time as the reader is assured that the information is impeccably sourced and authoritative, none of the academic features impede the reader for whom the story is the most important reason for choosing this history of Seventeenth Century London. The chapter headings are enticing, from the first referring to the earthquake nature of change after Elizabeth’s death to the advice to avoid cynicism and look to the future (Chapter headings are omitted here as this is an uncorrected copy and quotations from this source cannot be used). Other topics that provide a flavour of the material covered and the haunts that the reader will find are as warm as references to coffee houses and as threatening as the Dutch invasion in 1688. Of course, the political ramifications for the century and drama of gunpowder plot are not ignored in the mixture of state affairs and people’s everyday lives.
It is the latter that makes a social history vibrate with events, feelings, the realities of poverty, smells and death and the movement of a society, at times going forward bravely, at others becoming mired in rules and the static nature of admiration for the past. It is here that I feel the book has one shortcoming. I have already noted that the academic reader will be satisfied; and, in the main, I believe that the reader who wants to know about Seventeenth Century London will also be satisfied. However, I feel that the writing needed to be livelier to provide a real sense of what it was like to live in this burgeoning city. Observations made by people who were not suffering the vagaries of poverty because of changes in work, accommodation and geographic location forced upon them cannot do the job of the people suffering these events. I would have liked to have more opportunity to really feel those lives. At the other end of the scale, perhaps some deeper analysis of the political and social events of the seventeenth century, and their possible impact on current events would have been valuable.
Those small quibbles having been aired, I thoroughly enjoyed the book, was impressed by the detail and its accessibility to academic and the non-academic reader and recommend it to both.

London started off the 17the century with the death of Elizabeth I, and proceeded to experience a civil war, the execution of a monarch, a fire that destroyed three quarters of the city, the plague, the restoration of the monarchy, and then the Glorious Revolution. All in a mere 100 years. Margarette Lincoln brings this period alive in this book, and proceeds to explore how this century laid the foundations for a lot of what we know about the country today-from Parliamentary democracy, capitalist colonialism and even coffeehouses. The book would have been a great read even if The author had only written about the ever changing political situation of the century, and focussed on royal and Parliamentary policies. She makes it a point, however, to write about the lives of ordinary Londoners, across classes, and even across races. She uses multiple contemporary accounts, apart from, of course, Pepys' vivid diaries. There are cookbooks and household help books written by women as well, and she quotes from those to give you an evocative picture of the daily lives of people and how policy decisions have an impact. My favourite chapters were about the Royal Society and their work on improving navigation, at a time when there was increasing demand for imported goods. What struck me about that was how all these scientists seemed like such Renaissance men- Robert Hooke, for instance, apart from advancing our knowledge of microorganisms, was also tasked with rebuilding London after the great fire. Newton, apart from being responsible for most of our foundational physics, also had to quickly solve the problems caused by the then monarch demonetising their currency. And both of them succeeded at these tasks! This book led me to realise that a lot of developments in mathematics came about due to a sea faring nation trying to figure out the vagaries of the ocean, logarithms and trigonometry,for instance. Unfortunately, the Indian school maths syllabus hasn't been updated so I was made to learn all of these as well! It's fascinating to know the actual applications of those dreary log tables and set squares! Hugely recommend this thoroughly entertaining capsule of a tumultuous century.

My interest in history is very casual and I am more interested in the day-to-day experience of everyday people - small details rather that the wider political information, and this wasn't really the book for me. I found it quite heavy-going, even when I just dipped in and out a chapter at a time. For people who are seriously into history or who are studying it rather than reading for entertainment, then I imagine this book has the details that they would want, but it's very much all substance and not much style.

<I>London And The Seventeenth Century</I> is well-written and highly informative. Lincoln has a knack for identifying and explaining the events and trends that shaped 17th century London’s development in approachable and entertaining prose. Readers will gain a solid understanding of how the interplay between England’s rulers, London’s government, and its aristocracy, tradespeople, merchants, and impoverished residents shaped the development of city and nation. In examining this, Lincoln tackles both traditional subjects (defense, diplomacy, religion, trade) and cultural development (architecture, entertainment, fashion, leisure pursuits), and how each changed as the city endured civil war, foreign invasion, the great fire, and plagues. From debates about civil rights, gender roles, immigration, political factionalism, religion in politics, and socioeconomic inequality, there are a lot of fascinating parallels between that era and the present day, which Lincoln skillfully draws out. My review copy from NetGalley lacked all the maps and several of the illustrations listed in the table of contents alongside other omissions, and I can only review what I’ve been given, so 3.5 stars for now. But even as an ARC, this was still a fascinating and approachable read and I recommend it to fans of history and well-written nonfiction in general.

Margarette Lincoln, the author of “London and the 17th Century, looks at how religious, political, and financial tensions were fomented by commercial ambition, expansion, and hardship. In addition to events at court and parliament, she evokes the remarkable figures of the period, and draws on diaries, letters, and wills to trace the untold stories of ordinary Londoners.
“Lincoln has the keenest possible eye for the character of the key players, the court as well as the populace, for the process of historical change and for London’s street-life, the docks and palace ceremony, coffee houses, gardens and shops. She makes the whole look and feel of the period come alive.”—Charles Saumarez Smith, author of East London

This book is more than just a recital of facts. Ms. Lincoln has created an entertaining, witty, and easy to read book, proving that history books don’t have to be dull and boring.

As today, royalty spares no expense to create pomp and entertainment for the populace. As Ms. Lincoln wrote: “On 16 June 1625, Queen Henrietta Maria, Charles I’s new bride, made her first public appearance in London…. Their union was marked by a water procession: the couple journeyed in the royal barge from Gravesend to Whitehall…. They were accompanied by thousands of other boats; crowds waved and shouted from the shore and fifty ships along the route discharged their cannon.”

I especially like the way the author shows the naked underbelly as well as well as the beauty of London, with details from wars and the Great London Fire. There are too many special events to repeat here. I recommend London and the 17th Century for historians, history buffs, readers who have a deep interest in London, and those just looking for a good read.

My rating for this book is 5 Star. I see no reason to choose anything less.

My thanks to NetGalley the publisher: Yale University Press: or the Author Margarette Lincoln, for giving me this book in exchange for an honest review.

*Many thanks to Margarette Lincoln, Yale Univesity Press, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
Being interested in the period, I was delighted to have been offered the book on the city which in the 17th century saw revolution, plague and destructive fire, and yet managed to survive and grew stronger thanks to its inhabitants and the river.
Ms Lincoln's writing is clear and her explanations excellent, and I found the information on the development of the City and the trade thoughout the 17th century especially interesting. At times there was too much detail regarding the Civil War, but probably I got tired of it as I do not have extensive knowledge of the times without the monach. Still, I never got tired of London, to quote one famous historic figure.
Definitely recommendable to history buffs!

This is a well researched and well written history of the city of London through the seventeenth century. Full of snippets from diaries or letters, the city and its people rise before our eyes and it is fascinating to watch the changing trends across the century. Margarette Lincoln covers everything from merchants and the poor to the royals: the glitter and decadence of the royal court and the dirt and disease of the poorest streets. Daily life, politics, religion, health, building, and more make this book fascinating. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and learned a lot from it, and plan on rereading it to get more info to stick in my brain. A definite must read for history lovers.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

London is an incredible city and there are a boat load of books about it. This is well written and researched and includes drama, politics, the arts, a little humor/humour, and much more. Recommended to history fans.

Thanks very much for the review copy!!

Plague! War! Fire! Revolution! Sounds like signs of the apocalypse. No, this was London in the 17th century. It was the century that transformed London, physically—a lot of it burned down at one point—and in many other aspects into the heart of a growing sea power that would spawn a world-wide empire that lasted centuries.

Lincoln focused not only on the famous, rich and powerful but also on the more ordinary person who made London their home during this time period from diaries, letters and wills. For the many more who did not leave such tangible evidence she was able to paint an illustration of their activities and experiences by drawing on many sources. Men dominated the records but Lincoln included women, their complaints and successes in the book. The reader may be surprised by the roles women did play. They were involved in politics, business, religion, entertainment, crime and many other areas. They weren’t just restricted to hearth and home. Afterall, a ruling Queen ushered in the century and a ruling Queen died at the end of it.

This time was not so different from our own: coffeehouses flourished, fake news spread like wildfire, disease shut down the city, quarantines and those that could afford it fled for the suburbs (or country estate if you had one). Young men caused riots, programs were offered for the public’s viewing pleasure (on the stage instead of the tv screen), fashion trends changed dramatically and everyone wanted the hottest new thing (fine porcelain instead of the newest iphone).

Lincoln did a good job of presenting the material in a readable manner with amusing tidbits that liven up what can be dry material to some. You do not need to be a scholar to enjoy this book or know much about English history at all. Read and find out just how similar things were to today. In spite of what may seem like the end of the world, may just be the beginning of great times to come.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free ARC in return for an honest response.

Lincoln's work is well researched and covers a variety of topics-politics, religion, society, culture, and economics- pertaining to London, the people of London, and how the policies and culture shaped or influenced the lives of the people in London during the seventeenth century and beyond. The book is nicely bookended by the death of Elizabeth I to the revolution. There is a lot packed into 350 + pages. The information is easy to read and follow for the most part, with a few exceptions in various chapters. The use of primary sources and excerpts from people from various walks of life and various print resources adds to the interest and comprehension of the topics discussed. The coverage of the big events, the gunpowder plot, the plague, political unrest, the Great Fire, is done well with enough detail to explain what happened without getting too encumbered by details that may possibly lose a casual reader and also not lose a serious scholar. The examination of what life was like for the everyday people, apprentices,
I have read many books examining the tumultuous seventeenth century, and while there were things I already knew about the topics discussed, I learned new information because of Lincoln's approach to the subject matter.
I would recommend this book to anyone wanting more information about what was happening in London and to the people in the Seventeenth century, have an interest in history, or just want to know more about human nature and how we really have changed very little.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

The seventeenth century began with the last gasp of the Elizabethan era; then came a time of incredible turmoil - James I, Charles I, the English Civil War, Cromwell and the republic, Charles II and the years of plague, the Great Fire of London, James and finally his daughters Mary and Anne. The book covers all these events in detail, which is interesting, and makes sense as they all are centred around London, as well as the wars with France, the changing fashions and tastes, trade and commerce and throughout the century the impact of religious tolerance (and intolerance).

However, I had hoped to read more about life in London itself, not a rehash of the origins of the Civil War, for example. I hoped that diaries and letters might have been used to provide a picture of life in London in these interesting times. There seemed to be a lot of reliance on national events, and too little on the personal and individual testimonies that would have made for a book on the less-known aspects of life in capital.

Overall I enjoyed the book, it is well written and split into sections so is very readable. However, I did feel some sections were just concentrating too much on national events like the Civil War and too little on the impact on ordinary London residents.

Thank you to NetGalley and Yale University Press for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My thanks to NetGalley and Yale University Press for a review copy of this excellent telling of the story of London in the 1600s.

London in the seventeenth century was the London of Shakespeare and Francis Bacon, of diarists John Evelyn and Samuel Pepys, of Guy Fawkes and the gunpowder plot, of the popular rebellion against Charles I and the brief period England was without a monarchy, of the great restoration, the ‘Glorious Revolution’, and much more. Margarette Lincoln paints a rich picture of this bustling city—its sights, sounds, and smells (those were not very pleasant). The book opens with the funeral of Elizabeth I—the end of the Tudor era and the Stuarts taking over and continues till the reign of William and Mary (in fact until about Mary’s death, which was about the end of the century). In the various chapters, Lincoln takes us through different aspects of the city’s life—apprentices (who could be very rowdy) to the livery companies’ contributions and pageantry, trade and ship building and the growth of the country’s navy, theatre and fashions, the country’s first coffee houses and newspapers, healthcare and remedies (including ‘powdered mummies’), and the city’s civic identity (its independence and autonomy were prized by its people).

The politics of the day is of course an important theme explored as it was a period that saw so many developments including the monarchy being replaced, in fact, twice. But the book is concerned not only with Monarchs and the well to do, but also the common people—merchants and shipbuilders, physicians and apothecaries, masters and apprentices, and also the poor. In fact, even in its discussion of politics, we see the participation of common people, including women who were very active participants, surprisingly so considering the time period and their limited ‘rights’. (In fact even within the limitations of the period, women were in charge of businesses and those within household roles too, had many interests.)

Besides political turmoil, the period had its share of other challenges, notably war (or rather wars for there were many, from those undertaken by the monarch to civil war), the plague and the great fire which caused unforeseen damage and destruction. Many had to struggle for survival, work at times was hard to come by, and exceptionally high taxes at various times added to existing pressures.

But alongside hardships, there was also theatre, pageantry, music and plenty of discussion—the coffee houses provided the platform. There was also trade and new opportunities, attractions like menageries, newspapers being introduced. The Royal Society was established in this period encouraging discovery and curiosity. Many foreigners came into the city, including importantly the Huguenots who brought with them many talents like taffeta and lace work as also weapon-making, dance, and military-schools, adding to the city’s culture and economy. This was indeed a rich century.

I found the book to be a really interesting, entertaining and informative read. While I knew some of the history of the period, there was much that I didn’t know (especially may be the flow of events). I liked that the book gave us a fairly detailed look into various facets of everyday life (from things like trade to fashions, furniture, architecture and household activities and planning). I had no idea that coffee houses dated back quite so far or what their precise contributions were to everyday life or that women were quite as active participants in politics and trade, or even of the literacy levels of the period which were much higher than I’d thought.

What stood out to me the most I think was how so little has changed despite so much having changed. London of the seventeenth century saw much of what we are seeing today—popular protest against the government/monarch, quarantine, fake news, and even bioweapons of a sort (well, at least one incident in any case). English goods being placed under embargo in French ports and not being allowed into the country reminded me of the picture of trucks waiting to be let across on the news just a few months ago. What surprised me most was that ‘fat shaming’ of a sort wasn’t unheard of, with poor Mary II herself being a target of comments on her bulk.

I liked the fact that the author gives a peek into so many different facets of life through the various chapters. She tells the story as it was giving us a balanced picture (like the good and the bad in the coffee houses) but leaves us to make our judgments ourselves. I also liked that her account was peppered with extracts from not only diarists like Pepys and Evelyn but others as well—letters from traders and commoners, for instance. And I loved that she retained the original spelling. While I liked the arrangement of the chapters by theme, in some places I felt I wasn’t able to keep track of the chronology of developments through broadly the book is arranged chronologically.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one and recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading history, and English history in particular.

Thanks to Netgalley and Yale University Press for a copy in exchange for a fair and honest review

Some history books focus on one person or one event. This is one of those that focuses on an atmosphere. London and the Seventeenth Century gives a view of all the moving gears of 17th century London. From the mundane details of trade and housekeeping to the more dramatic history of civil wars, every minute and great force shifts and moves London in its own way. Lincoln did an excellent job of making this dynamic evolution clear throughout the book. I didn't come away from the book knowing everything about the English navy or weavers' trade, but I did learn how these shaped 17th-century London.

As many history books chock-full of details, it gets dry, but paying attention did offer some laughs (Samuel Pepys, anyone?) and push interest in further research (conwoman Mary Carleton). The details should be treasure to anyone writing historical fiction set in this period.

I'd recommend London and the Seventeenth Century to anyone who enjoys detailed history, whether they want to write historical fiction, or if they simply want to better understand the the shifting London of this era.

London and the Seventeenth Century is a really wonderful book about a momentous century in history, spanning the death of Queen Elizabeth 1 , the execution of Charles 1 , the plague and Great Fire of London through to the Glorious Revolution and the reign and death of Queen Mary . It is dense with detail, but beautifully written and I was engrossed, not just in the lives of the famous but of the ordinary citizens and their worlds. It seems to end on an expectant note, and I very much hope that there will be another volume.

You really need to be "into" history to make it through this one. If you're looking for a quick read, this isn't it. It can be difficult to read for someone just wanting a quick overview of the history. I found it quite interesting and didn't put it down. I thought personally, it was really informative.