The Penguin History of Britain : A Monarchy Transformed, Britain 1603-1714: Volume 6

At the accession of James I, Britain was an isolated archipelago; a century later it had become a world-class intellectual, commercial, and military center.

In "A Monarchy Transformed", Kishlansky blends scholarship with insight and learning with imagination to profile Britain in the 17th century--an era of of profound social, economic, and religious change.