ENGLISH CIVIL WAR

Cromwell against the Scots – The Last Anglo-Scottish Wars 1650-1652 (revised edition), John D Grainger. Looks at the war between the former civil war allies, triggered by English fears of a possible Scottish invasion after the Scots accepted Charles II as their king, and which saw Cromwell invade and conquer much of Scotland before the Scots carried out a fairly desperate invasion of England in the hope of attracting Royalist support before being overwhelmed at Worcester. Looks at the political debates in both countries, the skilfully conducted (by both sides) campaign in Scotland, and the final desperate Scottish/ Royalist invasion of England (Read Full Review)

Parliament’s Generals – Supreme Command & Politics during the British Wars 1642-51, Malcolm Wanklyn. A look at how politics influenced the careers of the first three Lord Generals of Parliament’s army during the Civil Wars – Essex, Fairfax and Cromwell – looking at why they were appointed, how politics limited their authority, what impact they had on the political scene and how wider events impacted on them. An interesting approach to these three men’s careers, although it does assume that you are familiar with the events of the civil wars and of the outline of their careers(Read Full Review)

Cromwell’s Failed State and the Monarchy, Timothy Venning. Looks at the political and military history of the period between the end of the First Civil War and the establishment of Cromwell’s Protectorate, largely to ask if the Protectorate or something similar was an almost inevitable result, or if there had ever been a possibility of an agreement with Charles I or another Stuart, or that Parliament might have stayed in power. A bit ramshackle and lacking any introduction to explain its purpose, but otherwise a useful look at key elements of this period that are often skipped over quite quickly.(Read Full Review)

The British Civil Wars at Sea 1638-1653, Richard J. Blakemore and Elaine Murphy. Looks at one of the less familiar aspects of the Civil Wars, the conflict between Parliament’s Navy and their various opponents, including Royalist, Irish Confederate and Scottish warships and privateers, a conflict that lacked major naval battles, but that had a big impact on the course of many of the campaigns on land, and in particular the fighting in Ireland later in the wars(Read Full Review)

Wanton Troops - Buckinghamshire in the Civil Wars 1640-1660, Ian F.W. Beckett. Looks at the impact of the Civil Wars on a county that didn’t see any major battles or host any of the major garrisons, but was instead placed between them, suffering from raids, garrisons and passing armies. Looks at County Community before, during and after the war, and the impact of the fighting on the local communities of Buckinghamshire to produce a useful cross section of the disruption caused by the Civil War [read full review]

The English Civil War , Richard Holmes & Peter Young, an early work by one of the country's best known military historians, this is a superb single volume history of the war, from its causes to the last campaigns of the war and on to the end of the protectorate.

Edgehill, 1642 (Great Battles) , Peter Young, Cassell military press, 364 pages.

Edgehill 1642: The English Civil War , John Tincey, Keith Roberts, Osprey Press, 96 pages, 2001. Covers the causes of the war and the entire Edgehill campaign as well as the battle itself.