Nichols' The Reformation: How a Monk and a Mallet Changed the World, is an OK introduction to the Reformation.

It's a broad survey in a little book, complete with fact boxes and extracts from the writings of Reformers. It's also a bit muddled, as it jumps from one Reformer to another in the space of a few paragraphs, and then switching to another country in the next chapter (and even bizarrely disappearing into the Puritan era). It never feels like you get long enough with any individual characters to feel the power of the story and history. It's also... dare I say it, too American for a British audience?

That said there's a nice chapter at the end on the contribution of women to the Reformation, which is a nice counter to much of the male dominated discourse usually written on the era.

If you're after a compelling introduction to the Reformation, this isn't it. It'll stimulate for a few hours but the book you're looking for is Mike Revees' The Unquenchable Flame on the Reformation. ( )

Clear and accessible, this introduction to the reformation brings to life the complexities of that time in a compelling narrative form. For those who are not familiar with this terrain, this is a must read. ( )

I haven't finished it yet but it is FULL of great infornation on a variety of reformers and is doused in passion. ( )

From Daniel Christensen