This book is about what it was like to live in the England of Elizabeth. It is not a description of history or politics, although both are covered in some detail, but about the experience of being an Elizabethan. The three chapters on religion are among the most lucid descriptions of that difficult topic that I have read. There are chapters on marriage, family values, earning a living, and entertainment. As much as possible, the author lets the Elizabethans speak for themselves, quoting liberally from period authors, some of whom are not the ones that everybody quotes.