The Armada

This book was written by a man who had every detail at his fingertips and could situate the Armada in its place in 17th century European politics. He makes several points I had never fully understood before. How the execution of Mary Queen of Scots started the King of Spain down the path to invasion; how the goal was to bring France over to Spain's side in the Counter-reformation; how well the Spanish sailed and maintained order; how much better English ships were designed for the new type of cannon-based naval warfare; and finally, how badly the Spanish had planned the conjunction of the Duke of Parma's army in Flanders with the fleet that was supposed to transport it to England. It was a very good book indeed, and once you have read it you need never read more about the subject again.

Several positive and some enthusiastic reviews had induced me into ordering the book. Alas, it came as an unpleasant surprise. The way it is written has been giving me a hard time in following the historical plot. And to get the sense out of most sentences, these had to be read at least twice. What I expect from a history book is thourough documentation and pleasant style, so that even a rather complicated subject can be grasped without effort and the reader is keen to follow the scheme.Unfortunately, at least to me, the book is written in "purple prose", a style that I would not like in any language, and even less in English, which, by its own nature, is simplicity itself. The two just do not match.Further, the printing is very bad indeed. Character dimensions change from line to line, up to 50%. This is something that had never occurred to me before. Some other characters are blurred, and it looks that quality of ink is fairly poor.So, I am sorry, but can't score this book more than two stars.

It is an interestingly written book about one of the most fascinating historical episodes of England and indeed of Europe. The prose and narrative are gripping. It is a factual story full of wonderful details and insights.

Pros: History is so much more than dates, and the depth of Mattingly's work is staggering. The history of England, Spain, and the U.S. are all linked in what occurs between the covers of this book.The defeat of the Armada is placed within the spell of personal and political intrigues that are partially glossed over or hinted at in the movie "Elizabeth, The Golden Age".  Elizabeth: The Golden Age (Combo HD DVD and Standard DVD) [HD DVD ] Very glad I bought THE ARMADA.The subject matter might have been handled in a more cut and dried style, yet the approach here is history-as-story, complete with subplots, character development, and personalities.Cons: My only complaint is that if you are searching for just the dates, names, bare-bones facts, you have much to wade through. (Sometimes you just want the date.)The chapter titles are romantically inspired and the writer in me loves the wording and wordiness, but the history-buff in me wishes for the addition of more nuts and bolts - a timeline - a summation, something that would enhance the work by filling the scope more fully while distilling the mountain of words into bite sized pieces.Summary: It's a marvelous reading of history but a bit troublesome for a quick glance to dig up something for a factual reference. Elizabeth: The Golden Age (Combo HD DVD and Standard DVD) [HD DVD

The author was astonishingly comprehensive in his analysis. I recommend him more than Hutchinson, but why not read them both?