What Gunpowder Plot Was

Gardiner, Samuel Rawson, 1829-1902Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.8

Word count: 428K words
Chapters: 43

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.What Gunpowder Plot Was by Samuel Rawson GardinerAuthor: Gardiner, Samuel Rawson, 1829-1902,Language: English, Class: DA: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Great Britain, Ireland, Central Europe, Release Date: Dec 9, 2010

Editor's review

Gardiner was an important scholar of early modern British history, and this book examines the Gunpowder Plot of 1605; it is a work of historical research rather than a popular narrative. Its value lies in discussing the course of events and the credibility of related records on the basis of historical sources, showing how a historian poses questions, compares evidence, and forms judgments. For those studying early modern British history or historical method, it is a text that offers direct contact with the process of original argumentation. Because it was written relatively early, its prose and citation practices reflect the scholarly habits of its time, and readers need some patience. The public-domain e-edition has no modern introduction; it is best read alongside general history works for comparison. It is more suitable as focused research material than as light historical entertainment.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Students studying early modern British history and political conspiracies
Readers who want to understand how historians examine evidence
Researchers needing topical material for course reports or papers
People interested in seventeenth-century English political and religious background

Not a good fit for

General readers expecting novelistic narrative and dramatic plot
Beginners with no knowledge of early modern British history
Readers needing modern scholarly introductions and extensive annotations

Reading tips

First read the relevant chapters of a general history of early modern Britain to establish a timeline of events.
As you read, note how the author distinguishes contemporary records from later rumors, and keep brief notes.
Compare with other accounts of the Gunpowder Plot to see differences in the selection of historical sources.
Look up unfamiliar names of people and institutions in reference works as you go, to avoid confusion afterward.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a novel or a historical study?

According to the materials, this book is a work of British history; the author, Gardiner, was a historian, and it discusses the historical event of the Gunpowder Plot, not a work of fiction. It should be treated as a historical work in terms of its argumentation and citations.

How much background in British history is needed to read it?

It is advisable to know at least the basic outlines of early seventeenth-century English royal power, Parliament, and religious conflict. Without any background, reading the relevant chapters of a general history first will make it smoother; otherwise, the relationships among people and factions can be confusing.

What should I keep in mind when reading the public-domain e-edition?

Public-domain electronic texts usually lack modern annotations and introductions and have plain formatting. It is advisable to use a reader with adjustable font size and to prepare supplementary materials such as maps or chronologies yourself, so as to follow the author's line of inquiry.

Comments

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About the author

Gardiner, Samuel Rawson, 1829-1902 Author

Samuel Rawson Gardiner (1829-1902) was a British historian known for his studies of seventeenth-century English political and religious conflict. Five of his works are held in this collection, all centred on England around the civil war period: a study of the figure of Oliver Cromwell, a narrative of the European conflict in The Thirty Years' War, 1618-1648, a two-volume Student's History of England, and an inquiry into What Gunpowder Plot Was. His writing is marked by careful use of source evidence and clear narrative, with close attention to original documents and a cautious approach to disputed episodes such as the Gunpowder Plot. His books have long been regarded as foundational reading on the Stuart era and the English Revolution. As public information is limited, biographical details are omitted here; the above notes only the subjects and style of his works.