Overview
John Knox has suffered in this century from that trick of the popular imagination that seizes on one aspect of a historical figure and elevates it into the whole man. At one time he was the foremost Scottish genius, but in our day there have been those who would have us believe that he was a ranter, an iconoclast and perhaps a hypocrite. The Author of this classic biography has sought to find the truth between these two extremes. He shows us Knox against the disturbed currents of the Continent, where mediaeval Christendom was at an end and no new order had yet emerged from the chaos of creeds and philosophies. No man could stem these currents, but John Knox in his own country gave them a direction. He became, if not the leader, at least the inciter of a revolution. He set his mark indelibly on history, and not only that of his native land; his influence upon the English court was considerable, but he also became a figure of European significance. ""No grander figure can be found, in the entire history of the Reformation in this island, than that of John Knox"" wrote the historian Froude. The Author has given us a balanced assessment of the life and times of this remarkable man.
Full Product Details
Author: Eustace Percy
Publisher: James Clarke & Co Ltd
Imprint: Lutterworth Press
Dimensions:
Width: 12.90cm
, Height: 2.20cm
, Length: 19.80cm
Weight: 0.382kg
ISBN: 9780718893132
ISBN 10: 0718893131
Pages: 348
Publication Date: 31 October 2013
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Available To Order
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Reviews
' - an immensely valuable read for any modern reader who has even a scintilla of interest in its subject. [ - ] As a writer who is able to render large ideas and complex political intrigue in short, crisp sentences that nonetheless reflect the contemplative spirit of the sixteenth century mind, Percy is able to achieve such authority in part because he isn't afraid to let us know when he's standing firmly on the historical record and when he's supplying his own version of the period's controversies.' John Walker Ross, www.broadwayworld.com/bwwbooks , January 16th 2014 '...the clarity and brilliance of the writing - give reason for adding Percy's book to anyone's library of the Scottish Reformation.' Donald Mackay, The Record, (June, 2014)
' - an immensely valuable read for any modern reader who has even a scintilla of interest in its subject. [ - ] As a writer who is able to render large ideas and complex political intrigue in short, crisp sentences that nonetheless reflect the contemplative spirit of the sixteenth century mind, Percy is able to achieve such authority in part because he isn't afraid to let us know when he's standing firmly on the historical record and when he's supplying his own version of the period's controversies.' John Walker Ross, www.broadwayworld.com/bwwbooks , January 16th 2014
""Here is an author who has actually taken the trouble to read Knox thoroughly, who has analysed his thought with care, and who has set the biography against a firm background of sixteenth-century history. . . . The style is enriched with many obiter dicta of real insight, and by epigrams which do not irritate, because they are not cynical. . . . That the book will provoke criticism is certain. . . . But when every criticism has been made the book remains a most valuable piece of work, a generous but just biography based on great knowledge and informed by a discerning spirit."" -J. D. Mackie, The English Historical Review, Vol. 54, No. 215 (Jul., 1939) '... an immensely valuable read for any modern reader who has even a scintilla of interest in its subject. ... As a writer who is able to render large ideas and complex political intrigue in short, crisp sentences that nonetheless reflect the contemplative spirit of the sixteenth century mind, Percy is able to achieve such authority in part because he isn't afraid to let us know when he's standing firmly on the historical record and when he's supplying his own version of the period's controversies.' John Walker Ross, www.broadwayworld.com/bwwbooks , January 16th 2014 '...the clarity and brilliance of the writing - give reason for adding Percy's book to anyone's library of the Scottish Reformation.' Donald Mackay, The Record, (June, 2014) ""...Percy's biography is certainly recommended for students of Knox, both lay and academic, in conjunction with other readings of Knox. Moreover, this work will also be of some benefit to those interested in the Reformation in Scotland and the legacy of Knox in Scottish life."" -Brent Brodie, The Expository Times, Vol. 127 No. 8, May 2016 ""Percy seeks to give a balanced view of a controversial figure... This biography does serve as a corrective both to some of the more adulatory books written about Knox and also to some of the vitriolic attacks that others have mounted on his character."" -David McKay, The Covenanter Witness, March 2014 ""This biography, with a Foreword by the 13th Duke of Hamilton, does justice to this historic figure with the scientific serenity and human understanding that characterise all great historians."" -Pierre Janton, Revue D'Histoire Ecclésiastique, 2014 ""...Percy was clearly a man of intellectual rigour and humility, with a remarkable attention to detail and a writing style that has not aged. Accessible yet detailed, concentrated but compelling - Lord Percy's biography is a delight to read."" -Nathan Paylor, Theological Book Review, Vol. 26 No.2, 2016
Author Information
Eustace Sutherland Campbell Percy, 1st Baron Percy of Newcastle PC (21 March 1887 - 3 April 1958), styled Lord Eustace Percy between 1899 and 1953, was a British diplomat, Conservative politician and public servant. He most notably served as President of the Board of Education under Stanley Baldwin between 1924 and 1929.
