Beik, William. A Social and Cultural History of Early Modern France. 2009. An overview of early modern French history, by one of the leading authorities on the period.
Benedict, Philip, and Myron P. Gutmann, eds. Early Modern Europe: From Crisis to Stability. 2005. A helpful introduction to the many facets of the seventeenth-century crisis.
Clark, Christopher. Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia, 1600–1947. 2006. A fascinating long-term account tracing Prussia’s emergence as an international power and the impact of Prussian history on later political developments in Germany.
Elliott, John H. Imperial Spain, 1469–1716, 2d ed. 2002. An authoritative account of Spain’s rise to imperial greatness and its slow decline.
Gaunt, Peter, ed. The English Civil War: The Essential Readings. 2000. A collection showcasing leading historians’ interpretations of the civil war.
Goldgard, Anne. Tulipmania: Money, Honor, and Knowledge in the Dutch Golden Age. 2007. A fresh look at the speculative fever for tulip bulbs in the early-seventeenth-century Dutch Republic.
Hagen, William W. Ordinary Prussians: Brandenburg Junkers and Villagers, 1500–1840. 2002. Provides a fascinating encounter with the people of a Prussian estate.
Hughes, Lindsey, ed. Peter the Great and the West: New Perspectives. 2001. Essays by leading scholars on the reign of Peter the Great and his opening of Russia to the West.
Ingrao, Charles W. The Habsburg Monarchy, 1618–1815, 2d ed. 2000. An excellent synthesis of the political and social development of the Habsburg empire in the early modern period.
Kettering, Sharon. Patronage in Sixteenth- and Seventeenth-Century France. 2002. A collection of essays on courtly patronage, emphasizing the role of women in noble patronage networks.
Parker, Geoffrey. The Thirty Years’ War, 2d ed. 1997. The standard account of the Thirty Years’ War.
Pincus, Steven. 1688: The First Modern Revolution. 2009. Revisionary account of the Glorious Revolution, emphasizing its toll in bloodshed and destruction of property and its global repercussions.
Roman, Rolf, ed. Baroque: Architecture, Sculpture, Painting. 2007. A beautifully illustrated presentation of multiple facets of the baroque across Europe.
DOCUMENTARIES
The Art of Baroque Dance (Dancetime Publications, 2006). An introduction to baroque dance incorporating images of the architecture and art of the period alongside dance performances and information on major elements of the style.
Rubens: Passion, Faith, Sensuality and the Art of the Baroque (Kultur Studio, 2011). A documentary introducing viewers to the work of Peter Paul Rubens, one of the greatest artists of the baroque style.
FEATURE FILMS AND TELEVISION
Alastriste (Agustín Díaz Yanes, 2006). Set in the declining years of Spain’s imperial glory, this film follows the violent adventures of an army captain who takes the son of a fallen comrade under his care.
Charles II: The Power and the Passion (BBC, 2003). An award-winning television miniseries about the son of executed English king Charles I and the Restoration that brought him to the throne in 1660.
Cromwell (Ken Hughes, 1970). The English civil war from its origin to Oliver Cromwell’s victory, with battle scenes as well as personal stories of Cromwell and other central figures.
The King Is Dancing (Gérard Corbiau, 2000). A biography of the Sun King’s favorite composer, Jean-Baptiste Lully, depicting a young Louis XIV dancing at the French court.
Queen Christina (Rouben Mamoulian, 1933). A film starring legendary actress Greta Garbo as the cross-dressing queen of seventeenth-century Sweden.
WEB SITES
The Jesuit Relations. This site contains the entire English translation of The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, the reports submitted by Jesuit missionaries in New France to authorities in the home country. puffin.creighton.edu/jesuit/relations/
Tour of Restoration London. A Web site offering information on the places, food, and people of Restoration London, inspired by the novel Invitation to a Funeral by Molly Brown (1999). www.okima.com/
Versailles Palace. The official Web site of the palace of Versailles, built by Louis XIV and inhabited by French royalty until the revolution of 1789. en.chateauversailles.fr/homepage