Steven Gunn studied at Merton College, Oxford. He has held research fellowships there and at the University of Newcastle, and is now Fellow and Tutor in History at Merton College and Professor of Early Modern History at Oxford. His books include Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, c.1484-1545 (1988), Early Tudor Government 1485-1558 (1995), and, with David Grummitt and Hans Cools, War, State, and Society in England and the Netherlands, 1477-1559 (2007).

Each of these sections is richly detailed, drawing on the remarkable depth of research which is the book's most impressive feature. The footnotes bear witness to an astonishing amount of archival work. Material is cited from no fewer than 66 archives, scores of classes of documents in the National Archives, and copious printed works. In most cases Gunn's claims are supported by multiple examples, sometimes dozens. Throughout the book, the handling of argument and evidence is deft and the book is always readable.

• PART I: NEW MEN; PART II: SERVICE; PART III: POWER; PART IV: WEALTH; PART V: SURVIVAL

Steven Gunn studied at Merton College, Oxford. He has held research fellowships there and at the University of Newcastle, and is now Fellow and Tutor in History at Merton College and Professor of Early Modern History at Oxford. His books include Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, c.1484-1545 (1988), Early Tudor Government 1485-1558 (1995), and, with David Grummitt and Hans Cools, War, State, and Society in England and the Netherlands, 1477-1559 (2007).

Each of these sections is richly detailed, drawing on the remarkable depth of research which is the book's most impressive feature. The footnotes bear witness to an astonishing amount of archival work. Material is cited from no fewer than 66 archives, scores of classes of documents in the National Archives, and copious printed works. In most cases Gunn's claims are supported by multiple examples, sometimes dozens. Throughout the book, the handling of argument and evidence is deft and the book is always readable.

• PART I: NEW MEN; PART II: SERVICE; PART III: POWER; PART IV: WEALTH; PART V: SURVIVAL