London and the Seventeenth Century

Margarette Lincoln is a visiting fellow at the University of Portsmouth and was Deputy Director of the National Maritime Museum. She is the author of Trading in War: London’s Maritime World in the Age of Cook and Nelson.

“A thrilling account of the capital during its most dramatic and important era”  “Vivid and engrossing...Lincoln is adept at spotting eloquent details that stick in the mind.”—John Carey, The Sunday Times“Lincoln...not only takes us through the maze of this magnificently chaotic city, but skilfully interweaves the political convulsions that dogged it through the 17th century.”—Ben Wilson, The Times  “Brings much engaging detail about London life...The great virtue of Margarette Lincoln’s new book is to show us a world in flux, and what we recognise as a sort of modernity coming into being.”—Ian Bostridge, Financial Times“Margarette Lincoln has a curator’s gift for selecting all the right details for a thoroughly absorbing account.”—Tony Barber, Financial Times ‘Best Books of 2021: History’“Here are charted the national events and personalities...researched in great depth...to indicate commercial ambition, expansion, and hardship and particularly the untold stories of ordinary Londoners showing how the nation emerged from a turbulent century.”—Paul Ridgway, Seagull of the Indian Maritime Foundation“Draws on a vast array of sources to explore how Londoners were affected by national events and changes in attitudes”—Caroline Sanderson, The Bookseller“A satisfying, lively book, befitting a fascinating subject. For anyone wishing to understand London in this vital, formative period of its history - or even just wishing to see how a growing early modern city ticked - this is a great place to start. A vivid portrayal of a vibrant city.”—Jonathan Healey, BBC History Magazine“Lincoln's colourful canvas is both a chronicle and an ever-shifting panorama — a vivid portrayal of a metropolis in the grip of alarming, bewildering and constant change [that] skilfully steers her narrative through such political squalls without losing sight of the background.”—Nigel Jones, Spectator  “A hugely enjoyable read...[Lincoln’s] extended account of London in the chaotic last days of James II’s reign is the best I have read, capturing perfectly the uncertainty on the streets.”—Adrian Tinniswood, Literary Review  “The book opens with Elizabeth I’s funeral procession in 1603 and ends with the foundation of the Bank of England in 1694...Lincoln skilfully intertwines such grand events with the lives of everyday Londoners: the gossip, the markets, the filth, the shops, the crime, the joyful jostling chaos of life in seventeenth century London.”—Travels Through Time“This well-researched, brilliantly-written and anecdotally-entertaining book does full justice to its own subtitle.”—Mike Paterson, London Historians“Margarette Lincoln, whose previous books have been about seafaring, has chosen the right moment for this new departure.”—The Oldie“Stands head and shoulders above the rest…Lively and arresting…[Lincoln] is as confident in handling the royal ceremonials of political transition...as she is with London's thriving coffee-house culture, and its turbulent maritime community.”—Ian W. Archer, Times Literary Supplement"With her curator's eye, Lincoln assembles the colourful details of everyday life to form a compelling narrative of how Londoners continued to live, adapt and struggle underneath the drama of public events." — Miranda Malins, History Today“London and the 17th Century must undoubtedly be considered the new definitive introduction and overview of the subject . . . It is a book that nobody with an interest in the history of London can do without.”—Joe Saunders, The Local Historian“[London and the Seventeenth Century] presents the reader with a vibrant and elegant overview of the transformation of the city into a global metropolis. Lincoln has deftly woven together social, political, and nautical histories into a compelling new narrative.”—Jasmine Kilburn-Toppin, Journal of British Studies"A fascinating journey round the best city in the world during the most turbulent period in its long history. Terrorism, war, plague, fire and revolution – they all have their place in an exciting story told with verve and wit."—Adrian Tinniswood, author of The Long Weekend“Lincoln has the keenest possible eye for the character of the key players, the court as well as the populace, for the process of historical change and for London’s street-life, the docks and palace ceremony, coffee houses, gardens and shops. She makes the whole look and feel of the period come alive.”—Charles Saumarez Smith, author of East London  “London in the 17th century was visited by apocalyptic events: plague, fire and war. Yet it survived all these, emerging as one of the greatest cities of the Western world. In this lively account, Lincoln shows us how the transformation was possible.”—Margaret Willes, author of The Curious World of Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn