It has been estimated that up to 200,000 people perished during the English Civil War. Just under a half of these deaths occurred directly as a result of military combat. In the introduction to his English Civil War, Peter Gaunt immediately engages by quoting from Oliver Cromwell's letter to his brother-in-law describing the parliamentary victory at York over Prince Rupert on 2 July 1644, where, Cromwell estimated, 16,000 of Rupert's soldiers were killed. Yet this battle also affected Cromwell personally. His own nephew, the recipient's son, had died (1–2). Such experiences of combat in the English Civil War are significant, but what about the experiences of those who were not actively involved in the war? Consider the lawyer and diarist John Greene, who escaped the plague in London in the spring of 1644 and went on a family holiday that began in King's Lynn in Norfolk and ended in rural Essex (10). A key goal of Gaunt's book, therefore, is to contextualize the experience of combatants and the wider population during the 1640s. Soldiers, politicians, and administrators may have waged, directed, and maintained the war, but, as Gaunt shows through his investigation, the war had both “limited or extensive” impact on the wider community (13–14).

First, Gaunt focuses on the causes of the conflict. While Charles I inherited significant problems from his father that later fractured English politics, Gaunt argues that the key turning point was the Grand Remonstrance (38–39). This proved a step too far for constitutional royalists, who began to distance themselves from the parliamentary reform movement. After addressing the raising of the royal standard, Gaunt discusses how royalists and parliamentarians recruited supporters, and he shows how divisions at Westminster both reflected and influenced local politics. This meant that by the end of 1642, England and Wales were on a war footing and already suffering from the miseries of war. Both territories provide the central geographic focus of this book. Gaunt refers to events in the wider three kingdoms to explain the causes of the English Civil War (33–39), but he argues that both England and Wales experienced a different type of civil war than did Ireland and Scotland (14). The English Civil War only “directly gained a British element” (170) in 1644 after the swearing of the Solemn League and Covenant and the arrival of Irish troops on English soil as part of the agreement of the first cessation of arms between Charles I and the Irish confederacy the previous year (chapter 5).

Gaunt's main narrative focus is on the military side to these wider political developments. The descriptions of Edgehill (72–79) and Marston Moor (186–91) are indicative of Gaunt's very detailed and accessible approach, which will appeal to students and general readers alike. As part of a highly readable narrative, Gaunt introduces key pieces of evidence and their provenance and addresses their strengths and shortcomings. For example, in his description of the available evidence surrounding Edgehill, Gaunt informs us that “no reliable contemporary sketches, maps or plans” survive and that narrative sources are littered with obstacles, as some accounts were written soon after the battle while others were written much later, “when hindsight, personal justification and hazy or false memories” are at play; in this instance, Gaunt prefers the former group (73–74). Such clear descriptions of his methodology will prove invaluable in the classroom. Gaunt also outlines the average soldier's experience of war. By the autumn of 1643, one hundred and fifty thousand men had volunteered to fight. After this, however, both sides used conscription. Thus, from 1644 onwards ideology no longer mobilized people to take up arms (105–7). A number of factors influenced the course of the conflict, such as the time of year battles took place, whether it was on land, or at sea and also by the weather, which could drastically affect troop movements and their comfort (97–100). Similarly, the time of day could influence the length of battle. Nightfall brought a sudden end to battles such as Edgehill, Lansdown, and Nantwich (99). Perhaps one of the most interesting sections to the book describes soldiers’ arms and equipment (108–18). Despite the fact that there is a lot of detailed technical information in this section, Gaunt's narrative style maintains the reader's interest by the use of colorful vignettes. Soldiers celebrated the fact that some of their large artillery pieces could cause significant damage. It is no surprise that the gun christened “Roaring Meg” was very successful in this regard, but consider also the mortar nicknamed “Sweet Lips,” in praise of a local prostitute (115). Furthermore, numerous illustrations (both contemporary and photos of modern-day reenactments) are also used to explain soldiers’ appearance and the sorts of weapon they used (there are, in total, 62 illustrations, 5 maps, and 30 color plates in this book).

Replete with insightful vignettes and useful images, The English Civil War is a highly engaging and informed book that graphically recounts the various experiences of the English Civil War. It is not without its faults, however. While Gaunt mentions some of the more noteworthy atrocities, there is no sustained discussion of the codes of conduct that were supposed to regulate military engagements. For example, Prince Rupert's execution of parliamentarian troops in retaliation for the summary killing of Irish soldiers is mentioned briefly (256), but this was a part of a significant exchange between Rupert and the Earl of Essex about the nature of the war. It is curious that these military codes of conduct, an integral component to the wars that gripped the three kingdoms, were not discussed in any great detail. Furthermore, it is a shame that Gaunt largely prefers to summarize the historiography of the civil war instead of advancing his own opinion. These comments, however, should not take away from the excellent quality of the book, which provides a detailed, engaging overview.