History Of His Own Time

History of His Own Time (1991) by Gilbert Burnet — Condition: Good (Crappy Old Books)

If the 17th century sometimes feels like a blur of wigs, wars, and wobbly monarchs, Gilbert Burnet is here to spill the tea. History of His Own Time (Everyman, 1991, ISBN: 9780460871723) is the gossipy, sprawling, and surprisingly readable chronicle of a man who didn’t just watch history happen—he was in the thick of it. Burnet, a Scottish clergyman and eventual Bishop of Salisbury, rubbed shoulders with kings, parliamentarians, dissenters, and revolutionaries. His memoir-history hybrid covers everything from the Civil Wars to the Glorious Revolution, with the sort of sharp opinions you’d expect from someone who thought footnotes were for cowards.

What makes Burnet so fun is his candour: he praises, he slags off, he digresses, and he occasionally settles scores. This isn’t dry academic history—it’s part diary, part political tract, part running commentary. One moment he’s analysing policy, the next he’s describing Charles II’s character with a bite that feels startlingly modern. If Samuel Pepys was the man with the diary, Burnet was the man with the receipts.

Now, about the copy: it comes from the irreverent vaults of Crappy Old Books and is rated Good. Which means: the cover shows signs of wear (a scuff here, a softened corner there, the kind of honest marks you’d expect from a book that’s followed kings through crises), the spine has been flexed, and the pages have mellowed to a pleasing parchmenty tone. But the text is intact, the binding firm, and no Restoration gossip has been lost. No spilled claret, no royal wax seals, no duelling scars in the margins—just a sturdy, seasoned book, ready to dish centuries-old drama.

In short: History of His Own Time is Burnet at his gossipy, learned, and occasionally self-important best—a window into a turbulent century told by someone who couldn’t resist telling you what he really thought. This copy is in Good condition: worn but dependable, like a Restoration wig slightly askew but still very much in place. Another candid classic from Crappy Old Books, where even bishops can’t resist a bit of dirt-dishing.

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