This is an auction for A GAMBLING MAN: CHARLES II AND THE RESTORATION, by Jenny Uglow.

"The first 10 years of the Restoration unfold in this galloping narrative by Uglow, a skillful author of many British histories. Revolving around the figure of Charles II, it plays up why the Restoration was regarded as a time of risk and glamour, as manifested in the courtesans Charles kept, the courtiers he favored, and the theaters he loved to attend. The resulting gossip permeates Uglow’s lively prose, but she is no writer drawn to the merely meretricious. Uglow perceptively connects the show to the underlying political tensions of the era. The extravagant expenses of his court and a war with the Dutch accentuated the power struggle between crown and Parliament, which, when not rumbling over money, kept battling over issues left over from the interregnum dealing with religion and withproperty confiscated from royalists. To top things off, the 1660s were the decade plague and fire devastated London. In Uglow’s estimation, Charles was a risk-taking but shrewd navigator of roisterous times and well worth reading about; her audience will enthusiastically agree."

• Booklist

Very favourable reviews on Amazon.com.

Paperback 2010.

580 pages + 16 pages of photographs.

Good condition.

The cost of shipping is $4.95.

There is of course no charge for shipping if you collect this book from my shop in Palmerston North following the auction.

Payment within seven days, please.