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A Tinker and a Poor Man: John Bunyan and His Church, 1628-88
Presents an in-depth profile of a celebrated and controversial literary figure of the English Revolution and the author of "The Pilgrim's Progress" and explores his anti-establishment sentiments and the social, political, and religious forces shaping hiswork
394 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1988
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About the author
Christopher Hill
177 books93 followersJohn Edward Christopher Hill was the pre-eminent historian of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century English history, and one of the most distinguished historians of recent times. Fellow historian E.P. Thompson once referred to him as the dean and paragon of English historians.
He was educated at Balliol College, Oxford. During World War II, he served in the Russian department of the British Foreign Office, returning to teach at Oxford after the war.
From 1958-1965 he was University Lecturer in 16th- and 17th-century history, and from 1965-1978 he was Master of Balliol College. He was a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and of the British Academy. He received numerous honorary degrees over the course of his career, including the Hon. Dr. Sorbonne Nouvelle in 1979.
Hill was an active Marxist and a member of the Communist Party from approximately 1934-1957, falling out with the Party after the Soviet suppression of the Hungarian uprisings of 1956.
In their obituary, The Guardian wrote of Hill:
"Christopher Hill…was the commanding interpreter of 17th-century England, and of much else besides.…it was as the defining Marxist historian of the century of revolution, the title of one of the most widely studied of his many books, that he became known to generations of students around the world. For all these, too, he will always be the master." [http://www.theguardian.com/news/2003/...]
He was educated at Balliol College, Oxford. During World War II, he served in the Russian department of the British Foreign Office, returning to teach at Oxford after the war.
From 1958-1965 he was University Lecturer in 16th- and 17th-century history, and from 1965-1978 he was Master of Balliol College. He was a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and of the British Academy. He received numerous honorary degrees over the course of his career, including the Hon. Dr. Sorbonne Nouvelle in 1979.
Hill was an active Marxist and a member of the Communist Party from approximately 1934-1957, falling out with the Party after the Soviet suppression of the Hungarian uprisings of 1956.
In their obituary, The Guardian wrote of Hill:
"Christopher Hill…was the commanding interpreter of 17th-century England, and of much else besides.…it was as the defining Marxist historian of the century of revolution, the title of one of the most widely studied of his many books, that he became known to generations of students around the world. For all these, too, he will always be the master." [http://www.theguardian.com/news/2003/...]
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 4, 2017
I have not read any of Christopher Hill's books in years, but this volume on John Bunyan is outstanding.
August 3, 2020
Well written biography.
Unfortunately, I wasn't all that interested in the history of non-conformist churches and the politics that surrounded that movement. I just wanted to learn more about Buyan the man. This subject was also covered well, but I could have been satisfied with a book half this size.
I have no criticism with the author. He delivered exactly, what he promised.
Unfortunately, I wasn't all that interested in the history of non-conformist churches and the politics that surrounded that movement. I just wanted to learn more about Buyan the man. This subject was also covered well, but I could have been satisfied with a book half this size.
I have no criticism with the author. He delivered exactly, what he promised.
May 7, 2024
This is an excellent intellectual biography of John Bunyan and his time. Easy to read but lots of academic rigor (I presume). The author is a Marxist, but I did not see it reading this book. I suppose he was very sympathetic to the levelers, diggers, etc.
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May 24, 2018Pleasingly unfashionable but really a very useful volume for better understanding the ideology of the 'godly' and its force in the English civil wars.
December 3, 2018
Incredible. Puts Bunyan back into context and makes a credible case for his (now-hard-to-discern) value.
July 27, 2013
A fascinating and detailed account of the life and times of John Bunyan. Christopher Hill examines Bunyan's life, thought and literature in relation to the turbulent times of the British Civil War and his experiences in the Parliamentary army and through the Restoration. He gives a good insight into the lives of 'ordinary' people living in extraordinary times, the problems of writing under censorship and popular culture in general. I must admit that I had never regarded Bedford as a centre of religious radicalism, but have now been enlightened. I did study this period with the OU some time ago and just wish I had come across this book at that time. I studied 'Pilgrim's Progress' at school, but did not really take to it. Yet another book to return to.
November 3, 2016
A really juicy book, straggling well between the popular (fittingly for Bunyan) and the academic (lotsa booksy references). Looses a star for the smug, if sympathetic, Whig history evaluations of Bunyan’s theology and worldview, but these are mainly concentrated at the end; anyway I do not think they make the author falsify any facts.
April 11, 2011
Couldn't get through it. Style seemed muddled, history was hurried, very little actual biographical information.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews