Designed to accompany the survey text Early Modern 1485-1714 , this updated and expanded Sourcebook brings together an impressive array of Tudor-Stuart documents and illustrations, as well as extensive bibliographies and research and discussion guides. Click here for more discussion and debate on the authors’ [Wiley disclaims all responsibility and liability for the content of any third-party websites that can be linked to from this website. Users assume sole responsibility for accessing third-party websites and the use of any content appearing on such websites. Any views expressed in such websites are the views of the authors of the content appearing on those websites and not the views of Wiley or its affiliates, nor do they in any way represent an endorsement by Wiley or its affiliates.]
I'm not criticizing the utility the utility of these texts, but they are some of the dullest things I've ever read. If you think legal codes and administrative document today are poorly written, then those written 500 years ago are borderline impenetrable. The personal documents do hold some interest, but they're nothing compared to something like the diary of Samuel Pepys.
A companion to Early Modern England 1485-1714: A Narrative History, Sources and Debates is an excellent collection of primary texts from Tudor and Stuart England. It's not intended for casual readers of history. Few of the texts would be of interest to anyone not pursuing academic study of the period, but for those who are, the text selection is excellent. The authors also helpfully updated the spelling to make the texts more readable without sacrificing the integrity of the original wording. The end of each chapter also includes a series of historical topics that are currently debated among scholars along with short bibliographies of more recent historiography on the topic.