This book considers the English Civil Wars and the civil wars in Scotland and Ireland through the lens of historical fiction¿primarily fiction for the young. The text argues that the English Civil War lies at the heart of English and Irish political identities and considers how these identities have been shaped over the past three centuries in part by the children¿s literature that has influenced the popular memory of the English Civil War. Examining nearly two hundred works of historical fiction, Farah Mendlesohn reveals the delicate interplay between fiction and history.

Farah Mendlesohn is Associate Fellow of The Anglia Ruskin Centre for Science Fiction and Fantasy, UK. She has a PhD in History, focusing on the Spanish Civil War She was Professor and Head of Department of English and Media at Anglia Ruskin University, from 2012-2017. Previous books include Rhetorics of Fantasy (2009) and Diana Wynne Jones: The Fantastic Tradition and Children's Literature (2009).

1. The English Civil War.- 2. Selecting the Historical Fiction.- 3. As We Understand History, So We Understand Fiction.- 4. The Cultural Landscape of the Civil Wars.- 5. Great Men and Great Battles.- 6. Men and Women.- 7. Religion.- 8. By the Sword Divided.- 9. The War of the Three Kingdoms.- 10. The Commonwealth and the Protectorate.- 11. The Restoration.- 12. Conclusion.