Stripping of Altars - Traditional Religion in England, 1400-1580

This prize-winning account of the pre-Reformation church recreates lay people’s experience of religion in fifteenth-century England. Eamon Duffy shows that late medieval Catholicism was neither decadent nor decayed, but was a strong and vigorous tradition, and that the Reformation represented a violent rupture from a popular and theologically respectable religious system. For this edition, Duffy has written a new Preface reflecting on recent developments in our understanding of the period.
From reviews of the first edition:
A magnificent scholarly achievement [and] a compelling read.” Patricia Morrison, Financial Times
Deeply imaginative, movingly written, and splendidly illustrated. . . . Duffy’s analysis . . . carries conviction.” Maurice Keen, New York Review of Books
This book will afford enjoyment and enlightenment to layman and specialist alike.” Peter Heath, Times Literary Supplement
[An] astonishing and magnificent piece of work.” Edward T. Oakes, Commonweal