17th century

Describes the building of the extravagant palace at Versailles in its historical context, particularly as a reflection of the personality and influence of Louis XIV.

Presents an account of the founding and difficult early years of the Jamestown Colony and discusses why colonists traveled from England to North America, what struggles the colonists faced in the settlement's first years and who led the colony and helped it become a success.

An English translation of the nineteenth century French play about Cyrano de Bergerac, a brilliant swordsman who hides his love for his cousin Roxane out of fear she will reject him because of his looks.

Examines the realities of life in Elizabethan and Jacobean times through a selection of accounts taken from books, plays, poems, letters, diaries, and pamphlets by and about the contemporaries of playwright William Shakespeare.

A translation of the French drama set in seventeenth-century France telling of Cyrano de Bergerac's secret love for Roxane.

Provides historical, cultural, and social contexts for the study of English literature, looking at the literary genres and highlighting key writers and works from the Renaissance, and includes a time line, glossaries, and resources for further study.

A biography of the English explorer John Smith, providing information on his childhood, and how his explorations paved the way for colonists,describing how his ingenuity and bravery served as an example of how to survive in the New World.

A detailed history of two disasters that befell London, England: The Great Plague of 1665 in which it is estimated that at least 70,000 died, and the Great Fire of 1666, which destroyed four-fifths of the city.

Chronicles the life of seventeenth-century bureaucrat Samuel Pepys, drawing information from the extensive journals he kept examining every aspect of his own life.

Tells the story of the devastating fire that leveled London in 1666, based on firsthand accounts of people who survived the blaze, discusses the reasons why many Londoners believed the fire was a judgment from God, and speculates about the origins of the conflagration.