Just over 500 years ago Martin Luther nailed his ninety five theses to a church door in Wittenberg and so began the reformation. However, according to Nick Page in his book “A Nearly Infallible History of the Reformation” it may not have been quite as simple as that. He therefore sets out to explore what actually happened, looking at this important period of history and the events and people that feature in it.
It’s fair to say that sometimes history books can be a tad dry or boring. We can find ourselves reading accounts of dates and events that do not engage our attention and two minutes later have forgotten what we have read. Therefore we avoid reading historical books. Thankfully this book is not like that! In fact on the front cover under the title it says “Commemorating 500 years of Popes’, Protestants, Reformers, Radicals and Other Assorted Irritants.” This gives us an idea of how the book is written.
Nick Page is a very engaging writer. In addition to thoroughly researching the subject he likes to introduce his own unique sense of humour into his writings. The book is very humorous in places and this is the first time I have ever laughed out loud whilst reading a historical book! In some ways it reminds me of reading an Adrian Plass book, So if you are worried that you might find reading about the history of the reformation boring don’t worry. You will not!
The book is divided into eleven parts and contains thirty six chapters. There is also a comprehensive index and a chronological listing of the events of the reformation at the back of the book. In total it consists of just under 450 pages.
The reformation was obviously an important event and I would recommend this book if you want to understand what actually happened during these momentous and turbulent times. However, one word of warning. Be careful if you read this book in a public place, You may receive strange looks from others as you laugh out loud at the humour within it!
Still Learning 