Sixteenth-century Augsburg comes to life in this beautifully chosen and elegantly translated selection of original documents. Ranging across the whole panoply of social activity from the legislative reformation to work, recreation, and family life, these extracts make plain the subtle system of checks and balances, violence, and self-regulation that brought order and vibrancy to a sophisticated city community. Most of all we hear sixteenth-century people speak: in their petitions and complaints, their nervous responses under interrogation, their rage and laughter. Tlusty has done an invaluable service in crafting a collection that should be an indispensable part of the teaching syllabus.
Andrew Pettegree, University of St. Andrews This volume brings readers face-to-face with the experiences of the ordinary people living in Reformation-era Augsburg. The translations are lively, vivid, captivating . . . the voices of these ordinary citizens are heard here as clearly as if they were sitting in the next room. The introductionsto the volume overall, to each of its major sections, and to each of the individual documentsprovide just as much information as is necessary. . . . Tlusty strikes just the right balance between breadth and depth. Outstanding.
Constantin Fasolt, University of Chicago An introduction to early modern German society. Tlusty reaps the harvest of scholars' mental shift over the last two generations, from concentration on those who wielded authority to those who were subject to them. The book contains a wealth of information and insight into the lives of ordinary people and the shoals of regulation upon which they might founder. Tlusty illuminates all of society in dynamic interaction.
Susan Karant-Nunn, University of Arizona Tlusty' compilation of sources offers a fresh view of the Reformation through documents previously accessible only to one able to venture into the archives. History: Reviews of New Books An engaging collection of primary sources, many available in English for the first time, that offer readers glimpses into how the Reformation changed local communities. Augsburg provides a compelling location in which to examine the impact of the Reformation because of its early exposure to the new religious ideas and its importance to the political events of the Holy Roman Empire. For many college students, the voices of Luther and Calvin dominate the study of the Reformation, but Tlusty' collection allows the reader to explore voices up and down the social ladder, revealing that both the Augsburg city council and the weavers shaped and were shaped by the new doctrines and practices. Any reader of this collection [will] gain new understanding about the complexities of urban life during the early modern period . . . [it] allows students . . . to explore many themes of social and cultural history during the Reformation. Tlusty' compilation of sources offers a fresh view of the Reformation through documents previously accessible only to one able to venture into the archives. History: Reviews of New Books