Spin and photo opportunities may appear to have emerged on to the political scene only recently, but in fact image and its manipulation have always been vital to the authority of rulers. This book, the second in Kevin Sharpe's trilogy exploring image, power, and communication in early modern England, examines its importance during the turbulent seventeenth century. From the coronation of James I to the end of Cromwell's protectorate, Sharpe considers how royalists and parliamentarians - often using the same vocabularies - sought to manage their public image through words, pictures, and performances in order to win support and secure and enhance their authority.

Kevin Sharpe is Director of the Centre for Renaissance and Early Modern Studies, and Professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary, University of London, and one of Britain's leading early modern scholars. He is the author of twelve books, three of which have been published by Yale: The Personal Rule of Charles I, Reading Revolutions, and Selling the Tudor Monarchy, the precursor to this title.

‘This is a formidable book and part of a formidable series… Image Wars is lavishly illustrated…and it has been handsomely packaged by Yale University Press…It is a mine of useful information and lively comment…. This book is excellent.’
-John Morrill, BBC History Magazine

‘This is a truly monumental book.’
-Patrick Little, History Today

‘Sharpe makes skilful use here of a wide range of source materials…and presents a well argued case for the achievements of the first two Stuarts as image-makers…. This is obviously a work of deep research…it is well written and consistently argumentative.’
-R.C. Richardson, Times Higher Education

'As with all his work, Kevin Sharpe’s book is learned and clever, rich in detail and provocative in outline. It is a significant statement about the cultural construction of political power in early modern England.'
-Michael Braddick, Times Literary Supplement