An Unofficial 'The Rest Is History' Reading List
542. Elizabeth I’s Sorcerer: Angels and Demons in Renaissance Europe
February 24, 2025
Description
Books Referenced
Author: Raphael Holinshed
Context:
Referenced as the historical accounts that 'inspire so many of Shakespeare's plays' when describing Count Lasky's famous beard
Author: Deborah Harkness
Context:
Referenced as the book series that the TV drama 'A Discovery of Witches' is based on, which features Dr. John Dee as a character
Author: Glyn Parry
Context:
Described as 'probably the definitive biography of Dee' and quoted regarding Elizabeth's acceptance of Dee's suggestions about her cosmic destiny
Author: Edmund Spencer
Context:
Described as 'a great allegorical portrait of the Elizabethan period' containing what is 'almost certainly a portrait of Dr. Dee' as a wise wizard figure
Author: John Foxe
Context:
Referenced as 'the great volume recounting the Marian persecution of Protestants' in which Dee appears and is referred to as 'the great conjurer'
Author: Francis Young
Context:
Referenced when discussing the Protestant accusation that Catholic priests were conjurers, with Francis Young noted as a 'friend of the show' who appeared on the podcast
Author: Benjamin Woolley
Context:
Described as a biography of Dee, quoted regarding how new cartography of the world would have been as startling to 16th century eyes as photographs of Earth from space