The Life and Times of Elizabeth I by Neville Williams (HC/DJ)

The general rejoicing that greeted Elizabeth's accession to the throne of England in 1558 could not disguise the magnitude of the problems that the young queen faced. Not only was she 'but a woman' in a hard and uncompromising age, but her kingdome had been torn by religious strife for more than ten years. Yet her reign was to be rememered as one of the most glorious in English history.