The Paston Letters, A.D. 1422–1509

The Paston Letters, voicing the personal and political concerns of one Norfolk family, illuminate one of England's most tumultuous times.

The Paston Letters represent an invaluable lens on life, society, and politics in fifteenth- and sixteenth-century England. This extensive edition of the archive includes over 1,000 letters from the reigns of Henry V-Henry VII. Volume 4 covers the period from 1461 to 1468.Archivist and historian James Gairdner, C.B. (1828–1912) began his career in the Public Record Office at 18 and retired as assistant keeper forty-seven years later. The author of numerous historical works, Gairdner is best-known for his archival and editorial work, which forms his most significant contributions to historical scholarship. He oversaw almost entirely the publication of Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, of the Reign of Henry VIII. The Paston Letters represent a similarly important work. The Letters reveal the fortunes of the Norfolk Paston family and of their tumultuous time. Beginning in the reign of Henry V and continuing through the reigns of Edward IV, Richard III, and Henry VII, the Letters are of great interest to early modern historians and literary critics. Volume 4 (1461–1468) continues with the reign of Edward IV and the War of the Roses.