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BRAGS & BOASTS
PROPAGANDA IN THE YEAR OF THE ARMADA
(BERTRAND T. WHITEHEAD)
The naval engagements between the
English and Spanish fleets at the time of the Armada lasted barely two weeks;
by contrast the propaganda war conducted between the two countries raged for
well over nine months, with results that still make their presence felt today,
over four centuries later. For the first
time this book tells the story of this remarkable campaign, revealing,
analysing, and placing in context the widespread manipulation of the media by
which sixteenth-century governments sought to stir the emotions of the
populace.
The media at the time of the Armada
included rumours, assemblies, processions, plays, bells, beacons and bonfires,
sermons and homilies, prayers, petitions, letters and forms of address,
proclamations, demonstrations, books, pamphlets, and ballads, as well as show
trials and public executions. Never
before has there been an analysis of how these varied means were employed to
introduce and spread the myths of the Armada.
This superb book, based on over twenty
years of extensive research, is a sharp and brilliantly focused analysis of the
ways in which distortions of the truth arise and are perpetuated. Not only does it provoke a radical
reassessment of the events of 1588; it also carries significant implications
for our modern understanding of history, and for our interpretation of events
in today's media-dominated world.
Non-UK buyers please
note this book will be posted through eBay's Global Shipping Programme and will,
therefore, unable to be combined with other purchases.