by J.E. Neale
(Jonathan Cape HB 1949 but reprinted many times in paper by Penguin Books)
lizabethan government was messy and fascinating, and this book does more than perhaps any other to sort it out. The theoretical ideas behind the Elizabethan Parliament are here, but so are the odd effects of centuries of eccentric jurisdictions and local rivalries. The pervasive corruption is here too, and we are given interesting glimpses of how local sheriffs manipulated elections, intimidated voters, and generally twisted the system. Highly readable, and highly recommended.