THE REIGN OF ELIZABETH. By Barbara Mervyn. John Murray pound;13.50 each.

Vyvyen Brendon looks at texts that will inspire sixth-formers - and boost TV ratings

David Starkey recently linked a new “boom in history students” with the popularity of television series such as his own Six Wives of Henry VIII. He may be right, for Tudor history seems to be a particular growth area. Textbooks such as these additions to John Murray’s Schools History Project series will help sustain the interest of welcome new recruits. The books even borrow the device of dramatic re-creation in the shape of strip cartoons showing, for instance, events in Henry VII’s reign. These are augmented by clear contemporary pictures.

Both books contain tasks which students will enjoy: they can place bets with Ralph the Bookie on the Battle of Bosworth, measure the severity of Tudor rebellions on a Richter scale and choose from several options the solutions which Queen Elizabeth found to her problems.

Barbara Mervyn admits that this kind of exercise might be “more suitable for a magazine than a history textbook” but she plausibly maintains that an early identification of the key issues will lead to deeper understanding with further study.

She and the three authors of The Early Tudors provide much scholarly text and evidence to guide their readers “beyond the images seen on television and in film”. Moreover, they imply that certain best-selling historians (such as Alison Weir) do not take account of the revisionist work so dear to the hearts of modern examiners. Their own volumes are more serious than they look. They will help sixth-formers to pass their exams - as well as boost television ratings.

Vyvyen Brendon is the author of ‘The Age of Reform’, ‘The Edwardian Age’ and ‘The First World War’ (Hodder amp; Stoughton)