This book constitutes the first full-scale examination of William Goode (1801-68), an Anglican evangelical divine and voluminous author, who devoted much of his ministry to attacking the writings of Tractarians. [ .] This is an excellent study, not only of a neglected divine but also of the ways in which Reformation history was written, manipulated, and, occasionally, misrepresented during the Victorian period. An impressive range of primary sources are deployed, including not only the writings of Goode and his opponents, but also numerous contemporary periodicals, through which Stevener explores reviews of Goodes works (an under-utilised source). While sources on Goodes personal life are limited, Stevener has mined what sources do exist, utilising them to great effect. The book also fills a gap in the literature by illuminating the highly contested nature of the Thirty-Nine Articles in an ever-increasingly broader Victorian Church. The book is very readable and well-written, and will be of interest to scholars of Anglicanism, evangelicalism, Tractarianism, and the legacy of the Reformation.
- Simon Lewis, Proceedings of the Wesley Historical Society