In 1992, Eamon Duffy created a sensation in Reformation studies by publishing his groundbreaking book The Stripping of the Altars (Yale University Press). In it he demonstrated the health of late medieval religion in England and that the thesis hitherto accepted that the Reformation came to wipe away a corrupt and rotten Church was essentially false.

In this book, which may be considered as a sequel to The Stripping of the Altars, Duffy makes further soundings in late medieval religion, but drills down to the particular and avoids any wide historical sweep. Among the topics he covers are 'Purgatory', 'The Black Death', 'Adoration of the Mother of God' and 'Heresy'. By his meticulous research, Duffy has discovered many original documents and records during his academic career, proving that his thesis about the Reformation is basically irrefutable. This book is illustrated by a small collection of full colour plates which further demonstrate the richness of late medieval religion.