Among the books on English History I would strongly recommend a series of books by Peter Ackroyd. The first three opening volumes are:
Volume 1. Foundation: The History of England from Its Earliest Begginnings to the Tudors.
Volume 2. Tudors: The History of England from Henry VIII to Elizabeth I.
Volume 3. Rebellion: The History of England from James I to the Glorious Revolution.
Capturing, easy-reading, very informative, with a lot of interesting facts about Britain's history and ts people.
