This first edition of Sir William Dugdale's History of St Paul's was published during the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell in order to record the building in the face of the damage caused by Parliamentarian troops during the Civil War to preserve "one of the most eminent structures of that kinde in the Christian World". Coincidentally, he also completed the book shortly before the Great Fire of London in 1666 which completely destroyed the building. Fortunately, the volume contains engravings by Wenceslaus Hollar which record the appearance of the cathedral and give some hint at its former glory.
Old St Paul's Cathedral was begun in 1087 but only consecrated in 1240 following numerous delays. The main body of the cathedral was finished by 1314 but the church was continuously amended and expanded during its lifetime due to its role as the mother church of the City of London. By the Reformation it had grown to become the largest church in England, but its lavish interior was destroyed by Protestant reformers in the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI with many of the out-buildings and former chapels sold to become shops and houses. In the 1630s, a new west front was added by Inigo Jones and is visible in the Hollar engravings in this book.
The Great Fire gutted the cathedral. Eye-witnesses reported molten lead pouring from the roof in the heat of the flames. A competition was held to rebuild the cathedral in a modern style which eventually led to the construction present building, designed by Sir Christopher Wren, and declared "officially complete" in 1711, although work carried on until the 1720s.