A Short History of England: Simon Jenkins
£4.70£9.50 (-51%)
From the invaders of the dark ages to the aftermath of the coalition, one of Britain’s most respected journalists, Simon Jenkins, weaves together a strong narrative with all the most important and interesting dates in a book that characteristically is as stylish as it is authoritative.
A Short History of England sheds light on all the key individuals and events, bringing them together in an enlightening and engaging account of the country’s birth, rise to global prominence and then partial eclipse.There have been long synoptic histories of England but until now there has been no standard short work covering all significant events, themes and individuals.
Now updated to take in the rapid progress of recent events and beautifully illustrated, this magisterial history will be the standard work for years to come.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Main edition (5 July 2018), Profile Books |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 320 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1788160894 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1788160896 |
| Dimensions | 12.8 x 2 x 19.4 cm |
by MR DC KNOWELDEN
I really enjoyed what was a simple overview of the history of England. I found the first two thirds most interesting and perhaps got a little bored of the more recent political history.
Well worth a read though.
by KaleHawkwood
Perhaps a better title for this elegantly written brief story of this exasperating country of ours might have been A Concise History. . . since it is just that, a concise survey of a vast subject spanning seventeen centuries from 410 to, so to speak, the day before yesterday.
The early chapters ~ each of the many chapters is bite-sized ~ impress by their sheer ability to cram the seismic events of long ago into a few lines, without losing sense or momentum {though there is the odd confusing aside}. The chapter titles are enticing too, eg. Saxon Dawn, The Danes. . . right up to Hammering the Celts, From Boston to Waterloo, and beyond.
I learnt a lot, including things I should have known and seem obvious once you do know them ~ such as the origin of the words Sassenach and Brittany.
There are sixteen pages of pertinent colour illustrations, the layout and type are reader-friendly, and I can only recommend this for what it is {rather than what it never sets out to be} which is an eloquent, reasonably opinionated, engaged short history. I think it would make a fine introduction to the subject for anyone of any age whose knowledge of English history needs igniting or refreshing.
by Kevin
I purchased this after watching the Vikings on Prime, (highly recommended) and it gave me a renewed interest of British history, This book doesn’t give detailed accounts of the whole of British history you would probably need a dozen volumes for that but what it does do is give you a readable outline of British history from the bronze ages to the present day, so if you are looking for that I would highly recommend. I purchased the kindle version which of course the downside is you don’t get the illustrations that apparently are in the book version, but I wasn’t bothered about that personally.
by MC Lincs. UK
I first listened to this as an audio book and was so impressed I bought a paperback version to use as a reference tool.
by Cookiethecat
I’m quite a big fan of history books be they fictional or factual. I saw this book on offer on Amazon and was sufficiently interested to give it a go. The book is perfectly named as this is a quick romp through the (mainly political) history of England. All the major points are covered, however this book is primarily concerned with the political spectrum so if you are looking for a book with lots of details about war etc then look elsewhere. The Napoleonic for example is covered in a couple of pages whereas the political ramifications of the conflict covered in much more detail. I don’t see this as a failing or shortfall in the book because at then end of the day the book does exactly what it says in the title. If you are interested in the history of England and want a nice easy read without too many technical details then buy this book. There may be more detailed books out there but there may not be any more accessible history books covering such a long period of time.
by Vert
Very informative
by M_P
I wanted to brush up on my English History. Forgotten a lot of it since I was at school. But this brought it all back to life. From the Saxons to the mid 2010s, all is covered and it’s a remarkable story. I really enjoyed it, and well worth the read.
by Grey Dave
Very readable summary of English history – recommended