Customer Reviews

A History of Britain: At the Edge of the World? 3500 B.C. - 1603 A.D.

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The overlap between excellent scholarship and exceptional readability in today's history writing is exceedingly slim. Schama's History of Britain is as good an example as the market holds today. While it obviously doesn't treat the subject area in the same depth as his his texts on Dutch and French subjects or on Art history, the area covered here is immense. From my standpoint, Prof. Schama performs a herculean task simply to distill the material into such a usable and enjoyable work. I am quite hard pressed to think of a another such work of excellent writing on a large subject area other than Shelby Foote's Civil War volumes, which seem somewhat comparable in every positive respect. Additionally, one can open A History of Britain and read with enjoyment at almost any point and for any period of time. The characterization of key players matches that of the best novels and Schama's writing compares favorably to a somewhat similar work, Winston Churchill's History of the English Speaking Peoples. I recommend disregarding the less favorable reviews following as unfair in perspective. The combination of a powerful scholar of Simon Schama's caliber with such graceful writing is almost unheard of and the alternative of tedious fact recitation is no choice at all. This is a book to purchase twice, once for yourself and again as a gift for a good friend.

This is history as it should be: written with wit and perception. His telling phrases convey meaning - even with anacronisms slipping in occasionally! It does what an overview should do - it drives you to read more. It sweeps over thousands of years and picks out key turning points and explains them. Schama puts the 'story' back into history. A welcome addition to any non-specialist's bookshelf who wants a knowledge of the period with an enjoyable read.

Whether or not you enjoy this work will depend in large measure on the type of experience you are seeking. If it is linear narrative, elegant prose with a dash of wit, historical accuracy, and attractive pictures, you will be well served. If you seek an in-depth analysis of ANY of the topics covered, however, you will be sorely disappointed. In order to provide this and still cover the vast expanse of time he seeks to review, Schama's text would need to balloon to at least five volumes (a prohibitive size for a commercially-oriented publication). The novice historian will appreciate the fact that no prior familiarity with British history is assumed; the often bewildering array of cultural groups is clearly outlined and enough maps pepper the text to give the reader an appreciation of the role geography played in the development of the British isles. The more experienced individual will enjoy the lively pace, excellent focus, and interesting anectodotes. Overall, I highly recommend it and would definitely purchase it again.

I own a number of histories of Britain, and while I agree with most of the reviewers that this one is engaging, I am greatly disappointed in this book as a whole.

The tone is easy to read, but the book's substance has the consistency of belly-button lint. Light to the point of irrelevant in far too many places, this volume is a good read for anyone who wants a fast refresher of high school English history. It is weak on causal connections, explanations, and the intrigue that I think makes history so fascinating.

Worst of all, its subtitle is completely misleading.

I bought it primarily because it purported to cover pre-Roman Britain. It's subtitle, "A History of Britain at the Edge of the World 3500 B.C. - 1603 A.D." indicated to me that it would address that period. And so it does - for six and a half pages, three of which are completely take up by photographs of neolithic sites. This coverage hardly merits a subtitle touting the book as a history of Britain from 3500 B.C.

Only one paragraph is dedicated to Julius Caesar's disastrous invasion attempts that failed two years in succession, and only two paragraphs talk about the British resistance to Claudius' successful invasion. Within two more pages, Hadrian's wall has already been built. The remaining 20 pages of the first chapter are a very general overview of the next 700 years. That's right: it takes only twenty of this book's nearly 400 pages to cover over 4,000 years of history.

I expected to read about discoveries of neolithic sites (only those in the Orkneys are mentioned - even Stonehenge and Britain's fabulous barrows are conspicuously absent here); the settlement of the Britain and its islands by the Celts; the effect of the Roman conquest and later withdrawal; the pre-Roman religions and spread of Christianity; trade and inter-cultural exchange among the peoples of Britain and the rest of Europe and Scandanavia; invasions of the Angles, Saxons and Jutes, and the viking Danes and Norsemen; magnificent kings like Alfred the Great (the only pre-Conquest king given so much as a passing mention); important religious influences in the guise of men like Bede and Augustine. All of these are covered in so little time and space that I can honestly say I learned more about this era in my poor, Southern, rural, American elementary school.

Chapter 2 starts with the Norman Invasion. Only a few pages of that chapter address the political and other events that explain why William the Conqueror thought he had a valid claim to the throne in the first place. There is practically nothing of the lives of any people other than notable rulers.

I cannot fault the rest of the book's treatment of English history. It does not go into great detail about much of anything, but as a cursory review of the high points of the monarchy it does passably well. It glosses over the bloody, twenty-year civil war fought between Stephen and Matilda over the crown of Henry II, but gives fairly admirable treatment of Henry III and Eleanor of Acquitaine and their incompetent and vile offspring.

Very little is said of the War of the Roses. We are told virtually nothing about Richard III's usurpation of the throne or of his nefarious kidnapping and execution of two adolescent sons of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, which ignited carnage among English nobility for a generation.

It is obvious that the Tudors are of much greater interest to the author than the Plantagenets (or Angevins), at least according to the detail with which he describes their reigns. The last 125 pages are devoted to the Tudors, who ruled England for 116 years. They were fascinating monarchs, indeed, but there is such a wealth of information about them I was still left feeling a bit cheated. I really wanted a readable history of early Britain.

Now, I suppose I could have been a more discerning buyer and read more in-depth reviews to find out whether this was the book I was looking for. I hope that this review provides someone else with that warning.

And although they are probably out of print, I highly recommend Thomas B. Costain's histories for great readability, more detail and better analysis of post-Conquest Britain. Start with The Conquering Family.

The first in this three part series (and companion to the amazingly good BBC documentary series) this is a fact filled history book that is actually easy to get into - you can actually read it cover to cover rather than look up in the index what interests you. Much of this is down to Schama's engaging writing style - not quite casual, but definitely not dry and dusty. This book manages to steer an even keel, avoiding parochialism and Politically Correct revisionism. An entertaining read for those interested in British history - the title really says it all.

This book would have been more aptly titled: "The Royal Soap Opera: A History of the English Sovereign". There is almost nothing in this book that isn't directly related to the royal family: virtually nothing about such things as daily life, art, language, agriculture, or warfare. While this book is interesting, except for the disruptions caused by the Black Death and the Peasant's Revolt in the 14th century, it's as if nothing occurred in England other than the desperate grabs for power by the nobility. In other words: nothing that hasn't been done dozens of times before. While the subject matter is interesting and the book engaging (if that is what you are looking for), coming from Schama, it is a crashing disappointment. What happened to the man who wrote "Landscape and Memory"?.

Even if this book was only written to pay the bills, surely he could have done something more exceptional.

It's difficult to say what the 2nd volume will be like. Since this book ends abruptly at 1603, it seems likely that volume 2 will take us up to the present day; hopefully though, it would be more of a companion book that focuses on the other aspects of British life - something more along the lines of his great book "Embarrassment of Riches."

This delightful romp through Britain's history from Roman to Elizabethan times is enchanting reading. Although mis-titled, since Schama dispenses with two millennia in but a few pages, his engrossing prose keeps your attention fixed through every page. He hasn't, of course, given us a "history of Britain" in any but a limited sense. The theme is the governance of a nation with expanding and contracting borders, rulers and those aspiring to rule drifting on and off the stage, and the politics of ruling such a land. The "life" of the country - the tillers, shepherds, artificers, fishermen, are pushed offstage unseen. Not intended as an academic study, it's an entertaining overview.

Schama's prose is often evocative. A prime example is his account of the preliminaries leading to the invasion at Hastings and the encounter itself. We witness, almost as participants, the victories and waning of Edward, king of Wessex. His successor, Harold, crosses the reach of England to defeat invading Vikings prior to the rush south to counter William of Normandy. At the battle site, Schama brings you onto the battle site, viewing the impending clash first from the English side, then from the Norman. You sweat and reflect, facing determined enemies prior to the onslaught. He moves you with the troops, thrusting, dodging, suffering as the battle rages. By the time you reach the pages of William's consolidating his victory, you are breathless. Schama is rarely detached from events throughout this book, and he has you at his side at every significant circumstance.

His discussions of the governance of Britain make compelling reading. Just as we thought the Domesday Book was little more than a tool of Norman oppression, Schama depicts William as "the first database king" bent on achieving equitable enforcement of justice. In later years, Henry II would continue that tradition, ruling medieval Europe's greatest empire. Without delving into tedious detail, Schama makes clear that ruling Britain at any level is a dynamic process. Although the successive monarchs may appear a continuum separated by some violent events, he demonstrates that whoever sat on the throne must perform the task of ruling. The methods may vary, sometimes harshly imposed, but tradition repeatedly impairs the march of change. Anyone failing to understand this will fail to understand Britain.

I highly recommend "A History of Britain: At The End of the World?" to anyone, especially those just embarking on a study of the country and its more memorable monarchs and revolutionaries.

Of course, in this format Schama cannot possibly go into detail about everything and everyone: he means to hit the high points, and he does so with a detatched eye, a dry wit and a keen method of observation.

He tells of the usual suspects - William The Conqueror (also known as William The Bastard), Henry VIII, Henry II and his fatal quarrel with the doomed Archbishop Thomas Becket - but in between these great historic personalities comes the voice of the common man, be he (or she) monk, peasant or serf, commenting on the spread of plague through a devestated village or joining his voice to others to seek satisfaction from Richard II.

Others here have commented upon the beauty of the book - its gorgeous pictures, its helpful maps - and I can add nothing except to say that they do add a wonderful visual aspect.

The video series of "A History of Britain", as well as the companion books, are well worth anyone's time, whether they are seasoned in British history or just getting interested.

Simon Schama has written a fine, almost extraordinary, survey of British history from prehistory through the glorious reign of Elizabeth I. It is a subject that could easily encompass a volume twice the size of Schama's tome, yet somehow he manages to compress millenia of history into a coffee table book nearly 400 pages in length. While he sticks to a traditional overview of British - though primarily English - history, he depicts events such as the signing of the Magna Carta and Robert the Bruce's transformation from being a loyal subject of the Angevin kings to ruler of Scotland with much originality, offering the general reader fresh prespectives on English history. My only complaint - and that is indeed, a minor one - is that he did not delve more deeply into the histories of Wales, Scotland and Ireland. But what he does discuss of them, especially with regards to their relations with England, will be quite intriguing to the reader. Anyone interested in an excellent survey of the history of Great Britain will not be disappointed with this book.

If history bores you and you enjoy reading, I think Schama intends more to educate through entertainment than to simply educate. This is not the typical history book and is well-written. There are plenty of funny, interesting, and most often brief acounts given that help one understand and provide laughs at times. Schama is not a British historian and has lived in the US for maybe the last 25 years. But on account of being British, a Columbia professor, and--based on reading his three volumes on British history--an excellent writer, he has been encouraged and has writen about British history.
After reading this book I got a good feel of the life at the time, and I think that is largely due to the historical records Schama uses that show the emotions and logic of the times. The beautiful pictures also help in fostering a sense of what Britain is and was like. This book is a very easy and enjoyable read read, and I think this book is perfect for the reader unfamiliar with British history but does not take to history per se.