Customer Reviews

The History of the English People 1000-1154 (Oxford World's Classics)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What surprised me most about reading this was how accessible the book was. I was expecting it to be as dry as the original parchment that it was written on. Instead, it narrative reads more or less like any other history, and I mean that as a compliment. It is apparent that translator Diana Greenway and and the Oxford University Press have bent over backwards to make the text inclusive and unpretentious. The first part of the book has a wonderful introduction, setting the stage of what England was like during the time "History" was written. Including the state of the church and the politics surronding it at that time. It also provides how the book was written and the best way to approach the style of the text. And then of course it gives an interesting look into life of the author itself. This volume also includes a selected bibliography, genealogical tables, as well as a glossary.

The book itself is a fascinating account, starting with the Aethelred's second marrage to his Norman wife Emma and ending with the coronation of Henry II. The pace is brisk and he likes to move things along. One particular aspect of the narrative that I enjoyed was his use of biblical verses used to reflect what he was talking about. I'm not a religious man, but of course Henry was and his broad use of "verse dropping" ranges from clever puns to very profound. And the "eyewitness" factor of Henry I and Stephens reign should be catnip to the history buff.

My only severe complaint about this book was the explanatory notes. Normally footnotes are at the bottom of the page or in back of the book. In this case it's the latter which is fine. However be warned that the notes are not numbered. While reading you will see a simple asterisk. The notes are divided by chapter in the back of the book and it's very frustrating trying to hunt down an explanation when the note list on that chapter is over two pages long and you don't have a "number" to that note to go to.
Aside from that complaint everything else about this outstanding. So armchair historians can relax. This is a comprehensive and accessible offering. A definite must have.

Henry of Huntingdon's History of the English People is an amazing resource not only for dates and historical events but also for astute comments relating to the progression of time, and the meaning and use of written history. Henry of Huntingdon states that the writing of man's deeds is one way that differentiates man from animals and if we did not our great leaders and people would be lost in time and the lessons that we can learn from their lives forgotten.

At times the text reads like earlier histories compiled from Easter Tables (the monks that computed the time of Easter would also mark down the major events of that year - these were a major source of earlier annals) however, Henry's elegiac interludes break the occasional repetitive nature of the text. He also places every now and then speeches (not necessarily the real speeches - more like Shakespearian speeches) of the major participants and fierce battle scenes. Also, most surprising, Henry of Huntingdon addressed questions that the reader might have about his biases - for example, when describing Henry I he asks why he would write such wonderful things about him when he also did bad deeds as well. His reply is simply that his good deeds overshadowed his bad. One of the most astute and comical statements is his observation that in the past there seem to have more miracles - perhaps this is because we are more critical of who becomes saints than before. This is but one of the multiple volumes of his work and I wish that Oxford World's Classics would publish the rest. This is an amazing resource not only for historical facts, but commentary from the time from the point of view of a lower level clergyman attempting to please his patron and provide entertainment for his readers. 5/5

Good to see a nice copy of (part of) a medieval historical chronicle on the sales lists again - it's hard to get ahold of this kind of literature unless you want to shell out 180 bucks for a library-quality full hardcover copy. This is a good edition too, by the scholar who (literaly!) wrote the book on Henry of Huntingdon - they couldn't have found a better person to do the job.

The only thing I didn't understand was why Dr. Greenway re-arrainged the order of the selections from the original work. In the front of the book she gives the original positions of everything according to her edition, though, so you can read them in that order if you want. I suppose this new order does make for a more unified and enjoyable read, even if it slightly anachronistic.

So, whether you're a specialist or just casually interested, this is a great volume to pick up - lots of good stuff directly from the medieval world.

Also, in response to the earlier reviewer - the notes are numbered in the back according to the page they refer to, which is standard practice with the Oxford World's Classics series. I don't tend to like endnotes either, but personally, I didn't find them difficult to use.

a great view into the understanding of a contemporary writer of the period. not an easy read because of the archaic way of writing history.

Henry of Huntingdon was a guy who lived during a very important period in history; fortunately he knew how to write and had the good sense to write everything down. The period immediately after the Norman invasion was probably one of the most important in the history of England, since the old monarchial system of the Anglo-Saxon dynasties was ousted and forcefully replaced with this new Norman government system, which was a mixture of French ideals together with a Viking heritage (Normandy means "north man" since the Vikings actually bought Normandy from France a century or two before).

Henry of Huntingdon lived during the reigns of William II, Henry I, and Stephen, and so was able to provide a unique firsthand insight into these kings and what life was like in England during the second century of the second millennium. Translated by Diana Greenway, along with helpful notes, The History of the English People is a unique primary source for any avid historian.

Originally published on October 14th, 2002.

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This is a great read--easy and accessible. A must have for English history buffs.