Ireland for Beginners [Paperback]

Phil Evans (Author), Eileen Pollock (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Writers & Readers (September 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0863160174
• ISBN-13: 978-0863160172
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,139,655 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellant introduction to Irish history., September 9, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ireland for Beginners (Paperback)

"Ireland for Beginners" is a wonderful introduction to the history of Ireland.
I have used it almost exclusively to intriduce my friends and acquaintances to the roots of the present day Irish troubles.
. Written in a comic book format, it is a quick read yet covers all of the salient points required to develop an understanding.

I reccomend it for anyone interested in clarifying the present situation in Northen Ireland for themselves, or for their non - Irish friends.
<P

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Less Than Comical History Lesson, December 24, 2003

By 

Kelly Langston-Smith (Atomic City, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ireland for Beginners (Paperback)

This is as close to a multi-media experience as you will find in a book. The authors use text, comics, photos and reproductions of art to tell the hard and heroic history of the Irish people. The comic or picture format, which usually provides a good medium for communication and teaching, here seems a detriment rather than an asset. The layout of the pictures and text on the page really chop the material up so at times you are not sure what to read next. The history itself jumps forward very quickly both in time and with characters and everything is touched on with such a brief overview that I found it very hard, not only to keep up, but also to retain what I had just read. Being a die hard comic fan, I thought this would be a great way to digest the highlights of Irish history. Instead I got frusterated and bogged down quickly with the format. Maybe this is the way some folks assimilate historical information, but with names, dates and events flying around in such a random pattern on the page, I don't think I got very much out of this sensory assault. Clever idea, bad execution.