Customer Reviews

A Short History of England

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Gilbert Keith Chesterton is certainly one of the most entertaining, and important, authors in the English language. This particular volume covers quickly, yet completely, the history of England from early Roman times to the time of the Great War, World War I. Chesterton is a man, I suspect, who would have been very hard to dislike. Though brilliant, he always approached his many opponents with a keen sense of fun and empathy. But he is certainly a writer who, though sometimes challenging, is always enjoyable.

This wonderful, short, and thoroughly readable book can really be seen as a layman's philosophical representation of the great arc of English history. To grasp Chesterton's wit and wisdom entirely, it is probably important to have at least a nodding familiarity with English history before reading the book. But, so armed, the reader will be delighted with G.K.'s retelling of the great events of England, together with his insightful commentary relative to their import.

Particularly poignant is Chesterton's rendering of the martydom of Saint Joan of Arc. He avers that, at one time or another, perhaps all British soldiers would have traded places with the common British infantryman who broke his spear to make a cross for the dying Saint. This section alone is worth the price of the entire book.

If you love Chesterton, this work is full of the kind of cutting humor and cultural insight that is his best. The title is a bit misleading in the sense that this is more a "collection of essays on aspects of English History." It should also be seen as a critique of other popular histories of his day. However, he remains the best Christian apologist in the modern era and of the modern era.