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John Davies

A History of Wales Paperback – Illustrated, June 22, 2007

by John Davies (Author)

282 ratings

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Stretching from the Ice Ages to the present day, this masterful account traces the political, social and cultural history of the land that has come to be called Wales. Spanning prehistoric hill forts and Roman ruins to the Reformation, the Industrial Revolution and the series of strikes by Welsh miners in the late twentieth century, this is the definitive history of an enduring people: a unique and compelling exploration of the origins of the Welsh nation, its development and its role in the modern world. This new edition brings this remarkable history into the new era of the Welsh Assembly.

Print length

736 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Penguin Books
Publication date

June 22, 2007
Dimensions

5.01 x 1.32 x 7.75 inches
ISBN-10

0140284753
ISBN-13

978-0140284751
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Davies is a native of the Rhondda. He was educated in schools in Treorci, Bwlchllan and Tregaron and at University College, Cardiff, and Trinity College, Cambridge. He taught at the University Colleges of Swansea and Aberystwyth and was for eighteen years the Warden of Neuadd Pantycelyn, Aberystwyth. His other publications include Cardiff and the Marquesses of Bute, Hanes Cymru, Broadcasting and the BBC in Wales, The Making of Wales, The Celts and Cardiff: a Pocket Guide. He is the consultant editor of The Encyclopaedia of Wales. His wife comes from Blaenau Gwent and they have two daughters and two sons.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Books; Revised ed. edition (June 22, 2007)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 736 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0140284753
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0140284751
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.17 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.01 x 1.32 x 7.75 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #130,343 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #9 in Welsh History
- #10 in Wales Travel Guides
- #233 in England History

Customer Reviews:
282 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		69%
4 star		20%
3 star		7%
2 star		3%
1 star		1%

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Top reviews from the United States

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JH

Dense, turdig, and difficult

Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2016

Verified Purchase

If I have any pet peeves about the many history books I read, it is a history book where the author wishes to name a plethora of historians with which to argue or agree. There are enough names in Welsh history to wrap one's head around without mentioning all these other non-historical, non-Welsh names. Mentioning these other people is fine for footnotes, etc. Also, this is a turgid read. I am still looking for a great book on Welsh history that is not quite so turgid and difficult to follow. Recommendations welcomed!

20 people found this helpful

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Wonder Woman

The writing flows pretty well too

Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2018

Verified Purchase

I learned on ancestry.com that so many of my people are from Wales! I found this book, and a BOATLOAD of my ancestors are in there. Very, very interesting book. The writing flows pretty well too. The amount of barbaric stuff that happened throughout history is just shocking, wow.

5 people found this helpful

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Steven B Hawkes Teeples

Very readable history

Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2020

Verified Purchase

Well written, clear. One of the best single volume histories of Wales.

2 people found this helpful

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Betsy C Basehore

Excellent!

Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2020

Verified Purchase

Very informative and interesting. I only wish the author had included a “pronunciation guide” for Welsh names.

One person found this helpful

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Rick

Hard for an American to read.

Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2014

Verified Purchase

Bought the book to get in touch with my Welch heritage. Apart from being a long kind of dry history book, which I expected, the big problem is that it is specifically written for the Welsh reader. My understanding is that it was originally written in Welsh and this edition is just a direct English translation of the Welsh version. I felt like the author expects the reader to have a decent hold on elementary Welsh history and geography already. As an American, I don't have that background and as a result I found it to be a difficult read.

27 people found this helpful

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Gale Leslie Roberts

All of us with Welsh ancestors should have this book.

Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2018

Verified Purchase

I have checked out this book from the library many times and finally bought it. It is an excellent, thorough history of Wales.

2 people found this helpful

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Michael A.

Great book on History

Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2019

Verified Purchase

Lots of info about history of Wales

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Amazon Customer

Very Satisfied with this purchase.

Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2019

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This item was delivered in a timely fashion and accurately described.

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Top reviews from other countries

dthomas

Great read but bad for reference purposes

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 20, 2019

Verified Purchase

This book has been extremely well researched and the writers style is easy to follow. It's chock full of interesting historical information about Wales. I would like to give it 5 stars but this type of book needs better design.

As a reference book it's surprisingly poor due to the fact that it's near impossible to find something that you earlier read later on. The index is quite limited and there are multiple occasions when I have turned to the index in order to find something, only to discover that it hasn't listed what I'm looking for. Secondly the book has no headings. It's pages and pages of small text with only very broad chapters to break it up.

I really hope that the publisher or author reads my comment and thinks about releasing another version of the book that is more suitable for reference purposes. Right now it's a very interesting read but it would be a nightmare to use the book in any kind of study that would require me to reference what I read earlier. For such an insane amount of time, effort and research, I think it would be a good move to rethink the design of the book (in terms of reference).

15 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Deeply frustrating

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 19, 2020

Verified Purchase

In terms of research, it is an extraordinary achievement. But oh dear, what poor use that research has been put to in this book.
Unless you have a burning desire to know who won which seat in which election for which party by how many votes in which year against which opposing parties, which clerics and which strains of protestant or Catholic or other religious branches were appointed to which churches, which parishes, which sees, then you will find this soulless book, drowned as it is in endless, needless statistics and obscure references to obscure people many of whose contribution to Wales past can only be describes as insignificant (all of which should be stripped out and annotated through a reference section at the end of the book) a terrible disappointment. This is not about Wales – the real Wales - or about the Welsh and why they are, and have every reason to be a proud nation.
Wales is a country which has a wonderful tale to tell, and any history of the country should make come away with an understanding of why the Welsh feel such pride at being Welsh. Yet this book makes no attempt to achieve this, more interested as it is in putting as much down on paper, every reference, every static, every name come across during the research, the aim of the book appearing to be to make sure the reader understands how much research has gone into producing the book.
He asks the question about what it means being welsh, but hit is clear that for him, it is about Welsh held authority - legislative power and authority in Welsh hands as an indication of autonomous control – and the nations buildings that reflect that authority. But that isn’t Wales. Wales is about people, not buildings or votes of influence.

That the author should insist on several occasions that Football is the major sport in Wales, not Rugby (which is given but little mention in the book, yet which is more characteristic of the heart and soul of the people of wales than much of what is written here) - shows he little he knows other than what he has read in books about his own country. He has obviously never been to Cardiff on (rugby) match day...
(I followed both avidly as a youngster - how he could make such a claim is beyond me)

Worse still, his treatment of Dylan Thomas, to whom he accords fewer words and attention than a whole raft of unheard of welsh poets from down the years, is little short of disdainful. You don’t have to like his works, or approve of his lifestyle, to appreciate how great a poet he was; Thomas did more to put Wales on the map than any other Welshman in history. Surely that is worthy of proper recognition? Not so in the eyes of Mr.Davis, it would appear.
Wales is such a wonderful country full of extraordinary people.
Such a shame that this is not reflected in this book.

3 people found this helpful

Mick McMikemas

I loved the pal-eolithic start and into the Roman period

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 19, 2015

Verified Purchase

I loved the pal-eolithic start and into the Roman period. The Early Middle Ages are bogging down into Meredudd ab Cynfig killed Cadwallon, son of Meurig, then Mereddud was killed by Cynfig ab Meurig who was killed by Gruffydd Ab Llewellyn who was slaughtered by his brother's, uncle's, grand-daughter's niece ......

That isn't the author's fault of course, and this is only 700 pages for 10,000 years of history, so perhaps it isn't surprising that much of the story behind all the tumult tumbles by largely unaddressed. Maybe nobody even knows the stories, but, as others had mentioned when I was buying the book, there does seem a lack of personality in the narrative and there are (so far) no examples of contemporary literature and art (Why not quote these few 'fabulous poems' that are all that remain? And how about some images to illustrate period artefacts and style - and its transformations?)

I'm no historian but I do live in Wales and this book (so far) is a gem. The landscape around me changes as I read, which is what I had hoped for. It's also a goldmine for sourcing places to visit, whether from the narrative or the maps of Roman settlements, mesolithic stones, etc.

Whilst it is fairly dry this is definitely a *Welsh* history of Wales. Good job, John, RIP. Thanks.

11 people found this helpful

llewellyn ap hywel

A monumental book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 29, 2018

Verified Purchase

A superb work, encompassing the history of the British Isles before the Roman and Anglo-Saxon immigrants, and continuing with the place of Wales within those later administrations. The political aspect are particularly interesting, as is the way in which the remaining ancestors of the ancient Brythonic peoples (the Welsh) fought to retain that identity. Strongly recommended to those who believe that history began in 1066.....

One person found this helpful

C. R. WARE

Standard textbook

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 19, 2021

Verified Purchase

This work by historian John Davies is the definitive history of Wales and to some extent, the British Isles. It is very readable and highly recommended for both students and laypeople. It is also available in the Welsh language.

One person found this helpful

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