The problem and the achievement of this book are one and the same: summarization. Large sections of history are covered only in a gloss. You will not find at all mentioned, for example Cardinal Mazarin, or the Duke of Marlborough. In fact, Queen Anne herself only gets a passing mention. In other words, this is not a "history" in the true sense. Reading this volume is not going to help you understand the key figures and events of European History. You would not even be introduced to various wars or players that one must be familiar with to understand European history.
What you will find, however, is a very readable analysis of the history of Europe. When treating The French Revolution, for example, he does a fabulous job at stepping away from traditional Anglo biases on the topic, explain the basic contour of what happened, and then explaining the far reaching implications. This is Roberts' special talent and it makes the book worthwhile. I found myself able to gain fresh perspective in various areas.
How does it stack up to Norman Davies? I quit Davies early on, because I didn't find it was worth the payoff. A lot more words, but not really a lot more learning. Earlier Historians of the mid-20th century, such as William H. McNeil show a now noticeably strong bias toward modernism and secularist assumptions, and so I have found myself going back to old histories before the second world war in order to find a traditional history of Europe. Roberts seems to be fairly typical of the way contemporary popular historians write: a great deal of summary. Try for example spending some time in Guizot's History of France if you want to read first class history the way it used to be written.
Roberts also does very well in his avoidance of overt bias. He clearly leaned favorably toward the French Revolution for example, but not so much so that he became an apologist. He manages to tell the story of the Russian Revolution reasonably straight down the middle as well neither lionizing or demonizing it. Roberts thinks and talks in strategic terms. His perspective is secular but not secularist. It's a solid book, even if it's not exactly a History of Europe.
| Publisher | Penguin Books; New Ed edition (December 1, 1998) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 752 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0140265619 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0140265613 |
| Reading age | 18 years and up |
| Grade level | 12 and up |
| Item Weight | 1.13 pounds |
| Dimensions | 7.74 x 5.13 x 1.21 inches |
