Great Tales from English History: Cheddar Man to DNA

As far as I can tell this is the first volume of a series of 3 on tales from English history (I have already reviewed the 3rd volume) - so the topic is popular history at it's best. The book covers the period 7150 BC through to 1381 AD, and it consists of 43 short self-contained stores each a few pages long. It starts with Cheddar Man, runs through Hadrian's Wall, the Venerable Bede and the Domesday Book, and finishes with the "Mad Multitude" (Wat Tyler and the Peasant's Revolt). As compared to vol.3 the tails are a little longer and a bit more substantial; however the writing remains very clear and entertaining. As I have said before the layout into short stores means that the book is an excellent bedtime read. The style of writing is uncomplicated and light, yet each tale is rich and enjoyable. However the book also does a really good job in wetting the reader's appetite for more, and in this context the 20 pages of "bibliography and source notes" are a very welcome addition (the Web addresses are also appreciated). So now on to volume 2 (I know it's not in the right order, but the format of these books means that you can read them in any order and more or less start with any of the tales).

Just the Ticket ! (1/1 people found this helpful)

Having read Lacey's 'The Year 1000' I was hoping for a good follow up.
This series has provided it.
Though I am sure that the author's opinion may not be to everyone's taste, he recounts the great tales of a great nation.
The book offers a 'taste' of what History can offer and for a nation that is prepared to study it, the lessons that can be learned from it.
A good read, nicely structured.
Very enjoyable.

Super read! (3/4 people found this helpful)

It was undoubtedly very enjoyable and readabe book, written for adults. No previous knowledge of the history is assumed.
A good read just before bed!

Accessible history (8/9 people found this helpful)

I first discovered Robert Lacey as an author from his book 'The Year 1000'. Interesting, accessible, easy to follow, with a good balance of detail and breadth (always a tricky task when writing a popular history), that book was one of my favourites around the turn of the second millennium. I discovered this book on the shelves of my local library, and have found it equally worthwhile and fun to read.

This book concentrates on the late Middle Ages to the post-Reformation era in English history - in royal terms, the times of the end of the Plantagenets, the Tudors, the Stuarts, the Interregnum and Glorious Revolution (which a history professor of mine once intoned dramatically, 'was neither glorious nor a revolution'). In years, this goes from the late 1300s to the late 1600s.

One of the things that I like a lot about this particular history is that the stories are brief and self-contained while being part of the overall flow of the history of England. They make for good bed-time reading (the longest of the stories is barely seven pages long, in easy print and easy, storytelling language). Many of the characters are already familiar figures even to those who aren't Anglophiles - Joan of Arc, Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth the First, Shakespeare, King James and the English Bible. Then there will be figures that are lesser known but just as interesting - the Roundheads and Cavaliers, Rabbi Manasseh, Titus Oates, the Bloody Assizes. These are tales told in a simplified but memorable manner, and could serve for younger and older readers as a stimulus for further reading and investigation about topics brought up in the text.

There are a few maps, royal lineage charts, and woodcut/line art drawings throughout the text. Lacey includes a bibliography for further reading (this contains a good number of website addresses for making further research very easy). There is also an index, which many popular histories forget, but Lacey is to be highly praised for including one here, making looking up particular names, places and events very easy.

Accessible history part 1 (6/7 people found this helpful)

I first discovered Robert Lacey as an author from his book 'The Year 1000'. Interesting, accessible, easy to follow, with a good balance of detail and breadth (always a tricky task when writing a popular history), that book was one of my favourites around the turn of the second millennium. I discovered this book after finding the second volume of this set on the shelves of my local library, and have found it equally worthwhile and fun to read.

This book focuses upon the period from Britain's prehistoric period up to the Middle Ages (the second volume concentrates on the late Middle Ages to the post-Reformation era in English history) - in royal terms, the times of the pre-Norman Conquest kingdoms and invasions, and the early Plantagenets. In years, this goes from the years around 7000 BC to the late 1300s (Wat Tyler and the Peasants' Revolt).

One of the things that I like a lot about this particular history is that the stories are brief and self-contained while being part of the overall flow of the history of England. They make for good bed-time reading (the longest of the stories is barely seven pages long, in easy print and easy, storytelling language). Many of the characters are already familiar figures even to those who aren't Anglophiles - William the Conqueror, Alfred the Great, Boadicea, Thomas Becket and Richard the Lionhearted. Then there will be figures that are lesser known but just as interesting - the Cheddar Man (no, he wasn't made of cheese) from 7000s BC and the Fair Maids of Kent (a story with the foundation of the Order of the Garter). These are tales told in a simplified but memorable manner, and could serve for younger and older readers as a stimulus for further reading and investigation about topics brought up in the text.

Great Tales from English History: Cheddar Man to DNA

Robert Lacey

Reader Reviews:

Yet another great read from Robert Lacey (0/0 people found this helpful)

Just the Ticket ! (1/1 people found this helpful)

Super read! (3/4 people found this helpful)

Accessible history (8/9 people found this helpful)

Accessible history part 1 (6/7 people found this helpful)

Similar Products

Categories