This Sceptred Isle: Restoration and Glorious Revolution 1660-1702 Vol 5 (BBC Radio Collection)

click here for more details, find new or used items	Christopher Lee Used from £3.48 Pages: (Audio Cassette) ISBN: 0563553758 Pub: BBC Audiobooks Ltd Pub date: 1999-09-16 Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 605485

Reader Reviews:

Very informative but dry and with mixed writing style (11/17 people found this helpful)

My knowledge of British history is (was) scant, hence the decision to read this book. I was bowled over by the amount of information but have to confess that the style of writing left me less impressed.

There are constant passages written by Churchill and others that are very different in writing style, which I found to be a little irritating despite their obvious historic value.

A few diagrams of family trees to illustrate relationships here and there would not have gone amiss.

Finally, the print size left my eyes aching on more than one occasion.

Having said all that, a VERY informative book. Thank you Mr Lee.

A wonderful, insightful and FUN! way to brush up on history (18/21 people found this helpful)

No more snoozing in history classes!! This audio CD set walks you by the hand through British history and gives you so much more than the dry facts. The readings from diarys of the time and also from Churchill's 'History of Britain' bring everything to life - you actually WANT to know what happens next! The reading by Anna Massey is just right - informative but alive.

This is a definite must for everyone who says 'Hmmm, Alfred - he was the one who burnt the cakes, wasn't he?'

Simply the best book on British history I've ever read (7/8 people found this helpful)

The one thing we can never loose in Great Britain is our history. This book covers this enourmous subject in an informative and easy to read fashion. I have always been interested in our history, but the books I've tried to read have always been far to heavyweight and verbose. This book brings the story of our Islands to life. It also covers the various interactions with other countries (for example a quite detailed account of the American war of independance and some of their civil war), but does not stray from the main theme too far. Sure there are many omissions (for example there is no mention of the invention of the marine chronometer which enabled Britain the essentially rule the waves during the 18th Century) but clearly the book cannot afford to get bogged down if the entire story from 55BC to 1901 is to flow from page to page. I Listened to the radio series on which this book is based and it is an excellent companion. I think the coverage is a fair reflection "warts 'n' all" on the activities of the British, and therefore of interest to non-British readers who may shy away from a potential "rule britannia" union jack waving/back slapping tome. That said, I was pleased to see that some subjects were covered carefully and sensibly (such as Britain's relationships with Ireland and India) and perhaps the flack commonly aimed at the British (or perhaps more acurately at the English) for disasterous policies and the causing of misery to other nations should be considered more in context of the time and place, rather than with a modern critical eye.

A wonderful set of tapes (3/8 people found this helpful)

I was woefully ignorant about english history (having chosen to do geography at A level) I find the tapes a real treasure - absorbing, fascinating and relaxing - now I want to know more.

British History for the common man ! (7/8 people found this helpful)

If you are the kind of person for whom the word history evokes memories of dusty old school rooms and dull-as-ditchwater lessons taught by equally dull and dusty old men, then "This Sceptred Isle" is just the antidote you need. Based on Churchill's Nobel prizewinning "History of the English-speaking People" and covering the period from the first Roman visit to these shores up until the death of Victoria, the longest reigning monarch, this book is the best introduction to British history imaginable. The style is light and conversational without being superficial and the liberal use of passages from the great man himself as well as contemporary sources lend the book added interest and authority. A slight criticism is that the geneological trees in the back of the book could have been a bit more extensive and a useful addition would have been a set of time lines or a year-by year summary such as that contained in "The Oxford History of Britain", however, these are minor quibbles. "This Sceptred Isle" is not the definitive text but is a superb primer that gives the reader a clear and detailed overview so that they can decide which period they can focus on next. The layout stresses the gradual nature and continuity of historical developments mixing politics with the social history, science and philosophies of the age. All the famous historical figures are here along with some you may not have heard of but who nevertheless made essential contributions to the development of the nation. Who first proposed the idea of cabinet government ? And in whose reign ? Where do we get the office of the Exchequer from and which monarch started it ? When did the sinking of the White Ship occur and why was it such a disaster for Henry I ? Why was Thomas Beckett murdered and was the king to blame ? What would Henry VIII have done for a living if his older brother Arthur hadn't predeceased him ? Learn about the reasons for the start of the Civil War and then surprise yourself but realising that there was not one Civil War but two. Find out the origin of such expressions as "to turn a blind eye" and "read the riot act". Better than that, indulge yourself and get the 10-volume BBC cassette collection of the original radio series - exquisitely narrated by Anna Massey and also available from Amazon - and use the two together. If you don't know your Williams from your Edwards, or think that the Glorious Revolution was a communist plot, then you need "This Sceptred Isle". Matthew Salter

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