United Kingdom Books

This is not just a book of immense intrinsic value. It's a book of real historical importance as one of two biographies of Salisbury published recently which entirely reassess his standing as one of the leading English statemen of the latter part of the nineteenth century, ranking alongside Gladstone and Disraeli.

It seems incredible in view of the plethora of studies on Gladstone and Disraeli that it's been half a century since any historian has made a full-scale re-evaluation of the life of Robert Cecil, third Marquess of Salisbury, three-times Prime Minister and architect of Queen Victoria's glittering Empire.

And yet he was a man arguably of greater intellect than either of these two other late Victorian "giants". Disraeli wrote rather affected, stylized novels; Gladstone turned out unreadable religious tracts. Salisbury, on the other hand, produced stimulating and pithy articles in the Saturday and Quarterly Reviews and delivered parliamentary speeches at least as memorable as those of the other two statesmen.

But few historians have really come to grips with Salisbury in recent times. One had to look into Barbara Tuchman's epic "The Proud Tower" to find a chapter that did justice to the colorful, quirky patrician figure who performed sometimes dangerous chemical experiments in his spare time, was one of the first to introduce electricity into his home, rode around on an enormous tricycle and who was always ready to chat to strangers, even lunatics.

Perhaps historians have been too ready to downgrade Salisbury's standing because of his inherent conservatism in the domestic field, his endeavors to preserve the status quo. And as to his being a main architect of Empire, this all-too-readily clashes with the modern, probably justified aversion to that theme.

This book was commissioned by the present Marquess of Salisbury. It says a lot about the open-mindedness of the Cecil family that historian Andrew Roberts was given the task. Anyone who has read his wonderfully debunking "Eminent Churchillians" knows Roberts as an historian of the utmost integrity, incapable of pulling punches. And he pulls none in his biography of Salisbury, whom he paints on a broad canvass, "warts and all". But Roberts's admiration and affection for his subject is never in doubt. The result is a big book about a very big statesman by a young, big, historian.

Victoria and Salibury; two true Titans who, the former, giving her name to the century, and the latter, who helped create the formidable empire which was both reviled and regaled. This book is in the great tradition of "Life and Times" biographies. Mr. Roberts is to be commended for the scope and structure of slowly but with anticipation revealing the aspects of a fascinating man. The chapters on the Boer War and the Realpolitik diplomacy of the African continent are just two elements that should be read for years to come. From a shy and bookish child to the political standard bearer of the Tory Party, this book shows a man with conviction, often callous to some but with foresight which comes through in the epigrammatical style of Salisbury's prose. Thank You Andrew Roberts for your wonderful book.

Andrew Roberts has produced a superbly written and wonderfully exciting biography of Lord Salisbury, three times Queen Victoria's Prime Minister. In his fifty-year career, Salisbury won over Disraeli, destroyed Lord Randolph Churchill, charmed Queen Victoria, wrecked Gladstone's hopes for Irish Home Rule, and saw off Bismarck. The book is based on Salisbury's archive at Hatfield House, and on the papers of more than 140 of his contemporaries.

Roberts records Salisbury's many contradictions. He supported "the right of a minority of Americans to secede from a Union, but not a majority of Irishmen." He opposed socialism as mere confiscation, but upheld the actions of his ancestor, the First Earl, who had confiscated much of Ulster's land between 1607 and 1609, then selling it to City and Scottish businessmen.

He wrote eloquently against intervention in other countries' domestic affairs. "The Assemblies that meet at Westminster have no jurisdiction over the affairs of other nations. Neither they nor the Executive, except in plain defiance of international law, can interfere with the brigandage of Italy, or the persecutions in Spain, or the teachings of the schools in Schleswig-Holstein. What is said in either House about them is simply impertinence ... It is not a dignified position for a Great Power to occupy, to be pointed out as the busybody of Christendom." And, "there is no practice which the experience of nations more uniformly condemns, and none which governments more consistently pursue."

Indeed, his Governments annually waged colonial wars in Asia and Africa, adding 2.5 million square miles and 44 million people to the Empire. His war against the Boers was particularly shameful: he claimed that Britain had sovereignty over the Transvaal, although the British Government had ceded this in the 1884 Pretoria Convention. (Roberts grants that Salisbury was `on exceedingly tricky ground legally'.) As Salisbury admitted, "If our ancestors had cared for the rights of other peoples, the British Empire would never have been made."

This valuable little book really aided our trip and gave us lots of ideas for planning other trips as well.

Very readable and thankfully for all budgets!

Highly recommended! (Especially good on the plane, bus or train, too!)

I traveled regularly to the UK for a few months and this book provided us with plans for our 15 most memorable weekends. Most walks take you to locations that you probably wouldn't encounter if you stuck to a typical guidebook. We particularly liked the walks in the western and southern part of the country. We used recommendations for B&Bs in Wales and the Southwest. One of the paths for the walk was overgrown and we got lost for 30 minutes or so...no big deal.

You won't need hiking shoes/gear for these walks, but bring a backpack with water and a snack and if you are traveling in the springtime, paths can get a little muddy and you will almost certainly need a change of shoes (and possibly a change of pants).

Even if you are only going to be in the UK for a couple of weeks, I would recommend mixing 2 or 3 of these walks into your trip.

I'm not big on walking, and this book only has four hikes for Scotland, so why would I bother buying it when I took a trip to Scotland about ten years ago? Because leafing through it, the hike to Dunnottar Castle (and the castle itself) sounded so intriguing, and so cool, that I decided I had to go. My "regular" travel guide just mentioned the castle in part of one paragraph, but that hike was the highlight of my entire trip. I ended up doing 3 of the 4 Scottish walks instead of just the one. Many of the expeditions are really easy: you don't need hiking boots, stamina, or experience, and they take you to specific interesting destinations. It's fun to read even if you don't actually go on the walks, but you'll sure want to once you've read the book.

I purchased this book for my husband, but read it myself first. It is very well written with good insight as to Sir Edward Coke. I would cheerfully recommend this to anyone with an interest in legal history.

Allen Boyer has produced a worthy successor to Bowen's The Lion and the Throne.

Boyer shows us the pragmatic Coke, the shrewd lawyer who energetically represented his clients. He also shows us the idealistic Coke, the jurist who championed and clarified the English common law.

Boyer's legal background makes Coke come alive, a lawyer's lawyer. Still an inspiration after 400 years!

Whether one is interested in History, Law or just seeking some insight into someone who has shaped our world Allen Boyer's work is a pleasure. I must confess my exposure to Sir Edward Coke was rudimentary at best but over the course of this text I became familiar with his accomplishments and gained an intimate insight into Sir Edward Coke's life. Allen Boyer's mastery of the written word is quite apparent and his ability to entertain and bring life to this important historical figure makes the work a true joy to read. His tireless research and familiarity with the subject matter is found in almost every crafted word.
Simply stated, it is a must have for anyone interested in the history of Law, Sir Edward Coke and those who wish to read a finely crafted text.

Soldier accoutrements are often only mentioned in passing in books dealing with the uniform details. Although extant artefacts can be seen in various museums, this book gathers all the source material on the British Army of this period relating to this one single topic into a magnificent volume with terrific illustrations. Details just pop out on every page! For example, who would have realised that grenadiers would sport a wound cord item on the back of their shoulder belts? This point is just not apparent in practically every other "expert" book on uniformology. All reenactors and modellers should get a copy!

This is truly indispensable for students of the British army and the detail is amazing. These drawings are a fantastic resource and show many clear images of some of the more obscure pieces of British army equipment you will find no where else. It is a great reference and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the particulars of 18th and 19th Century military kit. Top notch reference.

A splendid book, finely and accurately illustrated with detailed color drawings of the accoutrements used by Great Britain from 1750 until 1900. What do they mean by 'accoutrements'? Accoutrements are the soldiers field equipments: canteens, waterbottles, mess-tins, haversacks, belts, pouches, musket and rifle slings, bayonet frogs, knapsacks, buckles and other odds'n'ends used by the British cavalry and infantry soldier over about a 150 year period. Believe me they are all there, illustrated in expert detail, right down to the stitching, with a scale rule in inches on each page to provide dimensions. In addition to the equipment illustrations the artist, Pierre Turner, provides a few illustrations of soldiers actually wearing the equipment to show how it was all arranged on the body. Anyone familiar with Osprey Publishings series on military uniforms and campaigns will recognize Pierre Turner's name. Now don't misunderstand, this book is not an illustrated uniform reference, packed full of splendid soldiers in red. There are just a handful of soldiers illustrated where necessary to explain the arrangement of particular pieces of equipment. This book IS a thorough, well layed out, illustrated work on every piece of field equipment that the British soldier and cavalryman of the mid-18th and 19th centuries wore. Each piece is shown in great detail from every angle. These include variations, changes and upgrades over the years. The belts, straps, packs, etc. are laid out on the page as if they were right there in front of you - any you would never get this view of them any other way except if you actually could handle or owned these items. The complicated Valise Equipment of 1870 through it's variations up to the 1888 Pattern are all there. Even the picks and shovels are included, something that no British soldier could do without even today. Mr. Turner should be congratulated for the painstaking care with which he went about creating this bible of British Army accoutrements. This book is a must have for any collector, historian, or hobbiest interested in the British soldier from 1750 to 1900.

Dr. Blaustein's book is destined to become a standard reference for teachers and students of History, English, American and Ethnic Studies. The author simplifies the complex connections between Appalachian and Scotish traditions. He concludes that despite the pressures from dominant cultures, traditions are as tough as thistles and briers to destroy. Dr. Blaustein applies folklore and oral history techniques to prove that cultural revitalization movements have helped empower people who are oppressed by outside colonial forces. This book is a strong reminder of the power of poetry and music to reinforce and regenerate ethnic identity.

This comparison between the marginalized peoples of Scotland and Appalachia deserves a wider reading than it's likely going to receive. Its theme transcends the treatment of these two groups by "mainstream cultures" and shows how marginalized people in general use their creative skills to rise above discrimination and shame. Blaustein is both a part of the Appalachian culture, having lived in East Tennessee since 1970, and yet removed from it as well, having grown up in Brooklyn. His years in Brooklyn helped him understand the Appalachian mindset, because, as he writes, "the Borough of Brooklyn is to the City of New York what Appalachia is to the United States--marginal, subordinate, and popularly portrayed as uncouth." This book describes the rise of the Appalachian studies movement in the region's colleges and universities and chronicles the growth of Scottish heritage celebrations in the United States, through excerpts from a personal interview with Waynesville, North Carolina, ballad singer and activisit Flora MacDonald Gammon, a driving force behind the annual Highland Games, held on Grandfather Mountain in Western North Carolina. A particularly powerful chapter recounts instances of "colonialism" among public school teachers who derided pupils for usages such as "hit" instead of "it." Blaustein strongly reinforces the notion that dialect is unrelated to intelligence. With the deplorable proposal by CBS to create a hillbilly reality series, this book is especially timely for those who seek to understand, rather than mock, the Appalachian mountain people and their rich and complex culture.

Richard Blaustein's book is fascinating comparative study of Appalachian and Scottish culture. The approach provides ways to ascertain salient features in the areas' contemporary culture that are derived from different, yet similar, historical backgrounds. Blaustein uses this analysis to demonstrate ways that folklore and literary arts contribute to the revitalization of culture and community life. Blaustein extends this argument to show that this type of revitalization is a creative resource for ameliorating psychological stresses and for unifying people politically to resist hegemonic forces in the wider society. Blaustein's critique of critical theory and deconstruction of deconstructionism are especially important contributions. This book is an important addition to post-postmodernist discourse, and it also serves as a great introduction to terrific writers from Appalachia and Scotland.

This book is an excellent source for anyone who wants to find good, cheap restaurants in and around London. Having already been there many times, I just picked this book up to help plan my next trip (in just over a month!)and have found it to be invaluable. I even see a number of our favorite restuarants already listed! Here are some reasons as to why I am in love with this book:

1. Size - it is pocket-sized - perfect to bring along on the trip with you without being bulky like many travel books. Can even fit in a purse to carry around with you on a daily basis while in London.

2. Organization - The book is divided into sections of London, complete with maps, so you will always be able to locate a restuarant near to where you are. The maps help you locate streets and restaurant locations, and there is also an index if you want to look up a restaurant by name, not location.

3. Authority - Time Out is a trusted source of info, and they provide excellent detailed reviews of each restaurant. Furthermore, their reviews are annonymous - they don't announce who they are at the restaurants they review, and they pay in full like any other customer.

4. Coupons! Need I say more? :) There are three 25% off vouchers to use at about 10 different specific restaurants.

I am an avid traveler and I have to say this is one of the best guides I have come across. It is organized, informational and compact. It is great for the budget traveler or for a regular traveler who wants to try some of the good, less expensive restaurants London has to offer. The only drawback is its limited use...the coupns expire in May 2006, and like any other dining guide, it is only useful if the establishments stay in business.

We have been to London many times and have always been disappointed by the food - the price is so high and we didn't seem to get the quality we wanted. I bought this book and we used it to find a place to eat every day for a week! This is a must have. I did find a few discrepencies in the book - restaurants listed in the index but with the wrong page number, restaurants on the maps but with no write-up. But these were minor.

Like another reviewer said, you may not consider it cheap for US standards but it is for London. We tried restaurants in multiple locations (not just one neighbor hood) and always went out for a late lunch so we could catch lunch prices. My favorite places were Daquise (Polish), Sofra (Turkish - a mini chain with multiple locations), Belgo Centraal (Belgian - they have a great lunch menu special). It was worth the price to buy this book. It also took some of the stress off of us - we didn't wander the streets thinking 'where are we going to eat'.

I purchased this book before a recent trip to London and found it to be an invaluable resource. Granted, you might not consider some of the restaurants listed in this book "budget" restaurants by U.S. standards, but in London, they are. I primarily used the information about restaurants in the Marylebone High Street area and found several gems, including the Golden Hind, where you can have delicious fish and chips. The book helped me find great spots frequented by Londoners.

A word of advice: Even if you're sticking to one or two neighborhoods, peruse the entire book. Some of the chains found across the city (including Pret a Manger and Yo! Sushi) are listed in a single section but actually have multiple locations.

A comprehensive and detailed account of the heavy migration from German-speaking areas of Central Europe, and from Ireland, during the l8th Century. It is heavy with facts and statistics regarding the above subjects, including many charts, tables, and an appendix of all known German voyages during the period. Professor Wokeck has obviously done a lot of work researching and analyzing all the available information. She has also spent more than a little time establishing new estimates of the numbers of persons involved in the above migrations, estimates that will most likely be considered the most authoritative for many years to come.

How did tens of thousands of Germans and Irish arrive in America before the War for Independence?

How did they decide on the journey? What factors turned their heads westward instead of to the eastern settlement schemes of Prussia, or the Austrian or Russian empires? Where did they get their advice from? Who led the Germans down the Rhine? How were they collected for trans-Atlantic shipment? Which middlemen profited from (or exploited) the "trade in strangers"? What were the costs of their passage? How were they received in the valley of the Delaware?

This scholarly book addresses the earliest trans-Atlantic mass migration to North America - those immigrants from southwestern Germany and northern Ireland who arrived prior to 1775. It answers the above questions and many more.

Our immigrant ancestors didn't just jump on a boat one day and arrive in the New World many weeks later without an entire system of personal and commercial contacts, information flows, and market forces to facilitate their passage. The huge influx of Germans prior to the Revolution followed a very complex chain of immigration which ensured that ships sailing to Philadelphia from ports in Holland carried "Redemptioners" rather than mere ballast. This book is primarily focused on their experiences.

The later and lesser pre-1775 Irish immigration differed significantly from the German experience both in immigrant composition and geographic mix between the northern counties and the southern counties of Ireland. Elements of the both the German immigrant trade and the Irish immigrant trade prior to the Revolution set the pattern for all later migration in the 1800s.

If you have Palatine, Swiss, or other German ancestors who landed in Philadelphia prior to 1775, this work is a fascinating study in understanding what they were up against - the "system" that moved them and the challenges they faced within that system.

Using both first-hand accounts and statistical analysis of diverse sources and studies, "Trade in Strangers" is an excellent way to understand early German and Irish immigration into the New World. Its focus is primarily the German immigration into the port of Philadelphia but it does mention why other destinations in America were less successful at attracting these immigrants. The smaller Irish immigration prior to 1775 is dealt with to a lesser extent and is mostly used as contrast for comparison to the simultaneous German immigration.

The elements of the system of immigration to America which were to remain constant until at least 1924 are highlighted because they were first used to channel these two early immigrant streams from Germany and Ireland.

This is a thoroughly-researched and well-written book. Historians of the American colonial experience, students of immigration, and family historians may all profit from reading this.

As an amateur genealogist and family researcher I have had many questions on the mechanics of how my ancestors made their voyage from Nassau (Germany) to Pennsylvania in the 18th Century. Most sources skip over these details. However, to understand the challenge they faced, one must know these details. Wokeck has mastered many documentary sources on both sides of the Atlantic to provide the definative answers to such questions. She also explores how these early mass migrations of Germans and Irish provided a model for the later and better known 19th Century migrations. To understand how we became Americans all of use must understand the immigrant experience. That experience began with the subject of this book: the development of the transportation of European migrants into a successful business enterprise. It began small, sporadic, and experimental and became a mass commercial enterprise which was both efficient and profitable. The text and the cited sources are invaluable. I was exhilarated after reading it. It has renewed my enthusiasm for my research at a time it was in the doldrums. Any person with a 'Palatine' ancestry should consider this a 'must read.'

Also recommended: A Tide of Alien Tongues, Marrianne Wokeck (1982)

I loved this book because it so personalized. Instead of just describing the regular tourist stops of, say, Windsor Castle, Ms. Cranford recounts her personal experiences while traveling, including meals, hotels, shops, taxi drivers and more. She shows the wonders and the warts of her trip. She shares lots of tips to make your own trip easier. Even if you never plan to travel, reading Ms. Cranford's book will make you feel as though you were on the trip she took. I look forward to book two in this series of personal travels.

Ms. Cranford has written a delightful travel book--warm, personal, informative, and fun. The pen and ink illustrations, of which there are many, are beautiful and add to the text descriptions. Anyone who travels or wants to travel or enjoys reading about traveling will enjoy this book. A great gift for the holidays or special occasions.

TRAVELS was a very enjoyable and easily readable story with interesting hand-drawn images and a clever use of historical quotes throughout. To me it was more than just a story of a couples travels through Europe, but rather it was neat to see how a couple traveled together. What I liked the most was that The Cranfords appear to have developed a balance between "winging it" and "sticking to an itinerary"; something that I think is difficult for many people(including me) to achieve. Again, this introduction to Euro-travel is quite nice and makes for an easy read on a quiet rainy day.

The Gold/Silver debates of the 19th Century and British Imperial power made the emerging US industrial nation react like Germany demanding "a place in the sun". Germany mortally wounded Britain's Empire through the First War; and the US sabotaged the Peace through Wilson's 14 Points being met and the US failing to stick around to enforce them; thus inviting Germany to demand 'Self-Determination'for Sudetenland, Saarland, Danzig, Bohemia.....and unravelling those new countries re-born at Versailles.

Britain, hobbled by War Debt was forced to concede on Ireland (De Valera being American) as Harding/Coolidge America demanded repayment from an enfeebled Britain and its incompetent 1920s Finance Minister, Winston Churchill.

Devaluation in 1931 and the disintegration of France brought Germany with its ally Russia back to the top table, and the successful Finance Minister, Chamberlain became the unsuccessful Prime Minister trying to match Foreign Policy to economic status...with a France trying to welch on its treaties to the East, and trying to involve Britain in the fallout....while the US stood aloof convinced Britain was too wily for the boys from the farm......where America could have led, she invented shadows; and the dying Imperial Power faced Japan, Italy, and Germany as potentially hostile.....alone.

The book is thorough and outlines how American obession with Empire and failure to see its stabilising aspects led them to saw at the pillars of the world order, as the demons of miliary expansionism prepared to plunge the world into war. Where American politicians saw British hyperpower; Italy and Japan and German saw a decadent empire ready for toppling........and thousands of GIs saw the consequences of US failure to bolster fading British power, rather than trying to undermine it and make a world safe for dictators.....then on 1st Sept 1939 Germany invaded Poland; 2nd Sept US declared neutrality; 3rd Sept at 11am Britain at War; 5pm France at War.

Dr. Moser writes compellingly about the resurgence of Anglophobia in the United States between the two world wars. He writes with style and the story he weaves is an interesting portrait of the various groups that looked with scorn and fear upon a British empire in its twilight.

German- and Irish-Americans loathed the British. American liberals saw the British as imperialistic. American isolationists, a term Moser is uncomfortable using, were wary of any British attempts to drag Americans into a European affairs.

The author is able to find Anglophobia as late as 1945. Although some historians may claim the author has found Anglophobia around every corner, Moser has the facts to support his argument.

An important contribution to interwar diplomatic and political history, _Twisting the Lion's Tail_ is a sign that important, archival research is still being done with skill and panache.

Excerpted from the Sunday London Times, February 14, 1999 edition that prints a review by Robert Anson:

The Sunday Times (London), February 14, 1999

BOOKS: HISTORY

Uncle Sam's venom

Robert Sam Anson

As John E Moser's book opens in 1921, America is preparing for Armageddon against the British. In Congress, where Britain is termed "a red pox spreading across the Pacific", there are calls for the United States to "seize maritime control of the world". "We are nearer war today than ever before," an admiral warns. As war fever mounts, a bestselling tome declares, "We were Britain's colony once. She will be our colony before she is done."

It sounds like an especially fanciful Tom Clancy novel. But every word is true. All this happened in the US during the 1920s, and there would be years more of fear, loathing and near-catastrophe before the cold war finally locked "the cousins" in potentially permanent embrace. How dangerously lunatic those times were is a subject English-speakers on both sides of the Atlantic have done their understandable best to forget.

It is precisely that which makes this book so startling, and (for anyone who cares about the continued health of the "special relationship") so necessary. Written by an American professor in a style blessedly unacademic, this slender, fast-paced volume is a rarity among histories. Not only does it add to understanding, it supplies knowledge where there was almost none.

...

Just as important, and making for some of Moser's most eye-popping paragraphs, was the role played by an ideological grab-bag of late-1930s opinion-makers, set on convincing the public that Britain was not appeasing Hitler, but joining in common cause with him.

...

Ever since, Moser writes, America's dealings with the outside world have been a chronic contradiction: moral, selfless and naive one moment; immoral, selfish, and calculating the next. The one constant has been a need for a foe personifying utter wickedness. Britain has filled the requirement, as have Mexico, Spain, Germany, Japan, China, Vietnam, the Soviet Union, Libya, Iran and now Iraq. Putting down this marvellous, disturbing book, one wonders why, with all the tragedy and mayhem that have been the consequence, lessons are never learnt. One wonders, too, whether the list of America's enemies will ever end. Probably not. There's always the French.

I've read almost every book in print on London social history, so I thought no author could hold my attention on this topic, yet Liza Picard's book was a delight to read, as she put a new spin on well-tread ground.

The author covers every conceivable aspect: the infrastructure, daily lives of all social classes, and every other topic you can think of. Liza Picard puts a special emphasis on the perspective of Victorian women. This was an era when the only way a woman could have a reasonable life was to marry someone who could support her; women defined "a good marriage" far more generously than they do today. The options open to an unmarried woman - even a well-educated woman - were incredibly bleak.

Every chapter provides unexpected tidbits of historical trivia, such as the fact that London homes had a mail delivery every hour for twelve hours per day, which also gives a clue about the typical workday. In this book, no leaf has been left unturned, yet the prose flows very smoothly in a tightly organized structure. The 23 chapter headings are: Smells [sewers], river, streets, railways, buildings, practicalities, destitution, working class, middle class, upper class, domestic service, houses, food, clothes, health, amusements, The Great Exhibition, The Crystal Palace, education, women, crimes, religion, and death. There are 45 illustrations, mostly period drawings, some in color.

Ms. Picard is 79 at this time, and the biographical blurb says this completes her series of four books on London social history. Surely she isn't thinking of retirement? There is plenty of scope for a fifth book and beyond.

This is the fourth book the author has written on the history of London. The others dealt with Elizabethan, Restoration, and Dr. Johnson's London. Much as its predecessors, this volume on early Victorian London is a treasure and a delight to read. While the author focuses upon some of the physical aspects of the city (i.e., rivers, streets, buildings), the book really is much more concerned with the daily life of the city during the (1840-1870) period, and that is its great strength. Therefore, there are chapters for example on poverty, the class system, domestic service (a hard way to go), houses and gardens, food, clothing (surprisingly interesting), health, the Crystal Palace exhibition, education, religion and death. The author's research is extensive and she really knows the city. Her discussion is very informal and breezy to read--almost as if one were sitting across from her at tea time. The abundant illustrations add greatly to the narrative. This is apparently the finale of her series--this is too bad, for volumes on the late Victorian and Edwardian periods would have been of great value as well.

Long awaited,finally published,immediately ordered-I LOVE IT !
As with Picard's three earlier works,the amount of total immersion in the period,that the reader can experience,is a quality hallmark.
I can,without too much trouble,read textbooks on these subjects,but,as I am not professinally engaged in history-why should I?
Picard's approach is a lot more fun,her fine british humour,her understatements,but also her undisputable knowledge and perfectionism,make this a worthy pillar in her hitherto published work.
It is pure,undiluted JOY !