United Kingdom Books

Very strongly recommended for both school and community library historical reference collections, Encyclopedia Of The Wars Of The Roses by historian and educator John A. Wagner is a thorough and informatively presented historical account of the grueling war of the fifteenth century between the House of York and the House of Lancaster that came to be known as the "War of the Roses". These were two factions of the British aristocracy who shed a great deal of blood in political intrigues and armed confrontations as they strove for the power to rule England. Entries are arranged in "user friendly" A-to-Z format giving detailed information on the battles, historical figures, key events, and more for a prolonged civil war that became a engaging subject for Shakespeare plays and Hollywood movies.

Arranged in an A to Z format, John Wagner's Encyclopedia Of The Wars Of The Roses is a superbly presented survey of the war that took place by rival factions for the English Throne in the second half of the 15th Century. The House of York fought against the House of Lancaster in a conflict that ebbed and flowed for ten decades before achieving a final resolution. Here are all the personalities, events, politics, issues, and battles that comprised this historic and often bloody conflict from the 1460 Act of Accord, Richard III, and Henry VI, to the 1461 Battle of Mortimer's Cross, the Neville-Percy Feud, and the Tower of London. John Wagner's Encyclopedia Of The Wars Of The Roses is an impressive, very highly recommended, single volume reference that covers the socioeconomic dimensions of the conflict as well as the military aspects of this era of English history.

William Roger Louis is a giant among scholars of British imperialism. The editor of the "Oxford History of the British Empire", for nearly half a century his scholarship has helped define the field. Now, on the fiftieth anniversary of the Suez crisis he has collected his essays related to that defining episode. These not only cover the incident itself but a number of related topics - for as he explains, "the Suez crisis can be studied as an episode in decolonization and that decolonization itself . . . can best be understood in the context of the long colonial era extending from the British occupation of Egypt in 1882 to the death of Nasser in 1970 and the withdrawal of all troops East of Suez in the following year."

Louis groups these essays into ten categories. After an introductory overview of Suez and decolonization, he provides an essay on colonial empires in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and four on "the scramble for Africa". These are followed by four which examine the First World War and the mandates system, two on the British possessions of Singapore and Hong Kong, and four on India, Palestine and Egypt, which are linked together by the theme of impending independence. After five essays on decolonization in general, he includes six on aspects of the Suez crisis itself and four more on Britain's withdrawal from the rest of the Middle East in its aftermath before finishing with three essays on the historiography of his field.

Though all but one of these essays have been published before now, bringing them together allows Louis to draw out three main themes. The first is the one which occasioned the volume - the study of Suez in the broader context of decolonization. This last, failed effort to hold onto the empire through force led the British to attempt to maintain some vestige of their influence through more informal means, which is the second theme of his collection. Finally, as British control gradually slipped, new states emerged throughout Africa and Asia; it is the consequences of their emergence which forms the final theme Louis emphasizes.

Taken together, these essays represent a formidable body of work on one of the key developments of modern times. Though some of the essays have been reworked, the basic scholarship within them remains as informative and insightful as it was when they were first published. Delving into the pages of this book provides insight not only into the demise of the British Empire, but into how it shaped and defined the world in which we live today. No student of British imperial history should be without this volume, and anyone interested in understanding the twentieth century will profit from reading it.

The Ends of British Imperialism provides an excellent survey of how the British Empire rose to prominence in the 1800's and then began a decent after the second world war. This book is a collection of William Roger Louis lifetime essays and focus on different aspects of the process. William Roger Louis is one of the most respected scholar's on this area of British history and these essays are a treasure trove for anyone wanting to understand why the British Empire fell. The collapse of empire is often described as happening in four main events. The fall of Singapore, the independence of India, the Suez Crisis and the winds of change that granted independence to most of Africa. This book covers all of those areas but spends the bulk of the time on Suez and analyzing its importance in the fall of the empire. It is very well written although it can jump around at times due to the fact that it is a collection of essays and not a continuous book. Also for the historians out there it does have a decent summary of historiography in the last three chapters that really give the reader a good sense of what the general historic community has to say on this topic and for those wanting to read more it will be an invaluable guide to finding more books to read on the subject and what their arguments say. All in all a superb book and one that should be read!

Although I have traveled numerous times to England, I decided to purchase this superior book. I am currently booked for another trip next October, and thought it best to do more research. I was most certainly not disappointed. This book has a plethora of information of which I was not aware. Also, in that I will be traveling to villages/cities not previously visited, it has been an enormous help, as I plan my itinerary. I would urge anyone who has never had the pleasure, but plans on visiting the U.K. to investigate this very informative book.

I just have to say this book was amazing! I have been thinking and dreaming about going to England for ages. This book explained so much that I absolutely would NOT have known! Thinking about if I would have went without reading this book is scary! There is so much information in here you NEED to know before you go. Everything was explained so clear and wonderfully easy to learn.I ABSOLUTELY recommend anyone thinking about going to England to read this book!

Sure, British food can be stodgy, but it can also be wonderful -- mainly in a comfort-food sort of way. If you have visited England, you might have an occasional yearning for traditional British food, such as a Full English Breakfast, or a shepherd's pie, or fish and chips (with mushy peas, a meal component we never see here). And nobody does dessert the way the British do: summer pudding, treacle tart.

This book is chock full of those recipes and about 150 more. And it's really, really good. Unlike some British cookbooks, which appear to believe that herbs and spices are irrelevant, this book celebrates flavor; in fact, the book starts out with a introductory section about the history of food (the arrival of coffeehouses in the 17th century) and regional delicacies (from Maldon salt to kippers from the North Sea). A section on The English Kitchen describes common ingredients, some of which are hard to find here: borage, watercress, gooseberries. (Most ingredients used are available in your local grocery store, though.) Nothing wimpy here.

These are all the usual suspects, with no "updating for the modern lifestyle." Sure, there are a few up-to-date recipes, such as an asparagus-cheese pie (what might otherwise be dubbed a quiche), but the emphasis is on what Mama used to make: bubble and squeak, cauliflower cheese, scones. Chapters are devoted to breakfasts, soups and appetizers, fish and shellfish, meat dishes, poultry and game, veg and salads, savory pastry, puddings and desserts, and teatime treats. The book has LOTS of photos -- the cover advertises 750 -- so there's no guesswork about how the dish will turn out. Even if you don't expect to cook much from this book, it's a fun picture book for cooks. (And thus would make a very nice gift.)

One thing I *really* appreciate -- and is a selling point for me -- is that every recipe has nutritional information: calories, protein, carbs, cholesterol, etc. Mostly, this is reassuring; the chicken and ham pie I have my eye on is only 431 calories, which means it'll fit into my diet. And at 731 calories, the full English breakfast (potatoes, grilled tomatoes, toast, sausages, bacon and eggs) assuredly will _not_. But that doesn't keep me from drooling over the pictures.

Can you tell I like this book? Because I sure do.

I loved this book! The chapters on the history of English food and the "English kitchen" were fascinating, and the recipes are beautifully illustrated. Each recipe not only includes a photograph of the completed dish, but step-by-step photos of the techniques involved in preparation as well. For someone who's not yet familiar with English food, this was incredibly helpful - now I know what "bubble and squeak," "yorkshire puddings," and "maids of honour" actually look like!

Like all of Ms. Barstow's books, this is a well-researched, well-written study of a fun and interesting topic.

SHe chronicles the rise and fall of the Country House party, from the Georgians to the post World War period, describing the who, what, when, where, and why of it all. This edition is also filled with pictures, which really adds to the story: it is always more interesting to be able to see what the author is talking about.

This would be an invaluable book for anyone who reads fiction from the period... Austen, Bronte, James, Trollope, etc... and wants to find out more about the social conventions of an even that these authors considered to be a given. It's also a great book for anyone interested in social history of the English, particularly the upper classes.

Ms. Barstow wrties an authoritative, well-researched handbook that is a must-have for anyone interested in high-society Victorian and Edwardian England. She details every aspect of the country house party- from the different types of parties to the habits of those attending them to the types of houses and the servants who ran them. It's an excellent resource for those even mildly interested in the subject.

Though it's rich with information, I found it very easy to read, unlike other books on this subject. Ms. Barstow interspersed the text with rare pictures that really bring to life the words on the page.

To paraphrase H.G Wells rather melodramatically, no one would believe in the first years of the 21st century that this nation was once watched keenly and covetously by formidable personalities from across the channel; that as Englishmen busied themselves about their various concerns they were scrutinised and studied...

The aftermath to the Battle of Hastings was violent and ruthless. William of Normandy's achievements can be seen as a formidable combination of both clear-minded political magination and merciless, hard-nosed execution. However, after William's victory in 1066, the English were not a people who could simply roll over and allow the invaders free access to the island's bounty. A tough and equally brutal resistance was fought against Norman rule for a further five years.

Peter Rex's brilliantly researched book overturns today's meekly accepted stance that the Normans invaded and that was that. Walt, in Julian Rathbone's "The Last English King", refuses to call William 'the Conqueror' (preferring, as you might expect, an earthier soubriquet referencing William's illegitimacy) and the impression you get from "The English Resistance" is similarly one of a population rejecting the concept that they are under enemy control.

Every campaign fought during the years 1067 to 1071 is detailed, with Rex analysing the resistance's character, its motives and its triumphs and disappointments. Here, we are focussed on a time when England was divided into occupied and unoccupied zones, collaborative areas and no-go districts, resistance movements spreading through remote areas of the country.

The book examines William's responses, his initial attempts at pacification, and then the notorious harrying of the north (a rather impotent euphemism that, I've always thought, for which we might readily substitute 'genocide' or 'ethnic cleansing' if these battles and skirmishes were being played out on our news screens today). This is an eloquent portrayal of a chaotic period, which demonstrates that the English were not conquered as easily as was once thought. Perhaps the comparison with "The War of the Worlds" isn't quite so inappropriate after all.

Having interest in this period since college days and having books on the shelf of this period, I was pleasantly surprised at last to find a book that told of the period after the 1066 conquest. Most generally whether in college courses or history books dealing with this era, everything halts at the conquest. Everything was fine, peaceful, everyone working together, right? Well as the author relates, nothing could be farther from the tragic truth. 'Ethnic cleansing' of our age had its predecessor in England after 1066.

However, as this author and his engrossing book tell much happened in this hardly ever written about "underground war against the Normans". The book is well written, easy to comprehend, and shows the resistance the English continued to offer after the 1066 battle. William did not begin to build the Tower of London because all things were peaceful, no, and in many, many other places as well small castles were needed to keep William's men from being themselves wiped out. All important offices were taken from the English and given to the Norman vassals, a complete changing of the guard.

Though some would view William as offering 'pacification attempts' the truth more nearly approaches a campaign of totally doing away with the native population. William seems to have had little use, trust, or respect for any native English person. The sooner they were gone the better.

This is some story and one wonders just why no one else through the years has bothered to tell it. History at its best.

Semper Fi.

On The English Warrior by Stephen Pollington

One clarification needs repeating: this book is about the Anglo-Saxon military experience, from their early (mythic) raids and use as mercenaries, up to 1066. For those interested in the Anglo-Saxon way of war, I think this book would be very valuable. It is divided into three parts: the warrior in society, his weapons, and military strategy and tactics. The first part deals with the warrior's relationship to his lord, dueling, the gods of warriors (Woden and Thor, particularly), shield-maidens, berserkers, and so on. The second part will be especially interesting to reenactors and the like. Pollington has gathered and summarized a lot of technical data from various sources. His discussion of the sword is not very long (14 pages), but he discusses the spear (10 pages), the axe (3), the shield, (9), as well as seax, helmet, armor, the bow, and oddities. The later include the hammer and the "staff-sword", which seems to be a slashing spear like the Norse `hoggspjot'. In his discussion of the spear, he cites Swanton's typology in toto, all 30-odd types, with lengths and descriptions of each type, and illustrations of many of them. One item I found entirely new to me was the "corrugated" cross-section of spearheads; the flattened-diamond ones and lenticular (lens-shaped) ones were familiar, but some late spears had a cross-section like a diamond with only two surfaces hollow-ground, or like a sheet of metal folded, then folded back to leave a ridge in the middle: the result resembles a Nazi SS lightening-bolt insignia more than anything else. There is a classification of shield bosses, and where each type was popular - lots of useful data in one handy volume. The section on warfare is well done too. Pollington discusses tactics and strategy, the use of horses and fortifications and so on.

Some noteworthy features of this book: there are lots of quotes, and excellent line drawings of artwork, archeological finds and the like. For the doubting Thomases in his readership, all the quotes are given in the original (mostly Old English, some Old Norse) as well as his own translations. Pollington has also written a couple of books on learning Old English, so I am inclined to trust his translations. ]Beowulf is well represented, also the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, but a lot of more obscure texts as well. For practitioners of Western Martial Arts, rest easy. One of credits goes to Terry Brown of English MartialArts, so the statements on the use of weapons have been vetted by an experienced teacher in their use. The piece de resistance, however, is the three appendices. These are the full texts of the three great OE military poems, in parallel translation: the battles of Finnsburh, Brunanburh, and Maldon.

I recommend this work highly. It compliments Davidson's The Sword in Anglo-Saxon England, dealing with many other weapons, and both social and military matters, as well as having lots of illustrations. It fits opposite Paddy Griffith's Viking Way of War, dealing with defense against the Vikings, and has technical and personal matters Griffith omits.

Details: 267 pages, extensive bibliography (5 close-set pages), scattered (unobtrusive) footnotes. Copyright 1996, ISBN 1-898281-10-6

You need not be a military history buff to find this book interesting. Another reviewer has done a good job of describing the book's features, so I'll just mention a few things I particularly liked: It is well organized -- e.g., with sections for various types of weapons. The drawings are clear and useful; they include bits of the Bayeux tapestry, drawings of archeological items, and diagrams of weapons. The quotations from source material (e.g., Old English poetry) and discussion of OE terminology give insight into the Anglo-Saxon culture. "English Warrior" is a highly readable survey for the interested layman.

I have not read this book. However, I'd like to point out that Tim Berners-Lee claims that it was the inspiration for his inventing the World Wide Web. !!!

This detailed Victorian compendium of advice & instructions is fascinating. I first ran across mention of it in an Agatha Christie mystery, and it sounded like an interesting peek into the encyclopedic rules, customs, and social beliefs of a certain class in this era--which it is--but I never expected it to be so much fun to read!!

Densely written, thin-leaved, this book is invaluable if you want to delve into questions ranging from "which hand should a lady use to accept a gift from a gentleman whose attentions she wishes to discourage?" to "How can I tell this fish is fresh?" to "How much should I pay the second housemaid?" to "Where should I store nails?"
It includes recipes for food, medicines, and cleansers, accounting tables, morals, stern admonishments on proper dress, child-rearing instructions, and so much more I can't begin to approach the subject. Each question answered is numbered, and appears in a loose order, but the accompanying index helps to organize it somewhat; each page is topped by a Poor-Richard-style aphorism that might or might not relate to that page's content.

If you've ever been seriously or casually interested in How People Lived Back Then (and There; it appears aimed mainly at a London audience of middle-to-upper class, but again, I didn't get far enough through to be sure)--you will find something to enthrall, amuse or enlighten you here.

ETA: the foreword describes it best, proclaiming:

""Whether You Wish to Model a Flower in Wax;
to Study the Rules of Etiquette;
to Serve a Relish for Breakfast or Supper;
to Plan a Dinner for a Large Party or a Small One;
to Cure a Headache;
to Make a Will;
to Get Married;
to Bury a Relative;
Whatever You May Wish to Do, Make, or to Enjoy,
Provided Your Desire has Relation to the Necessities of Domestic Life,
I Hope You will not Fail to 'Enquire Within.'"--Editor..."

I, too, have had the pleasure of studying with Dr. Horrox; however, I have had the added pleasure of having read this book. Dr. Horrox's choice of essays, her deft handling of the material, and the overall significance of the material is, not unexpectedly, superb.

i must confess that i haven't read this book just YET-- but i have looked for it forever, it seems. the reason i feel that i am justified in reviewing a book i haven't read is that i have had the extraordinary pleasure of getting it, as they say, straight from the horse's mouth. she was one of my professors at summer school in cambridge. her class was entitled life, literature and art 1000-1500 and was probably the most enjoyable class i've ever taken. she would never look at the class (we were warned that she wouldn't) but she would roam back and forth across the front of the room, looking up, looking down, and speaking almost as if to herself of the most fascinating bits of information. while other teachers were dry or commanding or chummy, she was just genuinely informative. she spoke of history as if it were the juiciest gossip that you held your breath to hear more of. if ms. horrox can write half as well as she teaches this book should be one of the greatest reads imaginable for anyone with even the slightest hint of interest on the subject. cheers, ms. horrox.

The story of Thomas Pearson, as present by author Donald Graves, is an excellent study on the life a remarkable officer. Well researched and with a great grasp of the times and locations, the book totally engages the reader. The description of the battle of Albuera is especially good. I highly recommend this book for any person that has even a fleeting interest in the period. Historians will no doubt find this book a great item to have on the bookshelf.

I know my copy will be read many times.

Don Graves has authored a real masterpiece with his book, Fix Bayonets! A Royal Welch Fusilier at War, 1796-1815. Set during the period of the Napoleonic Wars, Graves tracks the life and actions of British Army Officer Thomas Pearson from his early youth until his death in 1847. The core of the work focuses on the remarkable military life of Pearson as he campaigns with the British Army throughout the period from his early days as a Lieutenant in the 23rd Regiment (Royal Welsh Fusiliers) to his final promotion to Lieutenant General.

Pearson served in the British Army in a variety of posts and campaigns throughout his lengthy career. Graves provides an excellent narrative of this soldier's experiences. By far, the most intriguing components of the book center upon the host of battles Pearson participated in. The Battles of Albuera, Chippawa, and Lundy's Lane are the most noteworthy and interesting. The author provides an in-depth and organized account of these actions while interweaving Pearson's role and contribution.

Graves also provides a fascinating look into military life, culture, values, and society that existed during Pearson's life. While clearly focusing on the martial aspects of his life, the author provides additional great detail into his youth, father, heritage, and later marriage.

I feel this work is especially noteworthy in its scope. Most comparable authors have chosen to focus upon events or well-known characters as a basis for their narrative. Graves has chosen a gallant, decorated but rather obscure soldier as his foundation from which to place the greater events into perspective. This approach is very unique and refreshing. Graves' research is also impeccable.

Overall, Fix Bayonets! A Royal Welch Fusilier at War, 1796-1815 is an exceptional historical work. Written in a compelling style that draws the reader in, this book is a natural choice for anyone interested in the Napoleonic Wars / War of 1812 era.