United Kingdom Books

This book gave me a great understanding of the English under the rule of Normans and Angevin Kings. I found this to be interesting and not at all dry, as some NF works tend to be.

I am jointly reviewing Frank Barlow's The Feudal Kingdom of England and Robert Bartlett's England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings. They deal with the same period, they are remarkably complementary, and I highly recommend doing as I did and reading them together.

Barlow's book, first published in 1955, takes a traditional approach and reviews the events of the Norman and early Angevin period chronologically. Bartlett's, benefiting from recent research, offers a more static but broader picture of the period's trends and features. To the newcomer (as I was) or, I think, to someone with basic knowledge of 12th century England, the combination will be as instructive as it is exciting to read.

The Feudal Kingdom of England recounts the main political events from the Norman invasion to the forced grant of the Magna Carta by king John. Barlow tells the drama of the conquest, the tales of dynastic intrigue, the blow-by-blow of three-sided feuding between king, church and baronage in sometimes gory, sometimes inspiring detail. Some stories simply need to be given chronologically, which Bartlett doesn't do: the manoeuvrings of William's sons, the dispute between Becket and Henry II, Richard's crusade and capture, the crafty king John's miserable reign. Though the narrative remains central to it, the book also contains chapters on aristocratic society, the church, and the English towns and countryside. In fact, it begins with an overview of England under Edward the Confessor which is invaluable for understanding change in post-invasion England.

Bartlett's England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings paints a multi-faceted panorama of 12th and early 13th century England. It is equally awesome in breadth and depth. And it is free of the typical fault of medieval history, in which 90% of space is devoted to the doings of 10% of the population. Bartlett devotes more than half his book to ordinary people's lives, urban and rural: their work, their habitat, their relationship to the lords, their money problems, their beliefs. He offers fascinating information on perceptions of the world, how the day was spent and divided, on marriage, manners and pastimes, even on sex. His section on culture and language isn't the boring recital one often finds, but is lively and relevant to the rest of the book. He describes the church at all levels, not just that of the bishopric, and from both the institutional and the spiritual perspective. He makes the best use of available data to discuss economic developments, themselves key to some of the period's political events (e.g. late 12th century inflation and the disasters of John's reign). And of course, Bartlett describes government and political patterns, only not in sequence.

These two books are complementary in other ways. Where Barlow tends to use original words, Bartlett prefers their more explicit equivalents (for example danegeld in one book is called a land tax in the other). If you only have time to read one, I would probably recommend The Feudal Kingdom of England, as it will leave you with the period's basic milestones. Still, it would be a shame to miss the fun of Bartlett's big canvas.

Robert Bartlett's contribution to the New Oxford History of England series is about a kingdom in transition. In 1075, England was a newly conquered realm of William of Normandy, who was transforming the sleepy monarchy of the Anglo-Saxons into a powerful feudal state. A century and a half later, his great-great-great grandson, Henry III, issued a modified Magna Charta that served as the foundation of English common law, establishing the right of the English aristocracy against the king. How this evolution took place forms just one aspect of this exceptional book, which addresses nearly every aspect of England's politics, culture, and society during this period.

In doing this, Bartlett adopts an analytical rather than narrative approach. Events are studied within the context of the broader patterns and developments of the era. This makes for a more challenging read but also a much more rewarding one, with insights contained on every page. Readers unfamiliar with the period should start with a survey such as David Carpenter's The Struggle for Mastery: The Penguin History of Britain 1066-1284, but even knowledgeable students of the period will learn much from Bartlett's clear writing and perceptive analysis.

Bartlett acts as a wonderful guide through the many layers of Medieval life. As he says in the Preface this is an "entry-point of the understanding of processes only slowly unfolding, sometimes across centuries". The book has a very narrow focus in both place and time, yet goes very deep in detail covering all aspects of medieval life. It is a long book that could easily be read in chapters in no particular order, but I read it straight through cover to cover hopeing it would not end for want of Bartletts engaging prose and wealth of fascinating source material. Perhaps the best compliment of all is my desire to want to learn more.

It is an academic book and not always easy with some sections that are fairly boring (economic production figures, calculations of the number of sheep in the country), but overall the balance of interesting material outweighs these sections and makes the effort well worth the veins of gold. Most of all, it is highly trustworthy and authoritative; Bartlett is one in a long line of English historians who endeavored to be readable, arming themselves, as Roger of Wendover (13th C) says, against both "the listless hearer and the fastidious reader" by "presenting something which each may relish," and so providing for the joint "profit and entertainment of all."

Every now and then you come across a technical or academic book that is clear, concise and just beautifully written. This is such a book. One hundred and fifty years are covered at a cracking pace and I savoured each and every page. It's a large book at 750+ pages, but it left me wishing it had been twice as long.

Most books relating to this period cover who did what, to whom and when. Bartlett doesn't: he assumes if you're reading this book you already know, at least in outline, the events of the period. It does cover how people lived, worked, worshipped, swore, laughed and cried. It makes you feel that you understand what it would have been liked to have lived during the period.

The book is well structured and you can happily dip in here and there as your interest takes you.

One minor criticism is that there are many words and phrases which, it is plain from context, have a particular technical meaning that Bartlett doesn't explain. But with Google to hand that's just a minor irritation.

I just hope the rest of the series is as good.

I recently returned from a vacation over in Ireland/Scotland/Wales where for 4 weeks I and 2 of my friends researched and visited stone circles throughout the Isles. Aubrey Burl definitely has written an essential resource you should pick up if you have the intentions of going to see them. He touches on a great number of "out of the way" stone circles not widely known in areas and gives precise directions on how to get to them. It is almost like a treasure hunt, you never knwo what is around the corner in Aubrey's book! A definite must get for the stone circle enthusiast. Don't even think about putting this book down. Get a map, get this book, and go hunting for these great spiritual centers.

My husband and I are very interested in ancient cultures and especially stone circles; this book told us where they were, what to expect to see, and how to get there (which wasn't always very easy!) We were able to pick an area of England with a heavy concentration of good quality circles based on his descriptions and pictures, and with book in hand, see many of the ones we chose. Mr. Burl is kind enough to mention when the going is tough, and he was always right. The only thing that could make this book any more invaluable as a field guide would be inclusion of Surveyor's Maps of the areas...but those can be purchased easily in the countries in question. (Color photos would've been nice, too!) Highly recommended for real trip-planning, or just for inspiration!

I am not accustomed to purchasing so expensive and specialized a book, but in the early autumn of 1979, I had the privilege of working on a Scottish dig run by Dr. Burl, and I have long admired his scholarship and dedication---and this revision is, simply put, GREAT! The depth of information is astounding, and I found the the presentation engrossing, the subject fascinating, and the style quite readable---certainly NOT only for students or devotees of archaeology. I can't recommend this one highly enough---it may seem like something of an indulgence for your personal library, but it's worth every penny. Alas, the book is far to heavy to carry about in one's luggage, but I've already marked at least two dozen sites that I want to visit the next time I cross the Atlantic. In the meantime, settle back in a comfortable chair and get ready to cast your mind back a couple of millenia...

Just what it says on the box - an excellent reference, whether planning your trip or on the road. Complete with location maps and National Grid references.

Aubrey Burl's previous works were showing a wee bit of dating. As carbon dating become more accurate, you are seeing these ancient rings grow older in age instead of younger as they anticipated. While Burl's previous works were amazing, this long awaited "update" of this information, as well as addition information on more recent excavations make this is must. Yes, it expensive. But it's worth every penny. There are new insight in the the purpose of the rings of stone, a new interpretation of Calanais (sorry, as a Scot I refuse to call it Callanish!) and Stonehenge

The beautiful book is loaded with hundreds of photos, explores the ancestry, methods of construction and why they were abandoned after thousands of years of use.

Marvelous work made even better by bringing the information up to date.

From an "Old Sea Dog" comes this riveting story of his teenage years in the 'Senior Service'. I read the copy I bought for my brother, an ex RN sailor. It was not my intention, but after reading the first few pages, I couldn't put it down. You will find, as I did, that a very interesting biography has been written by Anthony Dalton about the compelling yarn-spinning Tristan Jones (Wayward Sailor). It appears that Heart of Oak is a mixture of fact and fiction. It does not though detract from the compelling storytelling.

I bought this book many years ago. I greatly enjoyed it, as it had a veracity to its description of lower-deck life. I re-read it recently, and still enjoyed it.

I suppose I should have realized that it was fiction, as I don't think there ever was an E-class destroyer "HMS Eclectic", and no destroyer of that name sailed with HMS Hood and Prince of Wales to intercept the Bismarck (HMS Electra was in that group and picked up the 3 survivors from HMS Hood), as Jones claims. Nor was there a destroyer of that name that sailed with HMS King George V from Scapa Flow, nor did one join the action later from convoys. Some of the details of the action are also inaccurate, but not badly so for a supposed personal narrative (e.g., 6" secondary armament on KGV, when they were 5.25")

Similarly, while there were four O-class destroyers involved in the sinking of the Scharnhorst, there was no "HMS Obstinate" (Jones' ship), nor was one of that name ever commissioned.

Anthony Dalton's biography of Jones seems to paint him as a very interesting, but less-than-pleasant person. It certainly seems to have nailed any notion of Jones' books being other than substantially fiction. The history of the author does seem to add an extra level of interest to the stories. But that said, the stories are good, the feel for characters is strong, and they are very readable.

I needed information re- life on board a British ship during WWII. I found many fascinating details and much accurate information in this book. I found that some of the humor was less funny that announced, but on the whole, I found this book
very interesting. It was in great part a tale based on personal experience, and
it held my interest throughout. I'm going to read more by this author...

It is a terrific book - and I have enjoyed it for many years. However I recently discovered it is - as Anthony Dalton's new biography of Jones shows - complete fiction - in the sense that Jones was never at any of the events he described. In fact he didn't join the Royal Navy till AFTER World War II.

But that is not to diminish the writing of the tale - Jones imaginings make for a "real" perspective of life in the lower decks of the WWII Royal Navy - and I imagne that in his immediate post-was career in the navy he learned enough to set the scene accurately.

But remember - it is a work of fiction - set on a real historical timeline - but still a good read.

Heart of Oak is one the finest war books and sea stories that I have read. I found it hard to put down. Although the intensity of the war and its effects on the men was depressing, I was compelled to keep reading.

Jones' gives the reader a different and personal perspective--that of the lowly, poor, and teenage sailor; looked down upon by everyone else and facing death, boredom, and discomfort constantly.

I agree with another reviewer that it is unlikely that Jones witnessed as much as he claimed, and I cannot attest to the accuracy of his descriptions of life aboard His Majesty's Navy, but there is a truthfullness and sincerity in Jones' narative that I find totally convincing.

Reading Moorman was a delight because I did not find myself bogged down in the political intricacies and machinations of the English Reformation. He did a fair job of portraying the Edwardian Reformation and the age of Elizabeth and the Evangelical revivals of the 1700s. He also demonstrated sympathy for the Broadchurchmen and the role of reason and the challenges of modern science to a literal reading of Genesis. He was less sympathetic to the Oxford Movement and the efforts to re-catholicize the English Church, but not so much that an Anglo-Catholic reader would be overly offended. Overall a great read, but one that is still a very bried introduction to the complexities and nuances of that magnificent thing called Anglicanism as it has unfolded over the centuries.

A very complete, readable history of the church. I really like the author's writing style.

This book was a required text for a seminary class I'm taking on (duh) English Church History. Compared with previous Church History texts I've had to use, this one is absolutely outstanding. It will at times leave you wondering a little about the political or social context, because the focus is heavily on the Church. I find this to actually be a plus, as the secular side of things could probably double or triple the length of the book. Moorman reads very easily compared with other history texts, especially considering it's age. History is not my favorite subject, but I have thoroughly enjoyed this text (and the class).

This is a long book and might not be the first choice for someone unless it is required reading for a class. However, I found it to be organized very well and give a great overview and summary throughout the entire history of the Church of England. Excellant!

I learned a lot from reading this book, which is actually a seminary text. The prose is somewhat pedantic at times, but still readable. It is a good history of Christanity in England and surrounding lands. I learned a lot about the balance between church and state, and how Angicanism has gotten to the point that it has. I would recommend it for anyone interesting in the history of England as it is more than just a text about the Church in England. For Episcopalians, it helps in an understanding of the current crisis in the Anglican community.

Winston Churchill wrote this book during the 1930's while in political exile. His masterful handling of Hitler, Roosevelt, and Stalin is presaged as he tells the tale of John Churchill, who overcame party strife in England, baseness and shortsightedness in coalition partners, and (finally) Louis XIV of France. WSC tell the story with his brilliant flair and style, but he also pauses with the reader to reflect on such matters as how to blunt a violent political storm without being yourself destroyed, how best to handle superiors who will hold you responsible for results but will not let you do the job, and how to act honorably when all of your life's work is thrown away by your enemies. These trenchant insights were pertinent in 1700, in the 1930's, and today. You are in for a treat, read this one.

Winston Churchill, in a relatively well-known bad patch during the 1930s, began to write this history of his famous and much maligned ancestor. The first volume contains the first two books of the original four book set. The life of John Churchill, Duke of Malborough, is both a fascinating look at an historical era as well as a personal portrait of a great military general. Book One consists of a large chunk of history, spanning the downfall of Charles I through Cromwell, to the Restoration of Charles II, through the overthrowing of his brother, the Catholic James II by William of Orange married to James II's daughter, Mary, to the crowning of Queen Anne. The second Book of Volume one concentrates on a mere 3 years of Anne's rule.

I will not reiterate what other reviewers have already said. However, I would add that in the writing of this book, Winston Churchill prepared himself to become even greater than his general ancestor. It can hardly be surprising that as this history was being written, events were conspiring to lead Winston Churchill into the biggest world confrontation ever. After studying the campaigns in Europe of Lord Malborough, it can hardly be surprising that Churchill fully suspected the coming of the war long before his fellow MPs.

This is a scholarly work and shouldn't be undertaken without serious patience. Each of the two volumes are in themselves close to 1,000 pages long. The history is written from the point of view of a defender, though Winston Churchill is careful not to gloss over details that might cast an unfavorable opinion of his ancestor. Well worth the effort.

BOOK TWO -

Since I reviewed Book One, I felt it was important to follow up with a review of Book Two of this work. My initial comment is that sticking with something this huge is a task in itself, but often the reward is hard to describe. For me, I feel each time I finish a huge work like this (or Hegel, or Kant, or ... well, anything "Big") I sense my own mind has been exercised a bit. It's a reward in and of itself.

Firstly, like Book One, this is really Volume Three and Volume Four of the a Four Book series bound together in Two mammoth volumes. Reading these 2000 plus pages is like running a marathon: the beginning is difficult, then you break the pain barrier and coast for quite a long while until the last staggering climb to the finish. In Book Three we continue with the war of Spanish Succession. These 500 pages are essentially concerned with the gigantic battles Marlborough fought. It was a time in which his glory was highly esteemed. As we get into Book Four, much like Book One, the narrative returns to the over all political scene which dominated and brought down the Great Duke. It is also the point where the reader might become overwhelmed again by both the multifaceted political machinations as well as the constantly revolving names (John Churchill becomes the Duke of Marlborough, etc.)

However, for all these difficulties, the overall sense from both volumes is as thorough and detailed and enthralling as history can be written. There can be no doubt that Winston Churchill, as he surveyed the ever-mounting rearmament of the Germanic states and looking over the ancient maps of Europe imagining both the current and past, felt an immense burden of responsibility. By undertaking the task of "reforming" The Duke of Marlborough's image, he delved deep in to the vaults of history and warfare. It was not surprising that at the same moment he should be the first to recognize (at least in Britain) the significance of Hitler's intensions.

One other thing struck me as fascinating about this era. The whole course of European politics, war, peace, and financial stability were tied up in the lives of three bickering women: Sarah (Marlborough's wife), Abigail (cousin to Sarah), and Queen Anne (whom both served and guided with gossip and whisperings.) Out of this small time period bore the seeds of Napoleon, the American discontent with England, and Slavery. Big stuff.

I recommend these Four volumes (two books). The paperbacks are perhaps overstuffed, though. Book One split right down the middle. I was more careful with Book Two, though my hands suffered from it. Perhaps spending the money for the hardback editions in this case is worth it?

John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, is the uncontested military genius of late Stuart England, the uncrowned political/military heir to William of Orange and the famous ancestor of Winston Churchill. In tandem with Austria's general, Eugen of Savoy, he led the coalition armies in the War of the Spanish Succession, defeating in detail several of Louis XIV's French and Bavarian armies, most famously at Blenheim, but also at Ramilles, Ourdenarde and Malplaquet. Meanwhile, on the domestic front, his wife, the beautiful but intemperate Sarah Jennings, later Duchess of Marlbourough, became a "favorite" of Queen Anne and secured for him (at least for most of the war) the political support that necessary for him to field an army on the Continent for the many years.

As a writer of history, Churchill ranks with Gibbon for his mastery of prose and his ability to use vivid imagery to hold the reader's attention to minute detail. For each year of the Spanish Succession War, Churchill opens with a strategic appreciation of how the Anglo-Austrian forces plotted out each year's campaigns, and goes to great pains to explain the reasons behind Marlborough's various deployments. And he paints on a simply massive canvas: he begins with a detailed account of Charles II's Restoration, of James II's abortive reign (and Marlborough's role in ending it), of William III and Mary II's joint reign (Churchill is NOT a fan of William and Mary) and of the underlying workings of the French monarchy. He is not afraid to address the various failings in Marlborough's character, particularly his secret negotiations with both the enemy and the exiled Stuarts, but does seek to defend Marlborough (and Sarah) from the more libellous charges.

This book was written in the 1930s, politically Churchill's decade of exile (and personally, his worst years of depression). If everyone turned unemployment, financial crisis and depression to such good use, the world would be a far better place.

Winston Spencer Churchill's biography of his ancestor, John Churchill First Duke of Marlborough, stands out as a restoration of Marlborough's reputation, an account of England under the reigns of Charles II, James II, William III and Queen Anne, and an in-depth military and political history of the War of Spanish Succession.

WSC gives us a picture of the whole man, including his faults. One of WSC's purposes is to rescue Marlborough's reputation from the attacks of generations of historians. The book becomes a brilliant defense and of course it cannot be unbiased. WSC is Marlborough's defense attorney, not his judge.

By the 1920s, Marlborough had been called miserly, greedy, ambitious, duplicitous, disloyal and treacherous. As he recounts Marlborough's life, WSC continually picks up an episode that seemingly illustrates one of these traits, but turns it around.

Where unsympathetic historians saw miserly habits, WSC saw thrift and WSC goes further. Marlborough was miserly when it came to his own needs, such as when he insisted surgeons cut his stocking along the seem so that it could be resown. Yet he paid his army's bills and wages on time; apparently this was unusual in those days. He paid, from his own discretionary funds, which other generals often pocketed as a matter of course, for military intelligence that proved crucial to securing many of his victories.

Where accusers saw ambition needlessly prolonging a difficult war, WSC presents Marlborough has being bound by duty to achieve the best results possible, and to reject a timid peace, which would have left Europe in the hands of a despot.

WSC has a more difficult, but no less successful time defending Marlborough's continued correspondence with St-Germain, the exiled English court of James II and later his son, as recognized by Louis the XIV. The problem here is that today such acts would indeed be treason, but in the seventeenth century they were part of the normal workings of diplomacy, war time or not. After all, if passports and safe conduits were routinely given to enemies to allow them to rest and confer in between campaigns, it could not have been that unusual to keep in touch with people one knew, even if they were officially enemies.

WSC also presents Marlborough's most important relationships: with his wife Sarah Jennings; with his military ally Prince Eugene, with whom he won at Blenheim; with his political colleague Godolphin, who secured funds for his military work; with the kings and queen of England from James II to George I;

But WSC does accuse Marlborough on occasion of having been unwise. He is particularly critical of the Duke's obsession with his palace at Blenheim (where WSC himself was born). Marlborough didnft want an opulent residence, rather he wanted to leave a monument that would survive centuries and remember his name to future generations. WSC writes that as such Blenheim was a failure: it added nothing to the Duke's reputation and the worries it caused may have taken years from his life. Winston Churchill must have felt his biography was a better memorial to his ancestor.

Winston Churchill was a man who rarely met a topic upon which he didn't harbor a strong opinion that he was willing to share. The Duke of Marlborough is no different. Churchill is clearly enamoured with this relative of his and lets it show. That said, Churchill plainly states that there are two camps on Marlborough and tells the world which camp he falls into. By doing so, he opens up the reader to get a feel not just for Marlborough and his times, but also for the debate by historians that rages around a polarizing historic figure like Marlborough. (Sound familiar to anyone else?) The result is a richly layered work.

Winston Churchill viewed history as something that was alive and tangible and his historic writings capture that feeling for readers. Marlborough's battles - both military and political - come to life in the hands of Churchill. We get to see one of the great military minds of the 18th century push military science closer and closer to its modern form. We also see him perform less well on the political front against his foes there.

Through the entire book, we get to listen to Winston Churchill in his element, telling us a story about a topic he feels passionately about. So many of the trials, trevails, and reactions that Churchill ascribes to Marlborough are so obviously parallels to Churchill's life and his reactions that the book has a clear autobiographical tone to it as well.

Highly recommended for history buffs and for people who want to understand Churchill more deeply.

This extraordinary book critiques most of the Beatles' songs. It dissects, analyzes and explains the lyrics of the Beatles' songs; it compliments the intelligence of all readers. Music professionals and novices alike will come away with added information; this is a book that will appeal to all readers regardless of place/proficiency on the musical scale.

This book serves as a time line; the Beatles' achievements and the times they were living in are chronicled neatly alongside Macdonald's analyses of the music. It's general tone is light and upbeat, yet a tone of bittersweet nostalgia underscores much of the passages. "There are places I remember..." John Lennon, 1965 could be the sound track of this book. So could John Lennon's 1968 Anthem of the Sixties, "you say you want a revolution, well you know we all want to change the world..."

Beatle fans and those who love and/or lived through the Dodge Dart Era of the 1960s will love this book. It is so worth reading.

This book's publication concludes on a sad footnote. Ian Macdonald ended his life on August 20, 2003. He had been clinically depressed.

I love this book and have read it several times. When I listen to Beatles recordings, I sometimes take it out and read up on the song, and its fun to see the work that was put into it (music flubs, line flubs, edit flubs). I just wish he hadn't beat up on George so much! Highly recommended

More a question than a book review here. This edition is described as being updated; comparing it to the original hardcover, however, I found only one update -- a footnote in which MacDonald briefly comments on the 'Live at the BBC' album. Otherwise it is identical to the first edition. There is nothing on the Anthology material. So the question is this: Is that one little footnote the extent of MacDonald's "revisions"? If there is a fatter, better edition out there, I'd love to have it.

Anyway, now that I'm here I might as well say that this is not only the best critical analysis of the Beatles' work ever written; it's almost the only such book I can even take seriously. MacDonald does come up with the occasional strange opinion here and there (his dismissals of "Day Tripper" and "Helter Skelter" come to mind), but critics are not machines, folks, and even the best of them are not infallible. For the most part MacDonald is serious in the best sense of the word; he is intensely attentive, and his mastery of the catalogue escapes pedantry -- it's just plain jaw-dropping.

I wish that I could give this book more than five stars. It is an absolutely brilliant and supremely entertaining analysis of every song recorded by The Beatles. For those with musical knowledge it provides detailed analysis of things such as chord structure and sequences. For those, such as myself, who are merely fans of this great music, the book provides endless insight and anecdotes about the recording process and events surrounding each song. After reading this book you will never listen to The Beatles' songs in the same way again. This is eye-opening work that puts all other rock/pop music analysis to shame. Get this one!!!

A stunning examination of The Beatles, their music, the sixties, and by implication the state of modern popular music, "Revolution in the Head" is easily the best Beatles book ever published.

Written with an astonishing erudition acquired over his years as a music journailast for New Musical Express and other magazines, as well an obvious love for the music of the Fab Four, Ian MacDonald's book places the Beatles in the appropriate social and cultural context with exactitude,critical acumen and readability.

If you want to know why The Beatles are the most important pop group ever, or wish to reacquaint yourself with their genius, you must read this superb book. Along with Philip Norman's "Shout" and "Mark Lewisohn's" Beatles Sessions, "Revolution in the Head" is an undoubted masterpiece of Beatles scholarship.

This is an excellent account of the long and troubled road for Scotland under the rule of Great Britain. Beginning with the Union of 1707, which Scotland pretty much got railroaded into, Devine charts the meandering path toward Home Rule in 1999. Along the way he touches on the cornerstone events which shaped modern day Scotland such as the Crofters' War, the Highland Clearances, the Scottish Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution. It is amazing to read just how vital the Scots were in the expansion of the British empire, yet Scotland remained subordinate to England throughout this period.

Devine focuses primarily on the social and economic history of Scotland, noting how the failure of the Scots to construct a link between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean at the isthmus of Darien led to a financial crisis which England was able to exploit, thereby forcing Scotland to submit to its will in 1707. However, England still had a difficult time suppressing the Jacobeans in Scotland, which continued to mount resistance movements throughout the 18th century.

Probably the most notorious period was in the 19th century, when English landowners with the help of Scottish landowners forced the Highlanders off their grazing lands and made them to settle along the coastline. What began as a method of suppressing the remaining Gaelic culture, became a major relocation project that destroyed what remained of clanship in Scotland. It lived on in name only.

Devine notes how Queen Victoria, a Jacobean at heart, revived Highland pride during her reign by establishing an estate at Balmoral. This along with the historical novels by Sir Walter Scott helped rekindle an interest in ancient Scotland and led to a cultural renaissance.

With the industrial revolution, Glasgow usurped Edinburgh as the leading city in Scotland, irrovocably altering the way of life for most Scots. Devine charts the rise of the political movements in Scotland, which began to push for greater home rule, feeling that Scotland was still be overlooking by the Parliament. The rise of the Labour Party was instrumental in the drive for Home Rule. Devine also notes the troubled relationship between Scots and Irishmen, particularly in Northern Ireland. A once similar culture now found itself at opposite ends of the spectrum.

Devine takes in a big sweep of Scottish history, referencing early aspects of history, but focuses on the 300 years of Union with Great Britain. It is rich in reference notes, pointing the way to further reading on the subject. This is the culmination of his work on Scottish history, which he began with his book, Clanship to the Crofters War.

Well, this review might be crap compared to the others, but I do have a few useful things to say about this book.

I picked it up knowing next to nothing about Scottish history during the years of topic. If you said Jacobite I might have known what you were talking about, but I certainly couldn't have explained the risings of the eighteenth century to you.
Now, I can.

I found this book not only easy to read, but comprehensive, and best of all.....INTERESTING. That's quite a big compliment considering that the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are not desirable at all to me, even as a student of history.
Yes, very easy to read, but not simplistic. And best of all, it is free of the sarcasm and haughtiness I've found in works like the Penguin classics book on Scottish history, and in essays by well known and respectable historians!!

T.M. Devine's account of Scotland from 1700-2000 is the most up-to-date review of Scottish history over the past three centuries. Mr. Devine covers every aspect of the development of Scotland and Scottish life over that time period. On many topics such as religion, immigration/emigration, government, cultural traditions, economics, and much more, Mr. Devine presents a thorough analysis. I was hoping for more details on Adam Smith, David Hume and other figures of the Scottish Enlightenment, but Mr. Devine chooses to stick with the story of Scotland as a whole for this work. This is a slow read at times, but for those genuinely interested in knowing more about the modern history of Scotland, this book has to be as good as one will find.

although i have to admit that i'm a bit biased towards any book that paints scotland in a flattering light, this is a great read. i found it especially helpful when i was writing a thesis about the ebbs and flows of scottish power within the united kingdom. since this book covers everything from the act of union to the recent establishment of the scottish parliament, it was extremely helpful. it's one of the few books of its kind. if you are curious to know how exactly the UK works (ie how can england, wales, northern ireland, and scotland be seperate countries and the same country) this is a good place to start, and it's a compelling read!

In 1999, Scotland experienced a momentous event, when after several centuries, a Scottish Parliament was convened in Edinburgh. Scotland is thus in a unique position at the beginning of the twenty-first century to enter a new era of self-determination and national pride such as has not been seen since 1707 (the year of the last Scottish Parliament) or since the times of the Stuart reign.

T.M. Devine, professor of Irish and Scottish Studies at the University of Aberdeen, has put together the first comprehensive and authoritative history of the Scottish nation during this 'non-parliamentary' (and, thus perhaps one might consider, non-sovereign) period in a generation. Scotland, as Devine explains in 'The Scottish Nation: A History 1700-2000', has almost always been misunderstood by the outside world. Thought of Scotland today (by those outside) conjure up visions of green sweeping Highland views, quaint tartan-patterned objects, kilts, bagpipes, Scotch whisky, and a wild rusticity that is quite at odds with the modern, urbanised character that is more typical of Scottish life today. As any good Scotsman will tell you, Scotland had seven universities when England had only two; even in the nineteenth century as London reigned supreme on the world stage politically and, in many ways, economically, Scotland was an industrial pioneer, providing much of the backbone for British success.

'For historians of Scotland the last three decades have been an exciting time. Research has boomed, established views are vigourously challenged and entirely new fields of investigation opened up which were uncharted in the older historiography.'

Devine commends the modern trend toward further investigation and research in Scottish and other non-England nations of the British Isles, but worries that most of this research is being shared and read only with professional peers rather than the general public. His book, The Scottish Nation is intended to be (and, in my opinion, succeeds at being) an accessible resource for the casual reader while being authoritative and thorough enough for the scholar to find it valuable.

Devine breaks the history of Scotland into four broad ranges: 1700-1760; 1760-1830; 1830-1939; 1939-2000. These periods roughly correspond to the eras of consolidation of political domination by England, the growing urbanisation of Scotland and attendant decline of Clanship, the period of immigration and Highland clearances , and finally the resurgence of Scottish nationalism in the wake of Irish independence and the aftermath of the second world war.

Devine examines the breakdown of traditional Scottish government in the aftermath of the ouster of a hereditary Stuart king in favour of William and Mary; Devine examines both English efforts to consolidate political and economic hegemony over Scotland (which included a movement in 1705 to declare all Scots aliens, thus subject to import duties and taxes that would be ruinous to the Scottish economy) as well as the Scottish problems of maintaining their own institutions in the face of English power. This is a different perspective than most will be used to, as history (traditionally written by the victors) has usually been stated 'authoritatively' from Oxford or Cambridge, not from Aberdeen or Edinburgh.

Following issues that are economic, military, social and political, Devine traces the various strands of Scottish history through to the present Parliament, detailing the London Parliament's intriguing struggle to deal with the issue of devolution and maintenance of the union through the post-war period. Devine devotes attention to aspects of family life, the role of women at various points in Scottish history, the development of educational systems, church/state relationships, and the status of the royals in Scotland -- again, any good Scotsman will tell you, it is inappropriate to say the present reigning monarch is Elizabeth II in Scotland, because Elizabeth I was never queen there.

This is a rather hefty book for light reading, but is quite enlightening for those of us with Scottish background (my family background includes many strands).

The Cloister and the Hearth is one of the most powerful reading experiences I have had. It is a great pity, but no surprise, that this masterpiece is not familiar even to lovers of Victorian literature, and has not had a fashion in recent times like the works of, say, Austen or Trollope. I say no surprise because Cloister is challenging in ways that those authors are not. First, it is long, 750 pages, far longer than anything by the Great Jane, and most of Trollope. Second, the dialogue is written in a deliberately archaic style intended to evoke the Middle Ages, an ersatz 15th century English in the mouths of characters who are Dutch, German, French, Italian, but none English. To my ear, it was tremendously effective, but it will not come easily to modern readers who find Shakespeare and the King James Bible difficult. Third, it takes the values of the era it describes seriously, rather than looking back from an arch, "modern" 19th century perspective. That third point is the most important. As the title suggests, the theme of the work is the tension between domestic private life and the spiritual domain of the Church. Most of the dramatic conflict arises from the demands of priestly celibacy, which Reade reveals as a "vile heresy" only three pages from the end. Such is his skill that, despite their lives having been devastated by it, neither of the two lover/ protagonists ever questions the rule's propriety or justice, and both honor it absolutely. (Perhaps the female utters a doubt or two somewhere, but if so, they are feebly stated and soon forgotten.) The two main characters are not subtle, but are medieval virtue personified. Yet they work, especially Gerard, the male. Unlike Dickens's goody-two shoes heroes (think David Copperfield or Esther Summerson), the extraordinary virtues of Gerard and Margaret never made this reader roll his eyes. Reade considered himself a dramatist, not a novelist, and the reconciliation scenes in this book are as emotionally driven as anything you will see on the stage. It is shorter than War and Peace, and once you get the hang of it, the pages turn much faster than Tolstoy's. I've only read an abridged W&P, years ago, but I'd put Cloister up there on the same level, as historical literature, not just historical fiction, of the very highest order.

It's hard to believe this book is largely forgotten and unavailable. Despite what some of the other reviewers claim, you do not need to be a Medievalist to enjoy it--or even be thrilled by it, as I was. Get a used copy while you still can.

I don't think it fair for the editorial review to give away the ending.

My first year at university it was a required reading. Back then reading wasn't my favourite hobby; However when I started to the novel, I just couldn't put it down. It was very exciting and a pleasure to read. Highly recommended. I lost my book and I'm hoping that Amazon.com will locate a copy for me,please!

... This is a great book. I would rank it among my top 20 favourite novels, perhaps even the top 10, along with works by Tolstoy, Dickens, Austen and others of that calibre... I urge you to read this book if you have not yet done so. It succeeds on several levels: It is an adventure yarn, with daring escapes, chases, intrigues and battles. It is a philosophical novel, raising thought-provoking questions about priestly celibacy and religious observance. It is a war novel, presenting a convincing portrayal of men in combat. It is a psychological novel, probing the nature of male companionship. Well written, absorbing and satisfying, read it before it disappears from booklists completely.

Very entertaining and enlightening. Pepys gives us a glimpse of what life was like in that period before the "Glorious Revolution" in England which was so important in the developement of democracy in England and the United States. Pepys was on the wrong side of that revolution - a loyalist to King Charles II, although he was never convicted of treason. Good thing, since there seemed to be a lot of beheadings, etc. in that era. Occasionally, it is not absolutely clear what Pepys is talking about, and sometimes the vocabulary is not easily understood,as language and customs have changed, but that is to be expected.

I've long been a student and a collector of information on the personalities of Restoration England, growing out of a desire to know more about the background in literature classes. The Restoration crowd loved life, and in this volume (and presumably the next) you see how tenuous their lives were -- 5000 a week in the City of London dying of plague, two fleets of 100 ships each at war in a narrow sea, everyone so intent on feathering their nest and getting their next place, and an honest man rarest commodity of all. I love all these diaries. I've learned to ignore a lot of the textural (not text) notes that tell you if there was a blot on the page, or the symbol was not quite clear, but the footnotes are amazing and so is the information. Love Sam; he could have done pretty much as he pleased with me, I fear. But in his daily strolls of 5 miles and more I fear I could never have kept up as he went up and down the town, up and down the river. I've been to London and took the boat tour on the Thames from the houses of Parliament down to Greenwich to see the naval museum and Queen's house -- and he would walk, day or night, from London to Depworth, to Woolwich, to Greenwich (though he'd borrow the boat if he could) and pay attention to all he passed. What a companion!

Unfortunately for my budget's sake I started buying these in 3s and am now having trouble filling up 1666-1669. I will persevere, though, and anticipate a re-read of all or part probably every summer (while TV takes a dive and there's good light to read by until long into the evening). The only thing I have wished for is more portraits of the people he is speaking of--and the portraits by Huysmans and Lely that he reports having seen fresh painted. However, financially that may not have been doable. Will have to keep searching for a companion Restoration Portraits volume to keep me happy.

Great reading - do start from the beginning to get into the swing of things. A random paragraph doesn't put you "in the life" like the unrolling panorama does. A better map of London at your elbow (though there is one in the back of each volume) will also increase your pleasure.

It is kind of hard to match up these reviews of the Pepys' Diary with specific volumes, probably due to the nature of ISBN numbers. However, this review is about Volume 10, the Companion to the 10 vol. set of paperbacks (complete edition) by the University of California Press. IT IS a valuable book indeed, being 1700 entries, alphabetically arranged, on the details about the people and places mentioned in the Diary. It has 626 numbered pages and genealogical tables and maps.

When I started reading the diary, I expected it to be extremely boring and very old fashioned (seeing how it was written in the 1600's) - how wrong I was!!!
Samuel Pepys (pronounced 'peeps') is a human, funny, moody man who has his ups and downs like the rest of us. His narrative during the plague records his concern about neighbors, and his real sorrow when people he knows succumb to it. He also records his experiences during the great fire of London in 1666 and his first mention of it strikes me as entirely human - he says that his maids wake him as they have heard of the fire and as it is not near his doorstep he simply goes back to bed as he's tired. He has arguments with his wife, and has cast a lusty eye upon the kings mistress for years! He also has, what I call 'mini affairs' where he kisses and fondles women quite regularly, (including his own maids) and seems to have no guilt about this whatsoever. Most mornings he 'drinks' his breakfast and at one point is outraged that his new wig is teeming with nits! An historical and very human read. Makes me realise that after 450 years we are all no different at all........

There are on the Amazon site two excellent, informative reviews of the Pepys' diaries. They say far more than my own contribution.
I have read in and out of the Pepys' diary more than once. I did this in part because I have read many times that they are the ' best diaries' ever written. Without contending with that I found that they were not for me the most interesting. This probably shows more about my own shortcomings than it does about the work of Pepys.
Pepys' work is filled with description of the life of the time. It is rich in perception of the great city of London in Restoration times. It is filled with personal anecdote, gossip including that relating to his prodigious sexual appetite and activity. It is a busy, businesslike work. And it tells more about a world outside than a world in.
In the diaries I most love there is the quest of the soul to deeply understand itself and its relation to other people, and God. I find that the flurry of activity in the life of Pepys does not lead to this kind of reflectiveness. And thus for me the 'diary' is not a highly significant work personally.

This is comparative history at its very best. Elliott superbly describes and chronicles the history of the British and Spanish exploration and colonization of the Americas, as well as the process whereby both the British American and Spanish American colonial societies brought about their independence from the imperial governments. It is a comprehensive, detailed, and yet highly readable overview of the political, economic, social, military, and religious forces at play in the Americas during the time period. Elliott goes beyond the telling of historical events and facts, to provide analysis and interpretation of why history unfolded as it did. The writing is excellent and clearly reflects a highly learned historian who has the ability to tell history in a an engaging manner. His juxtaposition and comparison of British and Spanish America in a single volume results in a very interesting and stimulating way to learn about the two empires. The book contains very attractive end papers, a number of excellent maps and numerous color plates. Very highly recommended.

Elliott delivers the masterpiece that those who study the Atlantic World have been waiting for. The idea of studying history from the perspective of the Atlantic has been growing in popularity and worth taking a further look at. Britain and Spain established mammoth empires and Elliot looks at their rise and fall. He also considers other powers including the French and Dutch but focuses mainly on the first two mentioned. The age of exploration is put in context and in true Atlantic fashion the slave trade and development in Latin America are very important. The revolutions of the Atlantic world are very clearly explained in this book and Elliott leaves you wondering where else this field can go. Elliott writes very well and this book is a must read for those who want to consider how the Atlantic world impacted Europe and the United States.

This well written and well organized book is a careful synthesis of the enormous secondary literatures on colonial British America and colonial Spanish America. Elliott provides a pair of parallel narrative overviews of British and Spanish America from their foundings to the revolutions that severed ties to their home nations. The narratives provide the basis for some comparative analysis that recurs throughout the book.

Knowledgeable readers will probably be familiar with much of the narrative about British North America. Much of the information about Spanish North American will probably be new to many readers (like me). For example, the small British settlements of the 17th century were dwarfed by the scope of the Spanish colonial enterprise. When Boston and Philadelphia were modest seaports, Spanish America boasted several large cities. At the time of Harvard's foundation, Spanish America already possessed several universities.

Elliott divides this book into three sections; Occupation, Consolidation, and Emancipation. Occupation is devoted to the initial experience of exploration, colonization, and encounters with the native peoples of the Americas. The chapters in Consolidation describe the development of mature colonial economies and imperial government, the challenge of developing European style societies in radically different circumstances, and the sense of identities developed in these new societies. Emancipation describes the 18th century conflicts between the metropolitan centers and the colonies, particularly as London and Madrid attempted to develop closer control and upset traditional arrangements. All chapters are particularly good combinations of political, economic, and social history.

Elliott points out the common problems faced by both British and Spanish colonial efforts but also how the different features of the home nations and different circumstances in the Americas produced different outcomes. The Spanish, for example, were confronted with very large native populations that they attempted to incorporate into their empire. This fact, plus traditions inherited from the Reconquista, would contribute to the generation of the very racially differentiated society in much of Spanish America. The existence of enormous silver deposits in Mexico and Peru drove the Spanish Crown to exercise considerably closer control of its colonies than the British monarchy would exercise over its colonies.

In his comparative analysis, Elliott deals with the major differences in British and Spanish America, and implicitly how they led to such differing outcomes after the revolutions at the end of the 18th century. Elliott's answers are surprisingly traditional. He stresses the centralized bureaucratic nature of the Spanish empire, the more 'commercial' nature of British settlements, the religious pluralism of the British colonies, and the more liberal/representative political traditions that the British brought with them. Elliott is careful to point out that many of these ultimately beneficial features were essentially inadvertant. If the English crown had been stronger or if rich gold mines had been found in the Blue Ridge mountains, the path of British colonization might well have been closer to the Spanish model.

In Empires of the Atlantic World, Professor Elliot compares and contrasts Spanish colonial America with British colonial America. I am not aware of any other books that take this is their subject, and I think that it is worthy of attention. Elliot presents 2 very different experiences in terms of government, economy, and culture. For instance, the Spanish conquistadors came upon a very highly centralized political structure, which they were able to penetrate (and co-opt for their own rule) with relative ease. This enabled them to retain the tributary labor system of the Aztecs and Incas, which they labeled the encomienda system. The British in North America did not have the same experience, as the Indians there tended to be far more decentralized. This forced the British to pursue a far different strategy in their efforts at conquest. Also, the scarcity of gold and silver in North America forced the British to diversify the colonial economy, leading to a more developed economic scene.

Additionally, I found Elliot's side-by-side discussion (between the British and the Spanish) of various other colonial themes to be well-developed. In particular, he goes into considerable detail in contrasting Spain's Catholic-only policy in the Americas with the religious diversity that existed in the British colonies. At the same time, he also explores the very different attitudes that the British and the Spanish had toward the Indians, and how those differing attitudes shaped political and social orders in the 2 regions (look at the large "Mestizo" population that exists in many parts of Latin America today, in contrast to the relatively small population within the United States). For instance, the Spanish sought to bring the Indians into the Catholic Church (witness the significant presence of the Catholic Church in the colonies), and even (theoretically) included a measure of legal protection for Indians within the encomienda system. On the other hand, the British did not make christianizing the Indians a high priority, nor did they concern themselves wth any legal protections for the Indians (a notable exception to this was William Penn).

Elliot gives a great deal of space to discussing how the political and religious regimes that existed in Great Britain and Spain were transferred to these nation's respective American colonies. For example, the British colonists were nurtured, to some degree, by the growing "liberal" ideas that were coming out of Great Britain at the start of the 1700s, while Spanish colonists had no such ideas to turn to (at least none in Spanish). Moreover, British control over its colonies was relatively decentralized (many of the colonies were private or corporate, and all enjoyed a measure of self-government), though Spanish colonies were under the tight grip of the Spanish monarchy. Finally, Elliot demonstrates how both Great Britain and Spain began to "reform" their administrative policies vis-a-vis the colonies, and how those reforms triggered colonial resentment (though the 2 nations had different results in quashing this resentment).

This was an eye-opener for me as I knew very little on Spain's American territories, besides brief descriptions of some of the conquistadors such as Cortes and Pizzarro. What Elliott has done in this book is to show the comparisons and contrasts between England's New World Colonies and Spain's. There are many fascinating facets underlaying the reasons for acquiring these territories, how both sides viewed their mission and goals, and how they governed them. This is without a doubt a remarkable book that revealed a lot for me.

The first colonization was begun by the Spanish in the early 16th Century. The English made their first successful attempt in the early 17th Century. Both South and North America posed different challenges for both governments, i.e. the size of the indigenous populations, the geography and climate, natural resources and so forth. For me, the real fascination was learning more about the Spanish colonies and the establishment of the viceroyalties of New Spain (based in Mexico City) and Peru (based in Lima) with additional ones developing over time. The interaction with the natives, the attempts at Christianization, trade, and many other aspects of Spain's colonization were quite enlightening.

Being more familiar with United States history, I felt more familiar with the material covered on England's planting of settlers in Jamestown and later in New England. However, the real education was in Elliott's efforts to show how each of these two powers (Spain and England) confronted the realities and challenges of establishing their presence in these very different regions. The differences were often quite stark. Some of the points of contrast that most differentiated the two powers included each nation's attitude towards the Indians (including the attempts or lack of evangelization) and the extent of imperial bureaucracy brought over from the mother countries.

Elliott also describes how world events had helped to shape and or guide the developments that occurred in both country's territories. The Reformation, the British Commonwealth under Cromwell, the Restoration, the Glorious Revolution, the French and Indian War, the French Revolution and so forth, all served as factors in shaping the events that transpired in North and South America. The role of various monarchs, religious, military and political leaders, as well as indigenous leaders, are also discussed.

Elliott does try to take an even-handed approach in acknowledging the strengths and weaknesses of both government's endeavors. Of course it goes without saying that the notion of empire, with the connotations of exploitation of natives and their cultures, is unpopular in most peoples minds nowadays. Yes, it was and remains a blot on the records of all nations that engaged in replacing the livelihoods and cultures (sometimes more like extermination) of indigenous peoples, or those who engaged in the slave trade, but we must keep in mind that we have to try to keep modern standards in check for historical purposes.

This is such a broad subject that I find it hard to even begin to touch on more specific details found in this book; I'm just trying to outline the broader contours of Elliott's book. Having some introduction to this time period will help you, but you need not be an expert on this particular topic. An illuminating read.