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A review by elizabethlk
A Short History of England: The Glorious Story of a Rowdy Nation by Simon Jenkins
4.0
A Short History of England, 384 pages in its hardcover edition, is completely true to its title. This book manages to cover everything from 5th century to present day (or the time of publication rather, which would be 2011) in such few pages.
This was a read that I enjoyed greatly. It's rare to find a history book that includes so much in such a small space and this manages to get everything. It is written in a fairly enjoyable way and managed to give me new information on time periods I wasn't very familiar with, brush up my knowledge of the time periods I had studied more, and gave me a more complete picture of English history as a whole and how England transitioned between each of these periods.
Unfortunately, such a short book can only cover so many things and it moves at a rather quick pace, making parts of the book a bit difficult to keep up with. I found myself having to read the parts of history I wasn't as familiar with very, very closely in order to know to which events Jenkins referred and in order to know to which people Jenkins referred. The lists in the back (One Hundred Key Dates, Kings and Queens of England from 1066, Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom) were immensely helpful in keeping these sorted, and I referred to them somewhat often. If you read this book and find yourself getting lost in the speed, I would most definitely recommend referring to these lists, which are clear and thorough.
I would recommend this book for people with a very basic knowledge of overall English history who are looking to gain knowledge, for people who have knowledge of parts of English history and are looking for a more thorough knowledge, and for people who have studied English history and need a refresher. If you have a thorough knowledge of English history, this book will not give you much new knowledge as it is meant more to give you a big picture of England's history rather than a detailed history--it couldn't possibly be short if it were detailed.
As a whole, I enjoyed A Short History of England. It was refreshing to be able to read a history any country that covered that country's entire history. Getting the whole picture at once is something that makes for an interesting perspective.
This was a read that I enjoyed greatly. It's rare to find a history book that includes so much in such a small space and this manages to get everything. It is written in a fairly enjoyable way and managed to give me new information on time periods I wasn't very familiar with, brush up my knowledge of the time periods I had studied more, and gave me a more complete picture of English history as a whole and how England transitioned between each of these periods.
Unfortunately, such a short book can only cover so many things and it moves at a rather quick pace, making parts of the book a bit difficult to keep up with. I found myself having to read the parts of history I wasn't as familiar with very, very closely in order to know to which events Jenkins referred and in order to know to which people Jenkins referred. The lists in the back (One Hundred Key Dates, Kings and Queens of England from 1066, Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom) were immensely helpful in keeping these sorted, and I referred to them somewhat often. If you read this book and find yourself getting lost in the speed, I would most definitely recommend referring to these lists, which are clear and thorough.
I would recommend this book for people with a very basic knowledge of overall English history who are looking to gain knowledge, for people who have knowledge of parts of English history and are looking for a more thorough knowledge, and for people who have studied English history and need a refresher. If you have a thorough knowledge of English history, this book will not give you much new knowledge as it is meant more to give you a big picture of England's history rather than a detailed history--it couldn't possibly be short if it were detailed.
As a whole, I enjoyed A Short History of England. It was refreshing to be able to read a history any country that covered that country's entire history. Getting the whole picture at once is something that makes for an interesting perspective.