- Hardcover: 352 pages
- Publisher: Martin Secker & Warburg Ltd; First Edition edition (Dec 1961)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0436386011
- ISBN-13: 978-0436386015
- Product Dimensions: 21.8 x 14.2 x 3.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 150,294 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| ||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Based on memoirs, letters, newspapers and regimental order books, a reconstruction of the battle of Culloden and the events which followed, seen through the eyes of the common man. Reveals the hardships and deprivations men and women suffered during the rebellion and provides insight into the acts of brutality which occurred.
From the Back Cover
'One of our leading historians, whose works...are as scholarly as they are readable.' John Kenyon, Observer
Culloden is the story of a battle and of what followed, the destruction of a way of life and the persecution of a people. There is little in this book about Bonnie Prince Charlie and the other principals of the last Jacobite Rising of 1745 - this is the story of the ordinary men and women involved in the Rebellion, the 'Common Men'. Culloden recalls them by name and action, presenting the battle as it was for them, describing their lives as fugitives in the glens or as prisoners in the gaols and hulks, their transportation to the Virginias or their deaths on the gallows at Kennington Common.
The book begins in the rain at five o'clock on the morning of Wednesday, 16 April 1746 when the Royal Army marched out of Nairn to fight the clans on Culloden Moor. It is not a partisan book, its feeling is for the common men on both sides - John Grant charging with Clan Chatten and seeing the white gaiters of the British infantry suddenly as the east wind lifted the cannon smoke, and Private Andrew Taylor in a read coat waiting for Clan Chatten to read him, likening it to 'a troop of hungry wolves'. Culloden reminds us, too, that many of the men who harried the glens as ruthlessly as the Nazis in Occupied Europe were in fact Scots themselves, and that many men in Prince Charles' army had been forced to join him.
The detail for the story has come from regimental Order Books, from contemporary newspapers and magazines, from the letters and memoirs of soliders and officers, and eye-witness accounts of atrocity and persecution. Culloden is the story not of a Prince but of a people.
'Prebble and Scotland down the years have become as inseperable as oatcakes and whisky. He has...succueeded in giving the Scots a fresh awareness of their past.' David Cameron, Daily Telegraph
'One of Prebble's great strengths is his ability to empathise with his subject matter.' Niall Ferguson, Daily Mail
'Makred by formidable research and passionate commitment to the cause of the poorest.' Andro Linklater, Spectator
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Footnotes would certainly help here - and there are still contemporary histories with authors too lazy or unwilling to provide them. Interpretations differ, out of context use can alter opinion, and the ability to go to source is often invaluable. But it becomes easier to access period details. More information and further reading is only a few clicks away. A name and date will often do. Prebble provides many of those, and spares us ill-informed argument and opinion. Culloden is still the most comprehensive, accessible and readable 'list' of those involved. For further study, it's a starting point, a good first read. For lay-readers, it's an excellent account - brutal and clear though a mite overcrowded, with the impact of a novel. Definitely a must-read, it's good to see it still in print. There are more informative studies now but, for me, this is the classic Culloden text.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Most seem to agree that this is the classic book on the Battle of Culloden and as far as eye-witness accounts and detail goes this is unsurpassed. Prebble's is the mostly instantly recognisable piece on the battle and it gives the first-time reader a solid base to further study of the subject in a wider context.
Although Prebble's model of events during the battle is generally accepted to be outdated, the author's skill in building up the atmosphere from the nerves and cautious manouverings beforehand to the ensuing carnage keeps the reader gripped throughout. Prebble has an extraordinary ability to see through the eyes of the soldier- British regular or Highland clansman- and it is this 'common-man's view' which makes this book stand out from other pieces.
Prebble contributes a thorough description of the aftermath of the battle, several chapters long, which details the suffering of the Highlands post-Culloden. Beginning on the field of battle, much of this part of the book makes for uncomfortable reading; be it the squalid, cramped (admittedly inadequate) conditions of the Inverness Tolbooth which was used to hold captive Jacobites, the slaughter of innocent bystanders or the attitude of British army officers to their defeated foe, this is not for the faint-hearted.
Generally speaking Prebble writes with a respect for both sides whilst showing sympathy and sorrow for the defeated Highlanders in the atrocious aftermath of the battle. I always thoroughly enjoy Prebble's method of telling a story, for story-telling is what it feels like as you read this book.
This is an historical text which has stood and is still standing the test of time.
Although Prebble's model of events during the battle is generally accepted to be outdated, the author's skill in building up the atmosphere from the nerves and cautious manouverings beforehand to the ensuing carnage keeps the reader gripped throughout. Prebble has an extraordinary ability to see through the eyes of the soldier- British regular or Highland clansman- and it is this 'common-man's view' which makes this book stand out from other pieces.
Prebble contributes a thorough description of the aftermath of the battle, several chapters long, which details the suffering of the Highlands post-Culloden. Beginning on the field of battle, much of this part of the book makes for uncomfortable reading; be it the squalid, cramped (admittedly inadequate) conditions of the Inverness Tolbooth which was used to hold captive Jacobites, the slaughter of innocent bystanders or the attitude of British army officers to their defeated foe, this is not for the faint-hearted.
Generally speaking Prebble writes with a respect for both sides whilst showing sympathy and sorrow for the defeated Highlanders in the atrocious aftermath of the battle. I always thoroughly enjoy Prebble's method of telling a story, for story-telling is what it feels like as you read this book.
This is an historical text which has stood and is still standing the test of time.
Format:Paperback
This is a meticulously researched narrative hostory of the events leading up to Culloden and that fateful battle itself. The author does an amazing job of describing the situation in the Scottish highlands of the time, and exploring the various threads and political intrigues that led up to this rebellion. He describes the conditions in the British army and amongst the highlanders, and no holds are barred in his description of the bloody aftermarth either.
This is no romantic fairy tale history. This is the story of what happeend at Culloden, and why. The author considers all points of view, without bias, in his presentation.
If you only read one book about Culloden ever, this should be the one you read.
This is no romantic fairy tale history. This is the story of what happeend at Culloden, and why. The author considers all points of view, without bias, in his presentation.
If you only read one book about Culloden ever, this should be the one you read.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Readable and interesting account of the battle and surrounding events
If you're simply after learning a little more about the battle, the people and the general period of history this book is perfect. Read more
Published on 19 Jan 2009 by Chaz
Culloden Reviewed
Culloden by John Prebble is probably the best known book about the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745 and has not been out of print since it was published forty years ago. Read more
Published on 11 Feb 2004 by Junius
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
