- Paperback: 352 pages
- Publisher: Penguin; New edition edition (26 Oct 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0140247335
- ISBN-13: 978-0140247336
- Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.8 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
-
Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
140,018 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #20 in Books > History > Other Historical Subjects > Historians > Wood, Michael
- #77 in Books > History > Political History > Nationalism
- See Complete Table of Contents
| |||||||||||||||
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 |
Product Description
Product Description
Where does the idea of England and Englishness come from? Can we see it beginning in the Dark and Middle Ages? Michael Wood tackles these fascinating questions in two ways. First, with a series of pieces on famous English myths. And secondly by looking at the history of half a dozen places in England: a farmhouse on Dartmoor, a battlefield in Sheffield, a medieval village near Leicester... By these means he describes the origins of a sense of Englishness, and how it has developed through the centuries.
"The book triumphs... His England is both a real place and an invented community which has proved its worth" TLS
About the Author
Michael Wood studied Anglo-Saxon history at Oriel College, Oxford. He has since made over 60 films including most recently In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great for BBC-2, which was also a number one bestseller for BBC Books. He lives in London NW3 with his wife and two daughters.
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
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Just echoing Colin's review. Although I've only read the first three essays it's crystal clear that this is another wonderful book by Michael Wood. Of all the 'history' books I've read only Michael Wood has the ability and boundless enthusiasm to fully pull me in and not let go. The essays ranging from King Arthur to Robin Hood have been superb; the fact that Mr Wood pulls comments from Monty Python only adds to my total enjoyment.
While the subject may sound dusty dry & boring even if you're not interested in history give your brain a treat & get hold of this or any of Michael Wood's books.
While the subject may sound dusty dry & boring even if you're not interested in history give your brain a treat & get hold of this or any of Michael Wood's books.
33 of 35 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Although I love history, the Anglo-Saxons have done little for me. However, this book is changing all that. This is a compelling and highly accessible series of essays which, like Michael Wood's TV programmes, sweep you along in their enthusiasm and sheer pleasure of each subject. The essays are built around three themes: myth; manuscripts and mysteries; and landscape and people. The "myth" essays, which tackle issues like the Norman Yoke, King Arthur, and Robin Hood, may not break new ground but set out what scholars do know crisply and comprehensively. The book really starts to fly when Michael Wood delves into specific local stories - a psalter in the British library, a farmhouse in Devon, a village in Leicestershire - and brings the history of England alive. There is real power and compassion in, for example, his account of the Jarrow of Bede.
Of the many books around at present which seek to define England and Englishness, this will take some beating.
7 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
In a set of essays pulled together for this publication, the astonishingly accessible Michael Wood again manages to convey a sense of wonder and interest in history (which school sadly never did). He also gives insight into his own growth as an historian (a fifteen year old traipsing around woods near Sheffield or visits to Montgomery in the House of Commons.
The theme starts with the premise that much of what we view as the quintessence of English-ness is a sense of place and myth that largely predates the Norman invaders. For a while the book built in me a sense of (thousand years too late) rebellion against the Normans who displaced the noble England building Anglo Saxons.
Underneath this though, the Anglo Saxons (and the Belgea) in their turn displaced post-Roman structures, and in turn the Celts / Picts...
The triumph of the Anglo Saxons is the language and local structures (shires / hundreds / parishes).
Moving along more recent immigration is touched on (in this case the initial forced immigration of slavery) in the example of a West Indian family who 'Always knew they were English". Given the obsession with immigration in the early 21st century, it is nice to note that over time (e.g. Hugenots and other pre-1900s immigrants) they all add to the rich fabric of Englishness and an identity survives it all. Maybe there is hope for us all!
Why only four stars? Just the fact that I wanted a re-work of some of the pieces to make the overall book read more consistently.
The theme starts with the premise that much of what we view as the quintessence of English-ness is a sense of place and myth that largely predates the Norman invaders. For a while the book built in me a sense of (thousand years too late) rebellion against the Normans who displaced the noble England building Anglo Saxons.
Underneath this though, the Anglo Saxons (and the Belgea) in their turn displaced post-Roman structures, and in turn the Celts / Picts...
The triumph of the Anglo Saxons is the language and local structures (shires / hundreds / parishes).
Moving along more recent immigration is touched on (in this case the initial forced immigration of slavery) in the example of a West Indian family who 'Always knew they were English". Given the obsession with immigration in the early 21st century, it is nice to note that over time (e.g. Hugenots and other pre-1900s immigrants) they all add to the rich fabric of Englishness and an identity survives it all. Maybe there is hope for us all!
Why only four stars? Just the fact that I wanted a re-work of some of the pieces to make the overall book read more consistently.
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
- Books > History > Britain & Ireland > Ireland
- Books > History > Cultural History
- Books > History > Other Historical Subjects > Historians > Wood, Michael
- Books > History > Political History > Nationalism
- Books > History > Social & Economic History
- Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Social Sciences
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.
