- Unknown Binding: 377 pages
- Publisher: Saunders (1992)
- Language English
- ASIN: B0006DKC0Y
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Pollard's "Seven Ages of Britain" explores British history from the perspective of the common people, describing what it might have been like to live in each of "seven ages" from the end of the last ice age until the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. The focus is not on royalty or battles (which are usually mentioned only in passing) but on the homes that people lived in, what they ate, how they farmed, who they married, what they believed in, how they celebrated and how their lives were changed during the great "ages" of British history. The settings include the end of the last ice age and the resulting formation of the English Channel, the prehistoric settlement of the British Isles, the Roman conquest, the Dark Ages, the Norman conquest, the Black Death and its aftermath, the Reformation and the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.
The book includes many interesting tidbits that make history come alive for the reader. Pollard explains, for example, that the difference between the Anglo-Saxon words "pig" and "cow" and the Norman French words "pork" and "beef" represents the gulf between conquered and conqueror. The Anglo-Saxons worked their farms for the benefit of the Normans, so we inherited their words for living animals; the Normans enjoyed the produce of their Anglo-Saxon tenants, and so we retained their words for the animals' meat. The observation is illuminating, and it provides a useful bit of trivia for conversation over cocktails.
If you enjoy Pollard's book, you might want to consider a few other works that stress the history and experiences of the common people, including Lacey and Danziger's "The Year 1000: What Life Was Like at the Turn of the First Millennium"; Danziger & Gillingham's "1215: The Year of Magna Carta"; and Julian Richards' "Meet the Ancestors: Unearthing the Evidence that Brings us Face to Face with the Past."
29 of 31 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
At last a history of Britain that talks about the people as a whole rather than the tiny handful of royals, politician and generals who dominate most histories.
This is a moving account of how the people of Britain lived over eight millennia, told with real passion and a great deal of humour. Mr Pollard has drawn together a incredibly wide range of sources, weaving the beautifully observed minutiae of daily life into the broader canvass of national events. It's a book that makes you feel like you have a place in history as something other than an outside observer. It just goes to show that when you remove the famous names that dominate history there is actually a better story hiding beneath. The accompanying TV series should be quite something.
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Tracing your family history or the history of where you live can be great fun but you're very lucky to be related to (or live in a house owned by) someone famous. This book makes the link between the local and family history that we all have and the 'big' history of the great names. If you want a good introduction to just where your family fits into British history then this is the book for you. Lots of great stories of normal people doing amazing things. Shame it stops in the 17th century. Any chance of a sequel?
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
SEVEN AGES OF BRITAIN
Following on from the comments of the previous review, I was extremely disappointed
with the "Fourth Age". Read more
with the "Fourth Age". Read more
Published 14 months ago by UBLOONY
Good taster for wider reading
A good introduction to the seven periods of British history the book distinguishes, serving as a useful taster for wider reading, especially the early chapters exploring less well... Read more
Published on 28 Jan 2007 by John Hopper
Loved it
If you want a quick but very interesting history of Britain with excellent details this is the one. Watched the TV series and learnt more from that than I did from 4 years learning... Read more
Published on 26 Jun 2004 by Mr. M. A. Howles
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