From the invaders of the dark ages to today's coalition, one of Britain's most respected journalists, Simon Jenkins, weaves together a strong narrative with all the most important and interesting dates in a book that characteristically is as stylish as it is authoritative. There have been long synoptic histories of England but until now there has been no standard short work covering all significant events, themes and individuals. Published in association with the National Trust, and beautifully illustrated, this magisterial history will be the standard work for years to come.
A Short History of England
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Review
'An exciting account of England's history by a major figure whose zeal for his subject shines through his prose'
--Jeremy Black, Professor of History at the University of Exeter
'Let Jenkins sweep you through England's history, painting a vivid picture of this country's green and pleasant land' --City AM
'Where Jenkins excels is in his very journalistic approach... The historical events are joined up, and work as narrative' --Time Out
'A lucid and handsomely illustrated narrative, from the Saxon dawn of England to the Cameron Government' --The Times
'Full of stand-out facts ... Absolutely fascinating ... I've learnt an awful lot' --Richard Bacon, BBC Radio 2
'Immediately accessible' --Prospect
'This is traditional, kings-and-things, great-men history with all its dates and famous quotations in place ... it's jolly good ... Jenkins has a newspaper columnist's aphoristic verve ... judgements are crisp' --Spectator
'Entertaining' --Sunday Times
'Full of good writing and lively anecdotes ... worth perusing for pleasure and food for thought' --New Statesman
'A characteristically bold, wry, fluent, combative gallop through English history' --Max Hastings
--Jeremy Black, Professor of History at the University of Exeter
'Let Jenkins sweep you through England's history, painting a vivid picture of this country's green and pleasant land' --City AM
'Where Jenkins excels is in his very journalistic approach... The historical events are joined up, and work as narrative' --Time Out
'A lucid and handsomely illustrated narrative, from the Saxon dawn of England to the Cameron Government' --The Times
'Full of stand-out facts ... Absolutely fascinating ... I've learnt an awful lot' --Richard Bacon, BBC Radio 2
'Immediately accessible' --Prospect
'This is traditional, kings-and-things, great-men history with all its dates and famous quotations in place ... it's jolly good ... Jenkins has a newspaper columnist's aphoristic verve ... judgements are crisp' --Spectator
'Entertaining' --Sunday Times
'Full of good writing and lively anecdotes ... worth perusing for pleasure and food for thought' --New Statesman
'A characteristically bold, wry, fluent, combative gallop through English history' --Max Hastings
Book Description
The definitive concise account of our remarkable past
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
87 of 91 people found the following review helpful
By Reader
Format:Hardcover
Simon Jenkins captured my attention when he wrote the wonderful England's Thousand Best Churches. I read a review of this book and realised that I am familiar with parts of English History but how they all link together is slightly fuzzy! Simon Jenkins, with his distinctive style, takes you from the Saxton Dawn to the present day. There is an enormous amount of information to pack into a 400 page book, and there are times when I desperately wanted more detail, but overall it is hugely satisfying: A chronological yet hugely interesting and entertaining account of our story.
I wish i had had read this when I did my A level in history. Now I will be sharing it with my family to ensure they have fewer gaps in their history
I wish i had had read this when I did my A level in history. Now I will be sharing it with my family to ensure they have fewer gaps in their history
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By William
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Having read quite a few complete histories of England, I have to say that Simon Jenkins has produced something of a masterpiece of brevity. For some reason people get very shirty about popular histories as if they must be long and detailed to have any merit. Personally, I disagree; and Jenkins rather proves the point. He writes engagingly but seriously and pulls together the threads of English history into an even and compelling narrative. He is especially good on the evolution of Parliamentary democracy from its early beginnings. If you want an undemanding, concise but remarkably complete history of England, then look no further.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By Charles
Format:Hardcover
A highly commendable volume.Lavishly presented and extensively illustrated. Covering the period 410 to the present in 384 pages it is, as its title indicates, a "short history". However, all key individuals and events are covered chronologically in summary form in thirty-two chapters making for extremely easy reference. Thus the book fills a gap between the alphabetically-arranged quick reference type book and the multiple-volume extensive works. Thus there are separate shortish chapters on such periods as "Saxon Dawn", "William the Conqueror", "Magna Carta", "Reformation", "Victorian Dawn", "The First World War", "Thatcherism" and so on. There is also a lists of "One Hundred Key Dates", "Kings and Queens of England from 1066" and "Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom". Written in easy to read manner, this is a 'must' book for those who want a reference book about all the significant events and people of English history that is neither too brief to be of much use or too detailed and extensive for ready reference.
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
"I have roamed England all my life," writes author and National Trust chairman Simon Jenkins. "For all that, until recently I did not know England, for I was not aware of how it came to be." He rectifies that oversight with this sweeping one-volume history of England, from the departure of the Romans in the late third century AD to the recent forming of the Coalition Goverment. He structures the book as a narrative, centred on key events and individuals, which is readable, gripping and almost breakneck in style (he covers over 1,500 years in only 350-odd pages) -- a real page-turner, in fact. The book is an exposition of how and why, as Jenkins concludes, "England has been a success as a country".
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
History on a plate easy to read and inspirational style of presentation
3 Nov 2011
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Heard about the book from the author during a programme on radio 4 . Inspirational talk which prompted me to want to buy and read more I am dipping in and out of each section/chapter which is easy to do.It is a must for everyone curious or wanting to find out more about the (hyphen people) Anglo-Saxon race and the growth, contribution and resiliance of this talented race to present day England.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Simon Jenkins has produced a superb, clear version of English history. Jenkins doesn't mess around with needless detail but gives the basic history in a narrative that is as enticing as it is beautifully produced. This should be the new textbook for beginners in English history and every true Brit should have a copy on their bookshelf.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By d j ryles
Format:Paperback
This is a very annoying book. The author often leaves out important information.
The first time the House of Lords was mentioned I wondered - where did that come from? That's the type if thing you read a book like this to find out, but there's no explanation at all. I thought I may have missed something and checked the index, only to find that the House of Lords doesn't get a listing for another hundred or so pages.
The author tells us of the death of people he's neglected to tell us were alive to begin with. If someone's death is important enough to include surely we should be told who they were and why their death is of note.
Most surprising of all is how badly written this book is. The writing here tends to confuse rather than clarify. I find myself having to constantly look things up to discover what the author was trying to say. That many of the wikipedia pages I've looked at in order to make sense of this book are more accurate and written in far better prose than the author's should make him ashamed.
The first time the House of Lords was mentioned I wondered - where did that come from? That's the type if thing you read a book like this to find out, but there's no explanation at all. I thought I may have missed something and checked the index, only to find that the House of Lords doesn't get a listing for another hundred or so pages.
The author tells us of the death of people he's neglected to tell us were alive to begin with. If someone's death is important enough to include surely we should be told who they were and why their death is of note.
Most surprising of all is how badly written this book is. The writing here tends to confuse rather than clarify. I find myself having to constantly look things up to discover what the author was trying to say. That many of the wikipedia pages I've looked at in order to make sense of this book are more accurate and written in far better prose than the author's should make him ashamed.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Excellent and interesting study of English history from Saxon England at the start of the 5th century up to the the present. Well presented, informative and a damn good read.Forget boring, instead fascinating!A Short History of England
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great read
I bought this for my Kindle as a holiday read but enjoyed it so much that I bought the hard copy so I can dip into it with
ease. Read more
ease. Read more
Published 4 days ago by Jennifer Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars
Short(ish) and entertaining
A whistle stop tour through England's remarkable history. Couldn't really put it down and feel much better informed about our amazing Country. Read more
Published 6 days ago by P. Wyatt
4.0 out of 5 stars
Aninteresting history book
A well written clear and interesting book. I learnt quite a few new details of history that had passed me by.
Published 7 days ago by M Rushby
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Cracking Read
An excellent book that outlines the history of England from as far back as there are records kept. Well written with some good illustrations.
Published 9 days ago by Peter Naylor
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brief review
Jenkins managed to clearly compose the complicated history of England within this short book . I conclude by saying job welcome!
Published 10 days ago by Berhanewoldemichael woldemichael
2.0 out of 5 stars
Too difficult to read (apparently)
I bought this for my wife so that she could have a better grasp of history to explain to the children when they asked. Read more
Published 10 days ago by M. D. W. Wilson
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Short History of England: Excellent if you are interested in the...
The author is brilliant at guiding the reader through the 'chapter' of history, with not too much emphasise on dates, which can sometimes 'foggy' the sequence of eventas.
Published 15 days ago by Pauline Woodhouse
2.0 out of 5 stars
Factually incorrect too many times
Well written and a good read but completely undermined by a number of instances of getting the facts wrong, sloppy work indeed.
Published 19 days ago by Martin
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very helpful summary of English history
I can never remember all our kings and prime ministers and all those wars we have fought, so this is a very useful book, written in a lively modern style so it doesn't get dull.
Published 1 month ago by MRS H BIRKBECK
1.0 out of 5 stars
Heavy bias
I would not recommend this book at all. I understand that it is about English history, but I thought that it would take a more balanced viewpoint. Read more
Published 1 month ago by M. Brown
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