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.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
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 15 days 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 21 days ago by M. Brown
4.0 out of 5 stars
I am sure I will enjoy this
I have not started to read the book yet but a brief look through the pages suggests a good read and more importantly the book will satisfy what I was looking for
Published 22 days ago by R. H. Bradley
5.0 out of 5 stars
History for non-historians.
As near as you can get to Bill Bryson in readability and clarity. Essential reading for any scholar of English history. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Roger M. Skidmore
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Morsel of English History
If you want a quick and brief run through English History this is the book for you. I enjoyed the earlier parts of the book. Read more
Published 1 month ago by G. Perfect
4.0 out of 5 stars
History compressed.
I hated history at school ,so left it out when I could.Now many years later I thought this book would fill a lot of gaps. Read more
Published 1 month ago by R. D. Mayles
4.0 out of 5 stars
Does what it says on tin
An easy to read history of England that covers all the important happenings, Kings,Queens & Prime Ministers that you could possibly want.
Published 2 months ago by annieO
4.0 out of 5 stars
Short History
If you want something quick and thorough, this is the book for you. It gallops through the ages but covers everything importent.
Published 2 months ago by Michael
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love It !!!
This is a great read as no section dwells too long on one particular period. Just snippets through English history. Very interesting.
Published 3 months ago by Val
5.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining and easy to read.
`A Short History of England' is essentially a Whig narrative. England, according to Jenkins, has been shaped by the political elite and thus, his book delves into the legacies of... Read more
Published 4 months ago by William Strickland
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