The English and their History

by Robert Tombs

Hardcover, 2014

Status

Available

Call number

942

Genres

Collection

Arcachon

Publication

Allen Lane (2014), Hardcover, 1024 pages

Description

"The English and Their History presents the momentous story of England "first as an idea, and then as a kingdom, as a country, a people and a culture." Here, in a single volume, is a fresh and comprehensive account of the English and their history. With extraordinary insight, Robert Tombs examines language, literature, law, religion, politics, and more while investigating the sources of England's collective memory and belief. The English and Their History spans 700,000 years, from the island's very first inhabitants to the present day, stopping along the way to recount the tales of conquerors, kings, and queens; a nation's myths and legends, facts and extraordinary truths. No history of England has come close to matching the scale and scope of this historical masterwork--with an eye for detail to rival his ambition, Tombs has managed to cover every significant happening and development over hundreds of thousands of years while accessibly explaining how they connect. But The English and Their History is more a work of narrative nonfiction than one of reference or record, expertly guiding the reader from footprints in the mud of early Homo sapiens through Shakespeare, Reformation, revolution, and industrialization in a narrative stretching all the way to the present"--… (more)

Media reviews

The Observer

Tombs confutes his fellow historians who insist that England should in the 21st century be denied a distinctive history of its own, but instead be subsumed into “British history”.

User reviews

LibraryThing member Schmerguls

This is a 2015 book which covers the whole history of England right up through 2014. The author is a history profsssor at the University of Cambridge and so he definitely shows a pro-English bias when dealing with events in which the USA and England had differences (e.g., he downplays the events

which caused the American Revolution and says the British negotiator of the Treaty of Paris which gave the colonies independence was a pushover for the colonies' negotiators. But I found the account unfailingly absorbing reading even though I have read a lot of Englixh history. This is certainly one of the best books I have read this year and there is scarcely a dull page in its 1002 pages.

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LibraryThing member annbury

Professor Tombs writes a very decent prose and the main reason for deducting a half star is his pro British bias. For example, he writes that the Irish famine was nobody's fault, even though the Whigs were elected and totally screwed up the relief effort. He also praises the English or the British

empire for ending slavery. In another error, he states that the Indian famine was nobody's fault even though he cites two Brits as being totally at fault.
In terms of WWI, he thinks that all of the poets got things wrong and that we should honor the idiots who served and got shot "because they believed in their cause and they went voluntarily". He does like Winston Churchill, especially for his rallying of the country during WWll. The book is insanely long at almost 900 pages, and it is a heavy read. Overall, though, his take on Thatcher and Blair is good and this is a worthwhile effort.

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LibraryThing member mnicol

As good as the blurbs say - but not a quick read

LibraryThing member charlie68

A comprehensive account of English History from earliest times to almost present day. Very enjoyable to listen to and contemplate.

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