Read Online The Story of Britain A History of the Great Ages From the Romans to the Present Roy Strong Books

Product details Hardcover 608 pages Publisher Pegasus Books; 1 edition (February 5, 2019) Language English ISBN-10 1643130137

The Story of Britain A History of the Great Ages From the Romans to the Present Roy Strong Books Reviews

• As an American who has spent some time studying US history, beginning to study British history can be an intimidating task - there's just so much there compared to what we're used to. In "The Story of Britain" Roy Strong tackles the ambitious task of covering all of that history in one book. It is somewhat inevitable that it is tough to digest much of the content in one reading.
  
  You fly through Celts, Romans, Saxons, and Normans; skip from George to Henry, to Richard, to Elizabeth, then Mary and back again; meet Walpole and Cromwell and Chamberlain and Churchill not to mention Chaucer and Shakespeare. Frankly, it's a bit overwhelming. That said - this seems like a great place to begin a study of British history; just enough to give you some context for deeper reading to come, or as a capstone of sorts for someone who has read a lot of British History and is looking for a way to draw it all together.
  
  This book sets out to cover all of British recorded history in a managable length and does it with all of the weaknesses that have to come along with that approach. That's not an indictment, this is a good book, but it's really not adequate to read on its own for someone who wants a deep understanding of British history. Its author tells you as much in the intro.
• For this non Brit, this work is informative, concise using highest word craft of the Queen's English. The plates are "fantastic" in the Formula 1 lingo. +Gave me an incentive to take an history tour of the Empire.
• This is the best book I have ever read about Britain/England History. That's why I am buying this new version to keep it forever. It covers England's History from Celtic times to the eighties(20th century). Easy to read, clear, comprehensive. A must read book.
• Sister Queens caught my eye a while back - turned out to be a captivating story and an excellent book. It's always fun to visit a period one believed to be familiar only to find that the real story is richer than ever imagined. Thus an interest in British history was sparked. I picked up The Story of Britain hoping to get a general overview without it feeling like a school assignment or text book. I was not disappointed. Strong does a good job of covering the major events moving from ruler to ruler and period to period telling the key stories with enough detail to keep interest without making the book ridiculously long.
  
  I marked this book with three stars because it was a good book, but not one I would read again. It was well written, but there were no surprises in the eloquence of Strong's style, just a straight forward narrative history. The long and short of it is, that I'm not sure a survey such as this can get more than a 3. The material is fixed and there is only so much one can do to make the book engaging. Never the less, I would recommend it for anyone interested in a concise survey of Britain. With this overview, I feel that many gaps and misunderstanding in my knowledge have been filled and corrected. From here I will go back to more specific biographies and continue to develop a better understanding of the history of Britain.
• This book definitely has some points in its favor; it's very well-illustrated, fairly comprehensive and readable. However, it also has its flaws. The writing is a bit weak in spots; the author often repeats himself and at other times is unclear. Also, while he mostly sticks to accepted history, like many modern historians he sometimes veers off into opinionated revisionism (e.g. Henry V's "disgraceful" victory at Agincourt). Worse, some things he writes are just plain silly, such as the assertion that the original Celtic inhabitants of Britain were descended from (evidently very slow-moving) hunters who were stuck on the island when it separated from Europe 300,000 years ago - but no homo sapiens existed back then, even in Africa! The problem with books that contain questionable (to be generous) material like this is that everything else you read that you don't already know must be thrown into doubt - kind of ruins the learning process.
  
  Also, as has been mentioned by other reviewers, this is not really a history of Britain, but of England.
  
  But, all-in-all, an attractive, accessible book for the casual historian. It held my interest - but not highly recommended.
• This is the first time I have attempted to read a general British history. I'm enjoying reading this book but am continuously frustrated by the lack of maps. Why would the author go to the trouble to define archaeology, thinking we would be so stupid as to not know what archaeology is, but yet think we would know where all these places are that he refers to? The pictures are wonderful -- how hard would it have been to have maps? Every time I read a place name, I want to be able to find it on a map.
  
  Another frustration. P. 22 a king is killed by the British -- its unclear who the "British" are this point in the writing. The author has just listed a bunch of kingdoms that exist, not a single one is labeled Britain, so I have no idea who killed this king.
  
  Someone who doesn't know British history needs to read this book and supply a list of questions & problems to the editor, so that the unclear parts get fixed. And of course the historical inaccuracies need fixing, but that is for someone else to complain about.
  
  I think a new edition of this book would be worthwhile -- it is worth rescuing from its problems.
• I am a mother of three children and have historical questions thrown at me each week. After a long search I found Roy Strong's,excellently written The Story of Britian, it is easy to understand, no waffle, clear and concise, the perfect book for quick referance on history. It is the ideal starting point for any historical matter, from 55B.C. to the postscript beyond 1990. A valuable book for all households with children.
• It is so well written and I am just breezing through it. Sir Roy Strong is a wonderful writer and this book is a must for anyone who loves Britain and its history.