Sunday, January 10, 2010

Sunday Review: The Story of England

I love history, especially that of the United States and England. Having spent a fair amount of time in England, I was curious to know more about its history.

I found The Story of England by Christopher Hibbert. At 189 pages (each containing pictures), it seems too short to cover the history of England going all the way back to the Romans, Celts and Anglo-Saxons. But Hibbert gives it a go, and is impressive in his ability to give a good summation of the known history of my favorite small island.

Most interesting, of course, are the Tudor and early Stuart periods (Henry VIII, Elizabeth I), the Georgian period--in particular, the Regency, when George IV was Prince Regent for his ailing father, George III--and Britain's steadfast iron will in the face of the German Blitz of World War II. Hibbert gives each of these periods their due, connecting each to the next period in history, and helping unfold the story of how Britain became the leading world power before "declining" to what it is today (I put the word declining in quotes because it's not as though England has stopped being some kind of power in entirety).

If you're interested in history, kings and queens, and a marvelous little island north of Europe, by all means, get this book.

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