John Gillingham & Ralph A. Griffiths
Medieval Britain: A Very Short Introduction (2000)
History – 150 pages – my copy (paperback; 2000) bought for 50p in Plymouth Library
- 2 nods out of 5 -
The series ‘A Very Short Introduction’ has apparent ambitions of annexing the shelves of all good book stores. A browse in your nearest Waterstones will reveal a whole rack devoted to the books, ranging from historical to scientific issues, whilst taking in a whole host of other topics, some a tad needlessly (such as the one centred on ‘Love’?). Yes, they are opportunistic cash cows, with each edition now nearing the ten pound mark, whilst much of the text is nabbed from earlier publications – my very own read was originally printed in The Oxford Illustrated History of Britain, way back in 1984! Yet what of the quality?
This gentle, breezy read never has pretensions of grandeur, yet provides an informative run-through of four centuries of history, from the arrival of William the Conqueror to that of the Tudors. The authors chart the squabbles between kings and princes, sprinkled with some gruesome deaths: William Rufus shot by an arrow in a hunting “accident” (I say “accident” as medieval conspiracy theorists run rampant on other thoughts) and Edward II supposedly done to death by a red hot poker up the rear-end. It all has the making of a soap opera, albeit a rather gruesome and morbid one. Charted are the failures of King John, the heroics of King Richard, and the severe fist of King Edward – the hammer of the Scots.
Only in a couple of instances do the authors go beyond the call of duty in the sketching of these royal characters, commenting on the economy and social change of the period. Yet, full analysis is beyond the scope of such a short book (though appended is a comprehensive further reading list for the die-hard medieval enthusiast).
The series of introductory booklets march on, intent on covering every period and every notable person in history (and perhaps, eventually, every non-notable too). For those with no knowledge of the period in question, Gillingham’s and Griffiths’ chapters are a sufficient, if un-exceptional read.
History – 150 pages – my copy (paperback; 2000) bought for 50p in Plymouth Library
- 2 nods out of 5 -
The series ‘A Very Short Introduction’ has apparent ambitions of annexing the shelves of all good book stores. A browse in your nearest Waterstones will reveal a whole rack devoted to the books, ranging from historical to scientific issues, whilst taking in a whole host of other topics, some a tad needlessly (such as the one centred on ‘Love’?). Yes, they are opportunistic cash cows, with each edition now nearing the ten pound mark, whilst much of the text is nabbed from earlier publications – my very own read was originally printed in The Oxford Illustrated History of Britain, way back in 1984! Yet what of the quality?
This gentle, breezy read never has pretensions of grandeur, yet provides an informative run-through of four centuries of history, from the arrival of William the Conqueror to that of the Tudors. The authors chart the squabbles between kings and princes, sprinkled with some gruesome deaths: William Rufus shot by an arrow in a hunting “accident” (I say “accident” as medieval conspiracy theorists run rampant on other thoughts) and Edward II supposedly done to death by a red hot poker up the rear-end. It all has the making of a soap opera, albeit a rather gruesome and morbid one. Charted are the failures of King John, the heroics of King Richard, and the severe fist of King Edward – the hammer of the Scots.
Only in a couple of instances do the authors go beyond the call of duty in the sketching of these royal characters, commenting on the economy and social change of the period. Yet, full analysis is beyond the scope of such a short book (though appended is a comprehensive further reading list for the die-hard medieval enthusiast).
The series of introductory booklets march on, intent on covering every period and every notable person in history (and perhaps, eventually, every non-notable too). For those with no knowledge of the period in question, Gillingham’s and Griffiths’ chapters are a sufficient, if un-exceptional read.
