A History Of Britain, Simon Schama
A History Of Britain, Simon Schama
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A History Of Britain
Volume 1: At The Edge Of The World? 3000BC - AD 1603

Author: Simon Schama

Narrator: Timothy West

Unabridged: 7 hr 57 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 12/01/2004

Synopsis

To look back at the past is to understand the present. In this vivid account of over 4,000 years of British history Simon Schama takes us on an epic journey which encompasses the very beginnings of the nation’s identity, when the first settlers landed on Orkney. From the successes and failures of the monarchy to the daily life of a Roman soldier stationed on Hadrian’s Wall, Schama gives a vivid, fascinating account of the many different stories and struggles that lie behind the growth of our island nation. Simon Schama’s hugely successful BBC 2 series has shown him to be one of our most original and exciting historians. Timothy West’s abridged reading of the book accompanying the series, introduced by Schama himself reading his own Preface, bears further testimony to his extraordinary gift for story-telling. 'Schama is a giant, a great thinking-machine and a golden lyricist as well' - Mail on Sunday.

About Simon Schama

Sir Simon Schama's award-winning books, which have been translated into twenty-three languages, include The Embarrassment of Riches, Citizens, Landscape and Memory, Rembrandt's Eyes, A History of Britain, The Power of Art, Rough Crossings, The American Future, The Face of Britain and The Story of the Jews. His art columns for the New Yorker won the National Magazine Award for criticism and his journalism has appeared regularly in the Guardian and the Financial Times, where he is Contributing Editor. He has written and presented more than fifty films for the BBC on subjects as diverse as Tolstoy and American politics, and he co-presented the landmark series on the history of world art, Civilisations. Most recently, his History of Now series aired on BBC2 in November–December 2022. Schama lives in New York and is University Professor of Art History and History at Columbia University. Foreign Bodies: Pandemics, Vaccines and the Health of Nations is his twentieth book.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Andrew on March 15, 2024

What really struck me as I started this book was how lucky I am to live in the age I do. It tracks the history of the Britain from its earliest settlers through to the death of Elizabeth I, though it should be noted that this timeline falls short of the actual unification into a sovereign state by a......more

Goodreads review by Riku on July 04, 2014

Too many Game Of Thrones spoilers. (view spoiler)[Well, it is not as if there are minutely exact parallels, but rough parallels are all over the place. Martin takes events from across English history and sticks them together to serve his plot. A murder-by-pushing from Elizabeth’s time might be stringed together wit (hide spoiler)]......more

Goodreads review by JenniferRuth on November 01, 2011

If you are looking for a book that will give you a general history of Britain then this is not the book you are looking for. Schama rigidly sticks to the politics of the English monarchy and covers little else. Scotland and Wales are mentioned only when their histories cross with England. Social his......more

Goodreads review by Kelly on May 23, 2008

This is the book that kickstarted my anglophilia when I was about 13 years old. I mean, I was already trending that way in my book choices (My Victorian thing started early), but this sealed the deal. It's a history book, over 400 pages that deals with thousands of years of history. And I just devou......more

Goodreads review by Katie on June 30, 2020

Maybe 3.5. An interesting history book but a bit limited in scope, and a little too royal-focused for my liking.......more

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