As an overview history book, there's really not a lot to discuss here- we know how the story ends. This is the third "Brit history" book I've read in the last few years, and the best (the other two are reviewed here). Though geared towards a younger audience, there's an awful lot of information in here. Some things I enjoyed:
- some Brit history books pay little to no lip service to the period before William the Conqueror, in 1066. This one covers the Roman and Anglo-Saxon/Viking period in a little more depth.
- each page is a topic. It makes the reading choppy- you're not reading one long narrative- but it is informative, and it's easy to read in short bursts, as time allows.
- it's heavy on the graphics. Each page has a variety of drawings, photos, or maps to help describe the topic.
The only thing that bothered me was the title. Like almost every other history book that calls itself "a history of Britain," this is heavily focused on the English, and pays little homage to the Welsh, Scottish, or Irish. That aside, if you're interested in learning British history, I'd recommend this as a starting point.
Rating: A
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