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msktprsns's review against another edition
1.0
Dreadful. A fever dream of historical and cultural references, and not in a nice way. I couldn't get past the first chapter, though I did wade through multiple preambles just to get there. The author's writing is so tortured and disorganized it was impossible to keep track of any points he attempted to make. If, indeed, he had any. I'm very disappointed. It's a fascinating subject, and like the author, I'm fond of nautical history and themes so thought his interest might lead to some new insights. Alas - it was more of a stroll through his completely disorganized mind. Give it a miss.
anubhaghoshal's review against another edition
4.0
I've never seen such a smooth way to write history that isn't boring, its informative as well as feels like you ain't reading reality but a made up story. Let's be honest who can read history in such an interesting way and not get bored.
I am a history student, and yes, I've read plenty of history books, like over 70 now, am at post-graduate level and I love history, but I also accept that history can be boring, not always, but to be honest, mostly.
While starting this book, I kind of wanted to know why the Old world ended and that's why I picked up the book, just for knowledge purpose with minimum or no expectation at all. So yes, the interesting writing was a sweet surprise to me. I just read a few pages, kind of tried to screen through it but actually found myself to be absorbed into the book and kept on picking it, even when I had my exams, and all I studied throughout the day was history, to go to bed with another history book was a huge deal to me. But boy, am I glad!
The book takes you through the British landscape, and the neighbouring countries, the ethnological and national diversity, etc. It introduces you to a replublican form of an empire and how many wars and battles were being fought.
It introduces you to archpelagic state formation which also is viewed in some Asian countries.
Since Britain is surrounded by water and the best strength it has is its naval power for which it is renowned throughout the world, the author walks you through its importance, advantages, etc. Further, there is the Industrial revolution, the reasons, why Britain was the first to experience it, how it brought socio-economical changes in the society, how it impacted the population within the country and abroad, in its colonies.
Further, there are maps that are provided, which aid in comprehending the context and geography in the reader's mind. I found that really interesting and helpful personally to actually see the areas things were occurring. And lastly, the book emphasises upon the cultural contexts of the revolution and reign.
A special thanks to the publisher for sending me an advanced copy of this book.
I am a history student, and yes, I've read plenty of history books, like over 70 now, am at post-graduate level and I love history, but I also accept that history can be boring, not always, but to be honest, mostly.
While starting this book, I kind of wanted to know why the Old world ended and that's why I picked up the book, just for knowledge purpose with minimum or no expectation at all. So yes, the interesting writing was a sweet surprise to me. I just read a few pages, kind of tried to screen through it but actually found myself to be absorbed into the book and kept on picking it, even when I had my exams, and all I studied throughout the day was history, to go to bed with another history book was a huge deal to me. But boy, am I glad!
The book takes you through the British landscape, and the neighbouring countries, the ethnological and national diversity, etc. It introduces you to a replublican form of an empire and how many wars and battles were being fought.
It introduces you to archpelagic state formation which also is viewed in some Asian countries.
Since Britain is surrounded by water and the best strength it has is its naval power for which it is renowned throughout the world, the author walks you through its importance, advantages, etc. Further, there is the Industrial revolution, the reasons, why Britain was the first to experience it, how it brought socio-economical changes in the society, how it impacted the population within the country and abroad, in its colonies.
Further, there are maps that are provided, which aid in comprehending the context and geography in the reader's mind. I found that really interesting and helpful personally to actually see the areas things were occurring. And lastly, the book emphasises upon the cultural contexts of the revolution and reign.
A special thanks to the publisher for sending me an advanced copy of this book.
deearr's review
4.0
The author’s focus is to explain the events leading up to the end of old world as well as the emergence of England as a world superpower. Sometimes, though, it seemed that the author’s purpose was to inject as many facts as possible, neglecting to always take the effort to further explain. Many times I felt like the history was incomplete, and I was forced to initiate my own research in order to understand what was happening. This was counterproductive, as the whole idea of reading the book was to enlighten me, not cause me to constantly be searching the Internet to fill in the blanks the author had left for me. While this method would be wonderful for those already well-versed in the history described, it didn’t work for me.
Other times, a quick statement was left to suffice, and sometimes wasn’t sufficient to convey exactly what happened (for instance, in a passage referring to the late 18th century, “By this time, the American Revolution had been provoked in part by a tax on tea.” I am sure the author knows there were many other items that prompted the American Revolution, and tea would have fit in with other claims of taxation without representation. The mixed writing voice caused some jarring moments. Sentences like “Initially Clarendon instructed him to cool his jets” could have easily been phrased to match the book’s historical period and still be pleasing to modern eyes and ears. Injecting everyday vernacular into the book felt more like an invasion.
Mr. Scott has compiled much data from research, unearthing some offbeat, interesting items sandwiched in from time to time (for instance, the British Parliament and public/private investment constructed a national turnpike beginning in 1696, with 52% of it authorized between 1750 and 1770). The history of Europe up until the 20th century is a subject I have not read much about, and so most of what I did learn from this book was new. As stated above, I wish this book would have been more accessible to those of us who have not had the opportunity to examine that period of time previous to this reading, but in fairness, I may not have been the target audience. Anyone who chooses to read this book will definitely learn a lot of facts not in your ordinary history books. Four stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and yale University Press for an advance electronic copy of this book.
Other times, a quick statement was left to suffice, and sometimes wasn’t sufficient to convey exactly what happened (for instance, in a passage referring to the late 18th century, “By this time, the American Revolution had been provoked in part by a tax on tea.” I am sure the author knows there were many other items that prompted the American Revolution, and tea would have fit in with other claims of taxation without representation. The mixed writing voice caused some jarring moments. Sentences like “Initially Clarendon instructed him to cool his jets” could have easily been phrased to match the book’s historical period and still be pleasing to modern eyes and ears. Injecting everyday vernacular into the book felt more like an invasion.
Mr. Scott has compiled much data from research, unearthing some offbeat, interesting items sandwiched in from time to time (for instance, the British Parliament and public/private investment constructed a national turnpike beginning in 1696, with 52% of it authorized between 1750 and 1770). The history of Europe up until the 20th century is a subject I have not read much about, and so most of what I did learn from this book was new. As stated above, I wish this book would have been more accessible to those of us who have not had the opportunity to examine that period of time previous to this reading, but in fairness, I may not have been the target audience. Anyone who chooses to read this book will definitely learn a lot of facts not in your ordinary history books. Four stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and yale University Press for an advance electronic copy of this book.
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