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tonyatemplar's review
adventurous
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Exactly my sort of book to have on my table & dip into.
I love anything to do with History.
I love anything to do with History.
katreadsalot's review against another edition
3.0
This is a little different then history I am used to reading, but that is because of the topic (which requires a lot of prodding and pulling the evidence to determine the meaning) and the 'journalistic' style. Overall, I enjoyed it .
lara_dillon's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
5.0
otherwyrld's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't enjoy this book quite as much as the previous one I read by this author ([b:The Story of the British Isles in 100 Places|37830789|The Story of the British Isles in 100 Places|Neil Oliver|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1530217525s/37830789.jpg|59513140]) perhaps because he is an author better suited to being read in short snippets rather than long form text. Having said that, it is still an eminently readable book for those interested in the subject.
The book covers the whole history of Britain from the retreat of the ice 100,000 years ago to the end of the Roman era in relatively broad sweeps as shown by the chapters headings like "Bronze" and "Invasion". Note that it only covers the island of Great Britain, so excludes Ireland. As is usual for the author, there is a Scottish emphasis to the book which is perhaps more easily forgiven in the earlier parts where "history has trodden more lightly on the past in the North", meaning that more relics of the past have survived in the wilder places of Scotland than in the more heavily populated southern lands. This tends to go more awry later on when more of an emphasis in the south would have balanced the book better.
In the end I don't think that I learned a huge amount that was totally new to me, but I would still recommend it if your knowledge of British history starts at 43 A.D. (which is true for a lot of British children, the prehistory of Britain is simply ignored in schools for the most part)
The book covers the whole history of Britain from the retreat of the ice 100,000 years ago to the end of the Roman era in relatively broad sweeps as shown by the chapters headings like "Bronze" and "Invasion". Note that it only covers the island of Great Britain, so excludes Ireland. As is usual for the author, there is a Scottish emphasis to the book which is perhaps more easily forgiven in the earlier parts where "history has trodden more lightly on the past in the North", meaning that more relics of the past have survived in the wilder places of Scotland than in the more heavily populated southern lands. This tends to go more awry later on when more of an emphasis in the south would have balanced the book better.
In the end I don't think that I learned a huge amount that was totally new to me, but I would still recommend it if your knowledge of British history starts at 43 A.D. (which is true for a lot of British children, the prehistory of Britain is simply ignored in schools for the most part)
whatwillreads's review
4.0
Oliver has managed to condense thousands of years of ancient British history into a concise, informative and fascinating work. I feel like I've learnt about an incredible amount of history in a mere 400 pages. I did find the prose a bit cumbersome at times and expressions were often repeated, such as "I challenge anyone to hold (artifact) and not feel (a profound emotion)." Still thoroughly enjoyed it though.
hobbleit's review
5.0
Absolutely loved this book. Picked it up out of a desire to know more about prehistory and couldn't put it down. It is a very accessible book for people who know nothing of the subject and is written in a very easy to grasp manner without talking down to the reader.
A perfect starter book.
A perfect starter book.
alicemelton243's review
5.0
Utterly mind blowing. Neil Oliver has such a knack for putting things in perspective.