Product Description

From the Ice Age to the Cold War, from Reykjavik to the Volga, from Minos to Margaret Thatcher, this book tells the entire story of Europe in a single volume. It was chosen ten times as Book of the Year.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8015 in Books
• Published on: 1997-10-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 1385 pages

Review
The author triumphantly encompasses the first 5 million years of European history, from the ice age to the cold war and from Minos to Margaret Thatcher, in what is unquestionably the most ambitious work of its kind for over 50 years. Various presentational devices - panoramic tableaux of whole epochs and 'time capsules' focusing on historical by-ways, digressions and oddities - have to be used to render manageable the huge amount of material covered, but the whole story is convincingly told. Professor Davies, an expert on Poland, also demonstrates the centrality of events in Eastern Europe in the development of the European story. A scholarly and erudite book and a mine of the most diverse and fascinating information. Excellent value. (Kirkus UK)

Synopsis
From the Ice Age to the Cold War, from Reykjavik to the Volga, from Minos to Margaret Thatcher, this book tells the entire story of Europe in a single volume. It was chosen ten times as Book of the Year.

About the Author
Norman Davies is Professor of Polish History at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University of London. His previous books include God's Playground: A History of Europe (2 vols.) and Heart of Europe: A Short History of Poland (in paperback from Oxford).

Customer Reviews

Europe around Poland
Biased and boring, should be tittled the great history of poland and some countries in periphery

A succinct but detailed overview.
I can't thank Norman Davies enough for writing this book! It became my first point of reference for most subjects I studied as a first year undergraduate student of European History. He successfully breaks up this vast topic into more manageable time periods and covers each one succinctly but thoroughly. Couldn't have survived my first year without it! I'd recommend it both to students of European History but also to those just interested in the topic because he writes clearly and explains himself well so anyone can gain a decent understanding of this tumultuous and fascinating subject.

Fabulous book containing an encyclopaedia of information
Fabulous book containing an encyclopaedia of information on European history. For those completely unaware of history the text is informative and easily read due to the style of the writing and the format of the discussion. Davies uses extensive appendices and employs text boxes to allow the reader to chose the depth they are happy with. As a result, for those already interested and somewhat knowledgably of the bare facts, the book often introduces a new and deeper discussion then that which we are familiar with. Furthermore, given the range of the discussion - 10,000 years of European history - every reader from every level is assured of learning something new. I thoroughly believe every European should be made to own one!