Product Description

The Oxford History of Britain tells the story of Britain and her peoples over two thousand years, from the coming of the Roman legions to the present day. Edited by the distinguished historian Kenneth O. Morgan, this acclaimed history has been updated again for this revised edition.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #53878 in Books
• Published on: 2001-05-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 800 pages

About the Author
Kenneth O. Morgan is Research Professor at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, and Honorary Fellow of The Queen's College, Oxford. From 1966 to 1989 he was Fellow and Praelector of Queen's; from 1989 to 1995 he was Vice-Chancellor of the Aberystwyth, and also Senior Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wales, 1993-5. He is author of many major works on British History. He was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 1983.

Customer Reviews

This book is great - if it's what you want
There have been a number of reviews complaining about this book because they wanted it to be something else, and perhaps the title is misleading. This is not the story of British history. Rather it is a guide to the various periods of British history. And the understanding of those periods you can gain from this book will give you the ability to hear the bear facts and make sense of them.

Having a series of experts writing grippingly on their specialism is not a flaw in the slightest. (And Kenneth O. Morgan is a great historian, as is John Guy.) When Morgan talks of the social trends of the twentieth century he does not give all the details of the rise of the labour movement of course - only somebody who already knew about them would be able to take it all in, and it would be a much longer book. What he does is provide insight (very eloquently) to the area, allowing further reading, or even reference in a conversation, to make sense to the reader.

J.M. Roberts is a fine writer, he makes history very accessible, but does not, himself, go into huge details in books like 'The History of the World' (where he mentions Elizabeth I only once and in passing).

This book is not a chronology of British history, nor is it an encyclopedia - but it is a great guide to understanding the history of Britain.

A good summary view of British history
This book provides a summary view of British history from Roman times to the Gulf war. This is more a book of essays by noted history academics than an out and out book of facts. The book is good if you want a less in-depth view of British history, but I did find that it lacked a certain detail of the circumstances behind the history. For example, the book often alludes that Kings of England had been murdered, but gave no detail of the circumstances as to how this may have come about, or the evidence that allowed them to draw this conclusion. In this respect, disappointing and for this reason, only an average rating.

Excellent book to Know Britian for last 2000 years
Excellent book , as its tells the history of social changes , economic changes and about the Rulers . Not just about the great kings and queens and their events and war. But truly reflect the social and economic changes for over 2000 years . A must for any one new to British History .