The Usborne History of Britain (Usborne Internet-linked Reference): 1
£19.30£23.80 (-19%)
From the Ice Age to the dawn of the 21st century, this book tells the story of Britain, its people and the events that have shaped their lives. It charts the dramatic developments and twists and turns of Britain’s history, and describes characters from all walks of life, from conquering kings, revolting peasants and troublesome priests, to intrepid explorers, cunning inventors and outrageous artists.
Contents:
The people of Britain
Prehistoric Britain
Roman Britain
The early Middle Ages
The Middle Ages
Tudors and Stuarts
The Georgians
The Victorians
The early 20th century
The Second World War
Post War Britain
Factfile Britain’s long and varied history comes to life with intriguing facts, stunning illustrations, photographs, detailed reconstructions, paintings, maps and family trees. Includes a factfile with places to visit and internet links to recommended websites via the Usborne Quicklinks Website. Beautifully presented with a cloth cover, dust jacket and ribbon marker.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Usborne Publishing Ltd (27 Jun. 2008) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Hardcover | 512 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 9780746084441 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0746084441 |
| Reading age | 8 – 10 years |
| Dimensions | 19.5 x 4.3 x 26.5 cm |
by Jack
I am very impressed with the quality of this book I purchased! I can’t wait to give it a read!
by Jack
I first found this book in a museum shop and promptly put it on my Christmas present wish list. Where Santa failed, Amazon delivered.
This is one of my favourite history books. And I got many – quite a few on an academic level. But none is so beautifully and richly illustrated as this one. The kids agree and are clearly drawn to it as well.
So you’ll get a vast, over-500 page hard-cover book that actually displays nicely, if you wish. It reads very well, is very clear and chronologically structured. The book offers a fair bit of detail occasionally in either the text or illustrations. And there are quite a few things, even when quite basic, that I found brilliantly explained.
From an educational point of view I would say children in year-4 should be able to read it with some ease, perhaps with help & guidance. But those a little older will fully appreciate and enjoy it on their own.
As the book spans 5000 years of British (mostly English) history you generally get a synopsis of most topics. Thus it generally doesn’t go into a tremendous amount of depth and detail . However, for example there are still over 50 pages on Roman Britain.
As with all history books it remains a product of our time. And as this book was first published 10 years ago it will inevitably and progressively fail to strike the right political chord with some readers. In particular with over-cynical and inquiring Millenials and their Gen Y-successors. But that’s not the purpose of the book; its meant as an introduction and reference for young children.
So yes, because of the wide span of the book there is limited room for dialogue or perspective. For example the conditions of women feature prominently, but it’s the male rulers that get most attention. In the same vein the role of Britain in slave trade, the Boer war or colonisation could have been questioned. Nevertheless in my view this doesn’t make this a less attractive introduction to history. There are other books or online references for that.
All in all – I love the book. And I wish/hope Usborne would issue similar national histories of other countries (start with Spain, France, China, and the US for example. Or do proper justice to Scotland).
by Andrei S.
I purchased this book to support my studies for the Life in the UK test (for my British citizenship application). I expected a very heavy read however was pleased to discover every page of the book is filled with illustrations and quirky facts. It covers essentials of the British history without being too detailed, so it’s a great visual support for any foreign person taking the Life in the UK test, or anyone simply looking to refresh their knowledge. In a few years time I probably won’t remember most of the government’s handbook (which is extremely dry and omits lots of interesting and important facts mentioned here) but I will surely remember this book. Great find, highly recommended.
by Yayoi Hirose
The product itself is good as described very good condition.
However, the poor wrapping without any layers damaged the corners of the book miserably, shame!
by C Hill
Bought for my nephew who is a history man seven year old. His dad is enjoying reading it to him and in a year or two he can read it himself
by User
Quality same as expected
by Djilly L.
The book arrived quickly and in excellent condition, as described, so very pleased with this purchase. Thanks a lot!
by JanWhite
As a foreigner moving to Britain, I was keen on learning more about the history of Britain as a whole (not just England). I chose this book as it seemed to fulfill this purpose and had good reviews. Now that I finished reading the book, I can say the following:
Overall it was a nice read, and a good introduction into British history. The book is nicely tied together and presented. However, I was disappointed by several aspects:
– This is basically a children’s book, even though it’s not specified in the description. Many explanations are simplistic and childish, and many aspects are too nicely packed just to protect the reader – history needs to be presented as it is, not wrapped up gift wrapping
– The book claims to present the history of Britain, but still focuses, like most books on the topic, only on the history of England. I was very much keen on finding out more about all the members of the UK, not just England
– Coming from a former communist country, I couldn’t help notice that the general formulation of the book is much too similar to old communist history books, in which our own country was always glorified and aspects that were bad were omitted or only briefly mentioned. While being nationalist and proud is a good this in general, it makes a bad mix with history books, as you always get the feeling you’re not hearing the whole story. Under communism, it was just accepted, but I was expecting history books here to have a more professional and detached approach.
As a conclusion, it was a good read, but only as an introduction. I will be searching for more elaborate and complete books as a continuation.