A Brief History of Britain 1851-2010

A Brief History of Britain #4

by Jeremy Black

In 1851 Queen Victoria opened the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park, it was the high water mark of English achievement - the nation at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution, at the heart of a burgeoning Empire, with a queen who would reign for another 50 years. This title presents an insightful examination of how Britain was formed

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Ebooks, British Literature

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Jeremy Black is an English historian, who was formerly a professor of history at the University of Exeter. He is a senior fellow at the Center for the Study of America and the West at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US.
Black is the author of over 180 books, principally but not exclusively on 18th-century British politics and international relations, and has been described by one commentator as "the most prolific historical scholar of our age". He has published on military and political history, including Warfare in the Western World, 1882–1975 (2001) and The World in the Twentieth Century (2002).

Reviews

[Anthony · Rating 1 out of 5]

The narrative is a bit dry with hardly any anecdotes. The author was also a bit biased in his interpretation of events after WWII. I'd venture to say that he's a staunch conservative; which is fine, however I believe a responsible historian aught strive to present facts with as little bias as possible, unless he/she is writing a specific critique as opposed to a general history. I do not recommend this book. I am currently reading Andrew Marr's book, which is infinitely superior to this junk.

[Andrew-Mario Hart-Grana · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last book of a very good collection on the History of Britain. This is a very summarised, yet interesting and controversial at times, account of the last century and a half of British history. There are some good insights there. Some good connections between the current situation and not-too-distant past events (like Britain's membership of the EU, for example). Would totally recommend it.

[Katriona · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've not actually finished it, I just got so bored. The author lists several facts and figures, but rarely interprets or explains them. I also don't like how the structure is thematic rather than chronological, which led to monumental events such as WW1 and WWII being neglected. The tone is incredibly dull--but I found out that the author was awarded an MBE for his contribution to stamp design. Stamp design. It explains a lot.