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The Story of England: Making of a Nation
A FRESH RETELLING OF ENGLISH HISTORY BY ACCLAIMED HISTORIAN DAN SNOW AND THE HISTORY HIT THE PERFECT GIFT FOR FANS OF
THE REST IS HISTORY
and
UNRULY
!
From battlefields, cathedrals and museums to castles and stately homes, from the Lancastrians and Yorkists to the Roundheads, Royalists and an abundance of kings called Edward (and Henry!), the history of our island nation unravels its rich tapestry beneath our very feet - if only you know where to look.
Take, for instance, the Tower of London, which housed a royal menagerie - featuring lions, an African elephant and even a polar bear - some three hundred years before it bore witness to Anne Boleyn's final jest with her executioner. Or the Liverpool Docks, which in the 19th century handled a whopping 9% of global trade. Or, indeed, the atomic weapons base at Orford Ness, which was used to secretly test nuclear weapons during the most heated periods of the Cold War. . . You do not have to travel far for English history to spring into rich and vivid life.
In their Story of England, historian Dan Snow and the History Hit team take us on a journey through thousands of years of unceasing drama. It's a tale of invaders and immigrants and visitors and what they brought here. It's a tale of how our ancestors overcame, co-operated and shaped this country to their liking, affecting our landscape, our character, our language, industries, laws, religions and settlements with each passing century. And, ultimately, it's a tale of how England came to be how it is today.
From battlefields, cathedrals and museums to castles and stately homes, from the Lancastrians and Yorkists to the Roundheads, Royalists and an abundance of kings called Edward (and Henry!), the history of our island nation unravels its rich tapestry beneath our very feet - if only you know where to look.
Take, for instance, the Tower of London, which housed a royal menagerie - featuring lions, an African elephant and even a polar bear - some three hundred years before it bore witness to Anne Boleyn's final jest with her executioner. Or the Liverpool Docks, which in the 19th century handled a whopping 9% of global trade. Or, indeed, the atomic weapons base at Orford Ness, which was used to secretly test nuclear weapons during the most heated periods of the Cold War. . . You do not have to travel far for English history to spring into rich and vivid life.
In their Story of England, historian Dan Snow and the History Hit team take us on a journey through thousands of years of unceasing drama. It's a tale of invaders and immigrants and visitors and what they brought here. It's a tale of how our ancestors overcame, co-operated and shaped this country to their liking, affecting our landscape, our character, our language, industries, laws, religions and settlements with each passing century. And, ultimately, it's a tale of how England came to be how it is today.
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
Audible Audio
Published September 5, 2024
28 people are currently reading
83 people want to read
About the author
Dan Snow
33 books82 followersDaniel Robert Snow MBE is an English popular historian and television presenter.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 15, 2024
I think it’s very easy to forget just how rich England’s history is, and just how many significant events have happened over the centuries.
The Story of England was a fantastic journey through the timeline of England’s history and I thoroughly enjoyed learning about names, places and events I had no idea existed - as well as those very well known stories that are a staple of England.
This was a great book for anyone wanting to know more about the history of this country in an engaging and informative manner
The Story of England was a fantastic journey through the timeline of England’s history and I thoroughly enjoyed learning about names, places and events I had no idea existed - as well as those very well known stories that are a staple of England.
This was a great book for anyone wanting to know more about the history of this country in an engaging and informative manner
January 15, 2025
great
I enjoy the history hit podcast and I think this book is just as good , covers a wide range of topics not just the usual kings and queens etc, Dan Snow and his team really do make history interesting.
I enjoy the history hit podcast and I think this book is just as good , covers a wide range of topics not just the usual kings and queens etc, Dan Snow and his team really do make history interesting.
January 14, 2025
An ok ish overview of English history from the Stone Age to modern times. A lot of it was a little rushed and glossed over for me but that is the necessary nature of this single volume I think. I would have liked maybe to have seen more detail spread over two volumes. The included podcasts were not to my taste in a printed book and at roughly one hour in length were too long and really not that interesting in parts. The large print format of the book could perhaps have been smaller to include more information ? All in all not a bad work and it held my interest but I just feel there are better ones out there.
October 4, 2024
I liked this book because people in general don’t realise just how special our little country is. Yes it has done bad things but so has every other country in the world and the extent of things this little land has given and spread across the world is truly extraordinary as highlighted beautifully by this book. Proud to be English 🏴
January 17, 2025
Really really enjoyed this snapshot of history. As an Ancient Historian, I feel I didn’t know much about history post the Romans so this was such a great read. I feel much more clued up on English history
February 5, 2025
Top read!!! Would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to know a condensed history of England, is great as well that if you read a certain period it will spark interest into looking at different periods in history. So I’ll be looking more into Tudors and English civil war
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews