History Hit Story of England: The entertaining and enthralling guide to English history from Dan Snow the creators of History Hit

by Dan Snow

A VIVID AND LIVELY JOURNEY THROUGH ENGLAND'S RICH THE PERFECT LISTEN FOR THE FANS OF THE REST IS HISTORY!

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.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

Audible Audio

Published September 5, 2024

About the author

Daniel Robert Snow MBE is an English popular historian and television presenter.

Reviews

[Shauna · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[Alex Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on the HistoryHit podcast by Dan Snow, this a brief historical overview of the history of England. It starts from the beginning of human habitation nearly 800’000 years ago up until the election of Tony Blair in 1997, covering everything from the stone age and Stonehenge, Romans, Saxons and Vikings, medieval dynasties, through to World War One and Two.

Its a very easy and light book to read. It really just skims the surface of history, not a real in depth look it the events that have shaped the country. It's one is those history books I like, as it throws little bits of interesting history, like a ceremonial mound near Stonehenge, where it believed it wasn't the mound itself that wasn’t culturally important but the act of building it was. Or the movements of early humans in and out of England with the coming and going off the ice ages. Or curse tablets thrown into hot springs in the public baths in Bath, cursing thieves who stole their belongings while they were in the baths.

An enjoyable book that gives a good light overview of the history of England. If you’re looking for something to go a bit deeper on some of the topics it might not be the right book to aim for. Other than that, if you've got an history itch, this is a good place to start.

[Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Francesca Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[Lottie Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[Brandon Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good. I definitely enjoyed all the stuff from before the early modern period more as how much royal drama can you take. Helped me make a list of places to go someday.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two thousand years of history in 300 pages. It’s written is an accessible style and provides a framework for future reading with QR codes to the author’s podcast and a good index.

[Hazel Louise Asiaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the journey through time I would highly recommend 9/10 popcorns