The History of Wales

by J. Graham Jones

This is an engaging, best-selling volume reproduced with text panels that provide brief biographies of historical figures and descriptions of major historical sites in Wales. As the only concise history of Wales currently available in print, this book is an ideal introductory study for the general reader. From primitive Stone Age cave-dwellers who were the earliest recorded inhabitants of Wales, through settlement by the Celts before the Roman and Norman invasions, this book leads the reader through the age of the native Welsh princes that culminated with the eventual conquest of Wales by Edward I in 1282. Later seminal themes include the passage of the so-called Union legislations of 1536 and 1543, the impact of successive religious changes, the agrarian and industrial revolutions, and the severe interwar depression of the twentieth century. This new edition concludes with a discussion of the far-reaching political, social and economic changes covering the momentous period from the close of the twentieth century to the present day.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

220 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 20, 1997

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much of the book assumed a baseline of knowledge, which I did not have, and why I was reading this brief introduction to the history of Wales. Short explanations of terms, acronyms, events, etc. would have been helpful. For instance, I'm not Welsh, so I had no idea what the Eisteddfod was and no clear explanation given. Had to look it up. Boosterism, population trends, and election results fill the last chapters of the book--though important, just not sure enough context was given. Felt like filler. Overall OK, but not great. I was thinking I might get more out this small book. Maybe was asking too much.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt as though I'd missed things mentioned previously, but in reality hadn't been e.g. Page 54 refers to Counties Palantine yet these hadn't been mentioned before, not did it say what they were.
I appreciate that it's hard to compress a country's history into a small book but I felt that more should have been written about Medieval Wales and less about modern e.g. a third of the book covered the period up to 1603 and so much happened, yet in the last quarter of it, which covered the format of Plaid Cymru and the rising of recent nationalism, there was no mention of its actions in e.g. burning second houses. A glaring omission.
On a personal note, my great grandparents did not let their children learn Welsh, saying, as per page 141, the best jobs went to English speakers. Their son was a conscientious objector in the First World War, going down the mines for the duration, but he wasn't treated harshly as was stated on page 152.

[Seren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very concise, well laid out non fiction with sub headings, character biographies for important figures and an easy introduction to welsh history with an extreme neutral outlook, no sides taken.

The language and vocabulary is not complicated at all, making it very beginner friendly and easy to read.

It also has a few pages for key historical dates in the form of a timeline which is very helpful as a summary! Also additional reading is recommended and some key Welsh words get descriptions of what they mean, however, it is not all of them, which I think is a missed opportunity.

However, in some parts of the book the author is almost too neutral in commenting on the colonisation of wales, and I almost wish he properly commented on it, or used more quotes from people who lived throughout the colonisation/invasions to get perspective on what the people thought at the time.

Also, due to its very small page count, this book couldn’t go into much detail and is very much an introductory book/sweeping overview of the Welsh history. You can read this to get a general overview or before reading another book on Welsh history that goes more in depth. However, that being said, the author should’ve gone into more details on the Miners Strike and tragedy of Aberfan, as these important historical moments barely get a few sentences, yet, are crucial to Welsh history and it’s current people.

[Brendan McKee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a solid introduction to Welsh history. However, it is just that: an introduction. The history of independent Wales, that is up to the 13th century, is covered in the first 50 pages at a breakneck pace (for example, the first chapter covers everything from the arrival of Rome to the arrival of the Normans in 19 pages). Still, it isn’t atypical for a book such as this to devote most of its time more modern periods and the coverage there is good, covering all the major beats (from religious reform and industrialization to the Celtic revival and devolution) right up to the mid-2010s.

If you want a detailed history of Wales, I would recommend John Davies’s book. If, however, you’re looking for a lighter and easier read just to gain some knowledge of an often overlooked but culturally rich nation, then this is the book for you.

[Simon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Utterly disappointing. After an initially engaging discussion over Roman era Wales, the conquests if the Norman's and Edward I and the revolt of Owain Glyndwr, this book would then have you believe that nothing happened in Wales until the First World War with the exception of the growth of Non-Conformist sects of Christianity. While religious history no doubt plays a crucial role in the early modern period, this books desire to view everything through this lens at the expense of other historical events is highly disappointing. It also regularly descends into little more than naming religious leaders and writers with no context of their significance or why we should care.

The discussion of the 20th century has many similar pitfalls, with the outcomes of elections quoted to a decimal point, but no explanation of the social and economic trends or the issues each election was fought over, meaning the book largely reads as a list of statistics rather than an attempt at serious historical interpretation.

[Rudy Herrera · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book has a really big problem with referencing things and not explaining them. Maybe if I was welsh and had a great knowledge of the culture and what have you I would enjoy it, but I don’t, so a lot of cracks formed where I didn’t get what was happening. Read a different history.

[Johanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rounded up from 2.5 Poor, no proper references, undated illustrations. Barely a single reference to women. Some things explained in detail some things assumed known. Way too much on politic details, overall quite badly unbalanced. Didn’t really improve my basic Welsh history knowledge

[Charlie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting book, however very difficult to summarise 1000 years of history into 200 pages. Some notable events missing, however a good general introduction to the topic.