The Mammoth Book of Eyewitness Britain: Eyewitness Accounts of Great Historical Moments from 55 B.C. to A.D. 2000

by Jon E. Lewis (Editor)

Beginning with the Roman invasion of Britain in 55 B.C., as seen through the eyes of Julius Caesar, and ending at the dawn of the third millennium, this new Mammoth volume heightens major events in three thousand years of British history with the immediacy of vivid firsthand accounts that have been culled from memoirs, diaries, letters, and newspaper reports of people who were there. So it is that William of Poitiers recounts the Battle of Hastings, where in 1066 King Harold got it in the eye, while Edward Grim recalls the murder of the Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas a Becket. So, too, Samuel Pepys describes the Great Fire of London; Friedrich Engels the slums of Manchester; Charlotte Bronte the Great Exhibition of 1851; Virginia Woolf the Blitz; and Edmund Hillary the conquest of Everest. This collection of eyewitness accounts not only chronicles such critical historical moments as the defeat of the Spanish Armada, the execution of Charles I, Wellington's triumph at Waterloo, and the resignation of Margaret Thatcher. It also provides vignettes of British social life like cockfighting in Tudor inns and a Victorian Sunday in the country as well as cultural milestones like the first concert of the Sex Pistols. From the discovery of Virginia to the invasion of the Beatles, from the execution of Mary Queen of Scots to the tragic death of Princess Diana, here is brutal, dynamic, glorious, decadent, insular, powerful, splendid Britannia through the ages.

Genres: History

512 pages, Paperback

First published August 15, 2001

About the author

Jon E. Lewis is a historian and writer, whose books on history and military history are sold worldwide. He is also editor of many The Mammoth Book of anthologies, including the bestselling On the Edge and Endurance and Adventure.

He holds graduate and postgraduate degrees in history. His work has appeared in New Statesman, the Independent, Time Out and the Guardian. He lives in Herefordshire with his partner and children.

From: Constable & Robinson

Reviews

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I tend to keep to the 12th-17th centuries of Britain's history, so this was a fun way to broaden my horizons.

This book is jam packed with history, from Julius Caesar's invasion of Britain to Princess Diana's funeral. The book is huge, but its made very readable by 1) the fact that each event averages 3 pages, so you can pick it up and put it down, and 2) the history is told from "eyewitnesses" -- as documented by people who lived through it, so the stories are very fresh and personal and compelling.

I skipped several of the naval battles, because war history in general is not my thing, but when I started to read the aerial accounts I couldn't put them down.

There are really too many tidbits to point out the most interesting. There are accounts of the everyday (a 10th century cure for stomachache), the poor ("Below Stairs", a servant's thoughts), the rich (a love letter from Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn), and the anecdotal ("The Forgotten Fart", a noble who farts upon being introduced to Queen Elizabeth and, embarrassed, spends the next 7 years away from Britain).

Some of the most chilling were the accounts of British soldiers liberating the concentration camps, as well as the diaries of an Antartic expedition which starts with disappointment (finding they've been beaten to the South Pole) and ends with the entire crew perishing on the return hike.

The most unusual choice of the editors was the inclusion of "The Green Children", which seems to be a 12th century precursor to our alien visitation stories.

Finally, I have to say -- any book which covers over 2,000 years of history and chooses the Beatles as one of three cover images is okay by me.

[Robert Barclay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an astonishing book full of historic events as experienced by the subjects themselves or people close to them. It is panoramic in scope but drills down to personal accounts. Great for short “dip in” reading.