William the Conqueror is part of the popular Adventures from History series.
First published in 1966, this beautifully illustrated book has been specially re-released to commemorate the 950th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings in 2016. Complete with stunning dust jacket, this facsimile copy of the original includes all the memorable art that people love and remember.
Lawrence du Garde Peach was an English author and writer of plays for radio, stage and screen. Today he may be best remembered as the author of over 30 books for Ladybird's Adventure from History series of nonfiction children's books, published from 1957 until his death, which was the largest series Ladybird ever produced, and remained in print until 1986.
Ladybird history books are social history at it's best, from; I would estimate ages 8 to 14 for school use of simply to enjoy. They bring history alive for children, and are filled with fascinating information. As well as bringing alive an animated, exciting past, they also show how events of the past, are with us today, in so many fascinating ways. William the Conqueror is part of the Ladybird series on great rulers and vividly tells the story of one of the best-known figures in British history, which defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings, to become the first real King of a united England. It tells much about the times in which William lived and ruled, for young people, with the lovely illustrations by John Kenney. Kenney draws both scenes of momentous events such as William forcing the captured Harold to take an oath, that Harold would acknowledge William's claim to be the next King of England, and the Battle of Hastings, as well as scenes in the lives of ordinary people at the time, such as that of a peasant Saxon shooing a horse, while his two young children help out. It also, as all Ladybird history books do, it describes how the events described in the book influence life today, and speaks of how King William ruled England during peacetime, and the famous first census that he ordered the Domesday Book to be written, England's first census. Any child that has a love of history, will love this book, and all other Ladybird history books.
I know I'm only taking this on the authority of a Ladybird book, and not an in-depth historical analysis, but blimey, what a conniving, sneaky, land-grabbing Dirty Bertie this man was! I am actually directly descended (around 40 generations!) from William, according to my Uncle, but hey - by now there must be millions of us! My mother, for example, still enjoying doing crosswords in her 90s, has 38 descendants already!
I lived in a Sussex village for some years, and the locals wouldn't buy French apples - 900 years on, they still hated the Normans! Hahaha!
Once again, smashing illustrations from John Kenney - full of lively movement!
I enjoy reading non-fiction books especially ones about history. This book is part of the Ladybird Adventures from History series. William the Conqueror (also known as William I) was the first Norman ruler of England, from 1066 until he died in 1087. He is most well known for his victory over Harold Godwinson and the Anglo-Saxons at the Battle of Hastings
This book was originally published in 1966, but was re-released in 2016 to commemorate the 950th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings. The book is written in simple language and large font and is aimed at readers aged 7 upwards. There are lots of detailed drawings throughout the book to illustrate people and scenes from the time.
The book gives a summary of the events that led up to William becoming king of England as well as what happened after he became ruler. The book may not contain every detail of William the Conqueror’s life (it’s only 50 pages long and is mostly pictures) but it has enough detail to give children the main facts. This text is a bit old-fashioned but it is a good choice of background reading for primary school children who are learning about the Normans. Adults will probably find it useful for revising the topic too!
Not so keen on this Ladybird potted history as with some of the others. Although, to be fair, it does point out some of the bad things William the Conqueror did, it seems to me to be a far to flattering portrait of the Normans and their ways. Although 50 pages doesn't give much opportunity for depth and nuance.