Remember Remember

by Judy Parkinson

Britain and its people have a long and noble history that is now over 2000 years old. Like all the best stories it is one of blood, death, love, sex and betrayal, yet also a tale of courage, honour, pride, skill, invention, endurance and, sometimes, just pure luck. "Remember, Remember" is a history of Britain in bitesize chunks, containing all of the important dates, people and events that we should know, reminding us of what we've forgotten from school and perhaps teaching us something new.Go back in time sneer at Bad King John as he is forced to sign the Magna Carta; suffer the agonies of the black death; charge with Henry V against the French at Agin court; see the birth of the Industrial Revolution; watch the coronation of the nineteen-old-princess who gave us the term 'Victorian'; and take heart from the courage and endurance of the men who fought and endured the horrors of both world wars. Concise, authoritative yet wonderfully entertaining, "Remember, Remember" makes history interesting and accessible for everyone once again.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Reference, British Literature, Historical, Trivia, Ebooks

Paperback

First published October 1, 2008

Reviews

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is good for what it is: a pretty general overview of much of British history. The history is divided into short, page-length (and the pages are small) sections with summarizing titles and dates at the top. It could be a quick read, but I read it slowly, mostly in snatches of time. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for someone who knows absolutely nothing about British history because it is so heavily condensed that it gives very little explanation. However, some might like it first as an overview. I used it for that in some areas of the history, but for me much of it was review, an aid in assessing my knowledge and making more sense of it as a whole, and discovering where my gaps are. I'm glad I got this book. Although I was initially slightly disappointed with how very brief it is, I think it serves a good purpose as an overview and a reference, and it was a help to me. I foresee myself referencing it in the future as well.

[Shiloah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved that each summary from beginning to end was dedicated to one page, aside from WW1 which was two pages. This is a great starting point to go down more rabbit trails and would be great for students. I wonder if there is a USA equivalent?

[Gretchen Fatouros · Rating 3 out of 5]

Are you like me where I have a lot of pieces remembered of English history, but don't always remember how everything played out in order? I have been to London, read a number of fiction & non-fiction books. This book seems to sort of put many of the pieces together, but with very little "extras". The parts that I find easiest to read are ones I know more about...

If you are interested in the royal families, I have been also reading "the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Royal Britain". That book is much longer, more details & lots of great pictures.

So, as far as this book goes, it is a very short description in one-page chapters of different events in England in chronological order. Definitely helps fill in pieces. But I think sometimes the author assumes you know about the information she is writing about & uses terms not described earlier. The book would also do better with maps helping to describe areas mentioned.

I have found it difficult to sit and read it for too long. After a while, my head hurts from trying to really digest everything...

Not for everyone, but good. There are definitely parts I am a bit confused about. Wondering if because the author is trying to make everything so concise that information is being missed? Like I said, some areas are easier to read because I have learned or read about them before...

So, if you are looking for a "quick" outline of events in England with a little more meat than a timeline, this is for you. It may give you ideas of things you want to learn more about & thus delve into with another book.

Enjoy!!

[Brittany (whatbritreads) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was intended for a person to dip in and out of but I read it all in one sitting because it has been on my shelf for years and I cannot stand to look at it on my TBR anymore.

It was a quick read, easy enough to follow, and presents you with bite sized chunks of British history. It is very brief though due to how much it fits into less than 200 pages, but it does disclose this and recommends further reading. Also, its a very whitewashed version of history. For example, it talks about when women were given the right to vote, but this date actually depicts when white women were given the right to vote. I only picked up on this mistake, I don't known much in detail about history but it does make you wonder how many other things were skipped over.

Honestly, it was mediocre to read. Not overly stimulating but I learnt a couple of cool things I didn't learn from doing History at school. Will I remember 90% of it? Probably definitely not. But at least its no longer burdening my shelves.

[Steven Paul Leiva · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book to give you the flow of British history. It will be a good, quick reference work in the future to remind myself of who was who and when and where and why. In very general terms, but sometimes that's all you need.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. I wish I'd been given this to read in secondary school, instead of two years of The Treaty of Versailles

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was exactly what it said on the tin, the history of Britain broken down into small chunks - one topic per page. I liked the way this was done as it gave a good overview and left me with lots of topics that I'd like to look into further, and didn't make me toil through reams of information about topics that aren't of so much interest.

I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in British history, I think it makes an excellent starting point.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm automatically wary of any book that promises to give a "short history" of some place--especially someplace like Britain. The usual, most basic treatment of British history tends to be no less than 600 pages; I already own a multi-volume set on the subject.

On the other hand, this little book only promises to sum up British history in no more than 150 entries, none more than 250 words long (Arbitrary? Probably.) It actually does so pretty well. All of what one would expect to be included is included, although I and other nit-picky, history-loving types will of course find what we consider to be glaring omissions.

I would consider this to be a fine introduction to British history for anyone who wants "just the facts". The writing isn't that special type of "dry" that history writing can easily become, but it's not flippant, either. This little book will, I think, do the most good in piquing the interest of the casual student. Maybe the little shiny piece of gold just below the surface that makes you want to keep digging deeper for the rest.

[DelGal · Rating 3 out of 5]

History can be a boring subject, especially if it's long winded, but with this book readers can learn the important bits of England's history and not go comatose from boredom. The book starts England's history during the Roman Britain era 43 AD. and finishes in 1945 with the founding of The United Nations. Each important part of history is summed up neatly in one page, and a detailed timeline is also included. The only thing I would have to suggest that could be better about this book is the fact that it should include more recent history, especially since it was written in 2008, and the last entry entry is 1945. Has nothing important happened in England in the past 66 years? I don't think so.

[Kimhvela · Rating 2 out of 5]

1 page short summaries of important events in British history. Some very interesting, some not-so-much! Easy to read, learned some things.

[Nathan Albright · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an ambitious and largely successful effort at putting interesting British history into bite-sized chunks of between 250 and 500 words covering the period from the Roman invasion of Brittania to the establishment of the United Nations after World War II.  What makes this book particularly worthwhile is the sense of fit as well as the directness of the writing.  This is the sort of book that would likely be read by fellow Anglophiles [1] or those who are studying English history for one reason or another.  I'm not sure whether it is common for people to need to cram for exams on English history, but given the large number of books I tend to find on the subject, it seems likely that at least someone finds it worthwhile to publish books on the subject, short books designed to give the reader some insight into English history.  It is my understanding, at least, that such books would not be released without the expectation of there being a market for such works, especially since this work was apparently written with a short deadline, for which the editors thanked the author in the acknowledgements section.

In terms of its contents, this volume is a bit less than 200 pages of writing in bite-sized chunks without the boring parts in it.  The writing is certainly crisp and efficient.  and some topics worthy of being mentioned are given multiple essays to avoid the stringent word limit.  So, for example, there is an essay on Henry II and the establishment of the Angevin Empire on the one hand and also one on the murder of Thomas a Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury.  There are a surprising number of essays on Roman Britain and the Dark Ages (or the Early Middle Ages) including ones on Bede, Offa of Mercia, and Alfred the Great and his unfortunate descendant Aethelred of "unready" fame.  Sections on the Late Middle Ages, Tudor and Stuart Britain, Georgian and Victorian Britain, and Edwardian Brain, the First World War years, the Interwar years, and the Second World War years follow the book until its conclusion with essays about everything from St. Alban the martyr to the truth about the Luddites.  Although a great deal of attention is paid to rulers and elites, there is certainly a lot about fairly ordinary people here as well, admirably enough.

One of the more striking elements of this particular collection of essays is the way that the author manages to include a great deal of social history, including a discussion about the complicated politics of the early 20th century and the rise of Labour.  To be sure, I am not nearly so sanguine about the rise of labor unions and leftist politics, but the author manages to find an approach that focuses on religion in unusual ways, including a pointed criticism of the dissolution of the monasteries of England by Henry VIII for seeking to put the money into his own pockets rather than perform the functions served by the Catholic Church in favor of poor relief.  The author's focus on Catholic emancipation as well indicates that the author has a strong degree of sympathy if not identification with more leftist Catholic approaches.  Again, while this is not my own point of view it certainly gives a sense of coherence to a book that could have easily been a scattered bit of trivia discussion.  As it is, this book has an interesting and quirky perspective that provides an overall theme of looking at British history through a perspective that many books seem to miss, and that is worth something.

[1] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know if this is 'everything you ever wanted to know about British history' but it certainly gives an adequate overview of people, places and events in the history of Britain.

Done in 140 entries of 250 words or less, the author starts with the Roman Invasion in 43 A.D. and ends with the founding of the United Nations in 1945 with a extensive timeline and listing of monarchs by years of their reign.

Every entry is - for the most part - tries to hit the so-called highlights. And with only 250 words allocated, there is no room for any so-called boring bits. That's one on the good side.

There are chapters dealing with specific time periods so that you can skip certain ones and examine others more closely - Roman Britain (7 entries); The Dark Ages (11); The Late Middle Ages (22); Tudor Britain (12); Stuart Britain (6); Georgian Britain (21); Victorian Britain (19); Edwardian Britain (4); The First World War Years (7); The Interwar Years (12); and The Second World War (9).

On the negative side, 250 words to describe things means that ALOT is left out. Think about describing events and people in that few words. Oh, like the Bubonic Plague. Henry VIII. Queen Victoria (who reigned for 63 years). Oliver Cromwell AND the Commonwealth (which is one entry); the Crimean War; the Great Fire of London. The American Revolution.

Definitely gives enough information to pique enough interest for the reader to go off and investigate and lets the other events, people and places be passed by.

[Nina (the fussy reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative little book with all of Britain's major historical events explained. It's so easy to read and squeeze in a page or two between jobs. Brief and to the point.
This is just what I was looking for. I love history and learning the main and important facts, but sometimes I don't want to get too bogged down in a 400 page history book about a single event. Some topics interest me more than others, and I have plenty of history books on those subjects, so having history in 'bite-sized chunks' is perfect for me. Whether it's a historical event that fascinates me or not, I still want to learn about it and know the facts.

In this book, each event is a page long starting with the Roman Invasion of Britain, and ending with the formation of the United Nations.
I would certainly recommend this to someone who wants to learn but doesn't have time to read it all separately, or someone who is new to non-fiction history and wants a place to start.

[Anma Natsu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a very readable, basic history of Britain. True to its premise, every entry is "bite-sized" and primarily a teaser that might lead the reader into looking up more on topics of specific interest. I was a little disappointed by the lack of entries on some areas of British history, like the creation of the the Underground and tube system, which is awesome, and as a non-British person, would have appreciated a chart and some sort of simple primer on the basics of the royal structure and all.

More disappointing, however, is that it abruptly, and surprisingly, ends with the end of WWII and the forming of the United Nations. Surely interesting and important things have happened in the 64 years between then and when the book was published?

Still, overall it helped me fill in some admittedly huge gaps in British history and for the price, it was a great toe dip into fixing that lack of knowledge.

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Designed for those of rather small attention spans and an unfamiliarity with major events in British history. As a child I devoured RJ Unstead's history narratives which covered much of the same material in much greater depth and have continued to read histories quite happily. Perhaps this will similarly inspire others.

[Tony Lawrence]

This is a fascinating little guide to the history of Britain, in bite-sized chunks. From Roman invasions to the post-war United Nations (why stop there?), here are all the important dates, kings, queens, events, political and social movements...the bits you knew and have forgotten from school, and lots more besides.

[Paul Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfect title borrowed from the Gunpowder Plot rhyme. A very superficial skate across the first 2,000 years of recorded history in the UK but a perfect reminder of half remembered facts setting each seminal event in the correct timeframe. A brilliant work of concision giving truth to the saying:
"I haven't got enough time to write a short letter".

[Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does exactly what it says on the tin. This book gives concise, one page summaries of major events in British history, laid out in an easy to read style. There’s nothing groundbreaking, but the sheer amount of information means you’ll probably learn something new.
Nice, useful and very readable.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

The History of England for Beginners

An easy to read overview of the history of England for people who want to know more about England’s history. This work covers the major events of England’s history and is written in a way that makes complex ideas easy to understand!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

My dad picked up this gem at the Westminster Abbey gift shop. A short book, with concise essays, about major events in Great Britain starting with the Romans. I learned some amazing facts, more about what I was unfamiliar with and really appreciate the way British name things.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I would've enjoyed this book more had I been able to read it through in one or two sittings rather than piecemeal.

[John Naylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good short history of Britain. I would recommend as a starting point to research further from.

[Laura Mccracken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice dip into history

I would recommend to anyone who wants a brief background to the UK’s history. A few paragraphs for each era.

[Clementine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting.

[Dave Daffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good overview of the main events in British history. Gives you basic detail in one page for each event, and well written.

[D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick format, interesting and easy to read. Enjoyed it.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

a concise history of Britain - really interesting!

[Asiuol K · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an easy read and useful for those who know little about British history.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great way to polish up your history! Super succinct explanations of key historical events.

[Emma Dickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mostly one-page, bite-sized collection of momentous happenings in Britain from ancient times to World War II.

Very easy to read and digest, I found the first half more interesting than the second.