'History clings tight but it also kicks loose,' writes Simon Schama at the outset of At the Edge of the World?, the first book in his three-volume journey into Britain's past. And change - sometimes gentle and subtle, sometimes shocking and violent - is the dynamic of Schama's unapologetically personal and grippingly written history.
A History of Britain Series
This epic series delves into the rich and complex past of the British Isles, spanning from prehistoric eras to the cusp of the new millennium. The engaging narrative style brings to life pivotal moments, figures, and societal shifts that have shaped the nation. From early civilizations to the rise and fall of empire, this work offers profound insights into British identity and its global impact. It's a captivating historical journey for anyone curious about the forces that forged a nation.
Recommended Reading Order
A History of Britain. The British Wars 1603-1776
- 544 pages
- 20 hours of reading
The British Wars is a compelling chronicle of the changes that transformed every strand and strata of British life, faith and thought from 1603 to 1776. It explores the forces that tore Britain apart during two centuries of dynamic change
This work takes us from the mid-1770s when the country was intoxicated by a great surge of political energy through to the massive advances of technology and industrialisation during the Victoria era, and the burgeoning of the British Empire
Simon Schama’s dramatic, broad-ranging, and immensely readable epic history of Britain reaches its triumphant conclusion in this third and final volume, which stretches from the American Revolution to the present.