Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Penguin (2007), Edition: Revised, Paperback, 784 pages
Description
Stretching from the Ice Ages to the present day, this masterful account traces the political, social and cultural history of the land that has come to be called Wales. Spanning prehistoric hill forts and Roman ruins to the Reformation, the Industrial Revolution and the series of strikes by Welsh miners in the late twentieth century, this is the definitive history of an enduring people- a unique and compelling exploration of the origins of the Welsh nation, its development and its role in the modern world. This new edition brings this remarkable history into the new era of the Welsh Assembly.
Language
Original publication date
1990
ISBN
0140284753 / 9780140284751
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User reviews
LibraryThing member BooksOn23rd
A HISTORY OF WALES, by John Davies, chronicles the turbulent history of Wales from ancient times until the late part of the 20th century.
Only those familiar with the layout of Wales can really follow the text, as there isn't a general map that shows major cities, rivers, etc. Therefore, it doesn't
The writing itself has to be some of the driest I've ever come across. Myriad statistics weigh down this 718-page history, and rarely do we get even a glimpse of the personalities behind the names of the participants in the creation of this country.
After slogging through this book, the only things I learned, and which was reiterated throughout, was that the Welsh are a fractious lot, are unable to determine among themselves what it means to be Welsh, the English are fond of creating committees to study them, and they mined a lot of coal. Surely there is more to Wales than this!
I'm a big fan of Wales, and hope to someday visit that great country, but I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone new to studying it, or contemplating going there. Stick with the pretty travel guides!
--Stephanie
Only those familiar with the layout of Wales can really follow the text, as there isn't a general map that shows major cities, rivers, etc. Therefore, it doesn't
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do a lot of good to tell us that something happened between this river and that river if we have no idea where those rivers are. Oddly, there are several maps of insignificant items such as "the distribution of hill-forts" and "Poor Law Unions, registration counties and registration districts".The writing itself has to be some of the driest I've ever come across. Myriad statistics weigh down this 718-page history, and rarely do we get even a glimpse of the personalities behind the names of the participants in the creation of this country.
After slogging through this book, the only things I learned, and which was reiterated throughout, was that the Welsh are a fractious lot, are unable to determine among themselves what it means to be Welsh, the English are fond of creating committees to study them, and they mined a lot of coal. Surely there is more to Wales than this!
I'm a big fan of Wales, and hope to someday visit that great country, but I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone new to studying it, or contemplating going there. Stick with the pretty travel guides!
--Stephanie
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Physical description
784 p.; 5.2 x 1.32 inches
Pages
784