A Short History of England

Review A lucid and handsomely illustrated narrative, from the Saxon dawn of England to the Cameron Government ― The TimesFull of stand-out facts ... Absolutely fascinating ... I've learnt an awful lot -- Richard Bacon, BBC Radio 2Let Jenkins sweep you through England's history, painting a vivid picture of this country's green and pleasant land ― City AMWhere Jenkins excels is in his very journalistic approach ... The historical events are joined up, and work as narrative ― Time OutImmediately accessible ― ProspectThis is traditional, kings-and-things, great-men history with all its dates and famous quotations in place ... it's jolly good ... Jenkins has a newspaper columnist's aphoristic verve ... judgements are crisp ― SpectatorEntertaining ― Sunday TimesFull of good writing and lively anecdotes ... worth perusing for pleasure and food for thought ― New StatesmanA characteristically bold, wry, fluent, combative gallop through English history -- Max Hastings Product Description From the invaders of the dark ages to the aftermath of the coalition, one of Britain's most respected journalists, Simon Jenkins, weaves together a strong narrative with all the most important and interesting dates in a book that characteristically is as stylish as it is authoritative.A Short History of England sheds light on all the key individuals and events, bringing them together in an enlightening and engaging account of the country's birth, rise to global prominence and then partial eclipse.There have been long synoptic histories of England but until now there has been no standard short work covering all significant events, themes and individuals. Now updated to take in the rapid progress of recent events and beautifully illustrated, this magisterial history will be the standard work for years to come. Book Description The bestselling definitive concise account of our remarkable past - now updated About the Author Simon Jenkins is the author of the bestselling A Short History of England (Profile), England's Thousand Best Churches and England's Thousand Best Houses, Britain's 100 Best Railway Stations and most recently A Short History of Europe. From 2008 to 2014 he was the chairman of the National Trust, and the former editor of The Times and Evening Standard and a columnist for theGuardian. He lives in London.