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The English and Their History
- Narrated by: Stephen Thorne
- Length: 45 hrs and 32 mins
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The English and Their History
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Summary
In The English and Their History, the first full-length account to appear in one volume for many decades, Robert Tombs gives us the history of the English people and of how the stories they have told about themselves have shaped them, from the prehistoric 'dreamtime' through to the present day.
If a nation is a group of people with a sense of kinship, a political identity and representative institutions, then the English have a claim to be the oldest nation in the world. They first came into existence as an idea, before they had a common ruler and before the country they lived in even had a name. They have lasted as a recognisable entity ever since, and their defining national institutions can be traced back to the earliest years of their history. The English have come a long way from those precarious days of invasion and conquest, with many spectacular changes of fortune.
Their political, economic and cultural contacts have left traces for good and ill across the world. This book describes their history and its meanings from their beginnings in the monasteries of Northumbria and the wetlands of Wessex to the cosmopolitan energy of today's England.
Robert Tombs draws out important threads running through the story, including participatory government, language, law, religion, the land and the sea, and the ever-changing relations with other peoples. Not the least of these connections are the ways the English have understood their own history, have argued about it, forgotten it, and yet been shaped by it. These diverse and sometimes conflicting understandings are an inherent part of their identity.
Rather to their surprise, as ties within the United Kingdom loosen, the English are suddenly beginning a new period in their long history. Especially at times of change, history can help us to think about the sort of people we are and wish to be.
This audiobook, the first single-volume work on this scale for more than half a century, and which incorporates a wealth of recent scholarship, presents a challenging modern account of this immense and continuing story, bringing out the strength and resilience of English government, the deep patterns of division, yet also the persistent capacity to come together in the face of danger.
Critic reviews
"Learned, pithy and punchy, with a laudable sense of narrative sweep and a bracing willingness to offer bold judgments, [Tombs's] survey is a tremendous achievement, and deserves to become the standard history for years to come." (Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times)
"Packed with telling detail and told with gentle, sardonic wit...[a] vast and delightful book." (Ben Macintyre, The Times)
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What listeners say about The English and Their History
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 15-08-20
Comprehensive and Insightful
Amazingly informative and rich knowledge of my home country.
40+ hours long but still only scratches the surface of many of the chapters in English history.
A great overview from Roman times until the present day to whet your appetite for parts of English history you wish to go and study in more detail.
Well worth it if you want a general overview of the history of England.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Jolyon Berry
- 12-08-22
so good I had to buy the book
dense but gripping, I learnt so much but knew I'd never retain the information so had to get a hard copy for reference and will be re listening to, one day
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Susan
- 16-01-20
Loved this 'long' book.
I have just finished listening to this book, and have really enjoyed it. I love our history (English) and wasn't disappointed. It is a long book and thought at first that I would treat it as a History lesson as when I was at school, maybe listening to an hour a day, but it was so engaging I listened to it when I could. The narrator has a lovely voice and the hours flew by.I am retired now so my time is my own and although this is a long book I will surely listen again.
It is hard to describe all the events in the book because it is over one thousand years of History, You might already know of some of the events especially the up to date ones,but if you love History give this a go, you can always listen to it in stages , you might hate it or like me love it.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- sagalout
- 10-08-21
Excellent read
This is a huge book expertly read tho sometimes a little bit too fast
I particularly liked the social descriptions often with interesting stats
In general definitely recommended
Spoilt somewhat in the latter stages by Tombs revealing himself as a ludicrous Thatcher fanboy who clearly detests the Labour Party and everything about it. He should have stopped the book at 1945
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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- R. B. Colver
- 29-09-20
Very in depth and intertwined
I like the level of technicality in the book my only problem is it sounds like it has been read by a computer which takes a bit of getting used to.
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- Newty1977
- 29-04-19
Extremely Comprehensive
There are few nations that arguably have as rich, diverse, horrific and globally influential histories as the English, and so British, nation. This is an extremely comprehensive and well researched book, which charts the history and growth of a nation from King Alfred all the way up to just prior to the EU referendum.
It is hard to begin to summarise such a detailed and fascinating account of English history other than to say it is comprehensive and provides as much insight into how the world was shaped in the 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st centuries as well as the world’s 3rd largest archipelago. How one small island achieved so much is all here, with the horrors and shame of the British Empire on the one hand to the benefits and - in some instances - pride that the Empire instilled within its subjects. It’s a fascinating book and one that historians would no doubt have much to debate. The facts surrounding the two world wars and Britain’s response to the unfolding overseas threats are open to much debate, as are the “facts” depicted surrounding Blair’s intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan. The author presents all these instances through the common historical lens, and does not suggest any alternative view of history. My one criticism would be that a mention of the alternative views, as cynical and conspiratorial as they may be, would have been useful.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Christopher Moore
- 22-11-17
Brilliant Book Wonderfully Read
This book provides a truly valuable, comprehensive, historical insight into the English narrative, and what makes the nation so unique in the world. All throughout, Robert Tombs has provided a relatively unbiased, detailed, yet still entertaining account, and Stephen Thorne has done a lovely job of the narration.
I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone interested in English history, or even the broader history of Europe and Empire.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 27-08-18
Superb
My first 40 hour plus book, very informative, well paced and expertly read. Absolutely worth the time.
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- Andyjn
- 08-09-18
Very informative
I very much enjoyed this book. The way English history was presented was very informative. This book covers our history in a wide ranging way and the narrator was well chosen.
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- Anna G
- 27-05-19
Comprehensive and eye-opening
This is an incredibly thorough look at English history and how it has been reinterpreted by each generation. In a time of political turbulence, it was strangely comforting to here a balanced view of the many political crises that England has weathered before.
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