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Title details for Great Tales from English History, Book 2 by Robert Lacey - Available

Great Tales from English History, Book 2

Joan of Arc, the Princes in the Tower, Bloody Mary, Oliver Cromwell, Sir Isaac Newton, and More

by Robert Lacey
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With insight, humor and fascinating detail, Lacey brings brilliantly to life the stories that made England — from Ethelred the Unready to Richard the Lionheart, the Venerable Bede to Piers the Ploughman.
The greatest historians are vivid storytellers, Robert Lacey reminds us, and in Great Tales from English History, he proves his place among them, illuminating in unforgettable detail the characters and events that shaped a nation.
In this volume, Lacey limns the most important period in England's past, highlighting the spread of the English language, the rejection of both a religion and a traditional view of kingly authority, and an unstoppable movement toward intellectual and political freedom from 1387 to 1689.
Opening with Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and culminating in William and Mary's "Glorious Revolution," Lacey revisits some of the truly classic stories of English history: the Battle of Agincourt, where Henry V's skilled archers defeated a French army three times as large; the tragic tale of the two young princes locked in the Tower of London (and almost certainly murdered) by their usurping uncle, Richard III; Henry VIII's schismatic divorce, not just from his wife but from the authority of the Catholic Church; "Bloody Mary" and the burning of religious dissidents; Sir Francis Drake's dramatic, if questionable, part in the defeat of the Spanish Armada; and the terrible and transformative Great Fire of London, to name but a few.
Here Anglophiles will find their favorite English kings and queens, villains and victims, authors and architects - from Richard II to Anne Boleyn, the Virgin Queen to Oliver Cromwell, Samuel Pepys to Christopher Wren, and many more.
Continuing the "eminently readable, highly enjoyable" (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) history he began in volume I of Great Tales from English History, Robert Lacey has drawn on the most up-to-date research to present a taut and riveting narrative, breathing life into the most pivotal characters and exciting landmarks in England's history.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    November 29, 2009

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9780316090391

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9780316090391
      • File size: 2017 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      March 14, 2005
      Acclaimed historian Lacey's second volume on English history opens in 1348, the year of the Black Plague, which wiped out half of England's five million people, and proceeds through the astonishing scientific discoveries of Sir Isaac Newton in 1687. Along the way, we meet characters as diverse as Chaucer, Richard II, Henry IV, William Caxton, Guy Fawkes, Richard Whittington, Lady Jane Grey and Titus Oates. In lively vignettes, Lacey (The Year 1000
      ; Majesty
      ) also regales us with such events as the Puritan civil war, the London fire of 1666 and Sir Walter Raleigh's voyages to the New World. Political and religious dissent dominate these tales. Lacey captures the humor inherent in the evolution of England's history; thus, he includes the story of the first modern water closet, invented by Queen Elizabeth's godson, Sir John Harrington. In addition, Lacey briefly chronicles the British attraction to the rare and the exotic in the tale of John Tradescant's opening to the public in the 1630s of his collection of artifacts and curiosities—England's "first museum." Lacey's animated prose, energetic storytelling and spirited approach to British history bring the past to life. 51 b&w illus., 2 maps.

    • Library Journal

      Starred review from March 15, 2005
      Popular historian Lacey, coauthor of the best-selling "The Year 100", presents a second volume of tales from English history. While the first volume explored the myths and legends of early history, this equally entertaining installment gives anecdotal vignettes of royalty, clerics, scoundrels, and a motley cast of other characters dating from 1386 to 1688. Each brief chapter immerses us in English history by focusing on a single character or pivotal event. This volume covers an important period; the language as we know it today was beginning to develop, Protestantism and Parliamentary democracy emerged, and important scientists and architects shaped the land. Lacey's jaunty, contemporary style is perfect for what some might consider dry historical facts, though Lacey is extraordinarily careful with those facts, and exacting in the details. The result is a series of lively accounts that will beguile anyone trying to recollect received British history. Highly recommended for public libraries, as well as school and undergraduate libraries. -Gail Benjafield, St. Catharines P.L., Ont.

      Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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