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69th out of 354 books
—
275 voters
A History of the English Speaking Peoples (A History of the English Speaking Peoples #1-4)
VOLUME 1. THE BIRTH OF BRITAIN. 1956.
VOLUME 2. THE NEW WORLD. 1956.
VOLUME 3. THE AGE OF REVOLUTION. 1957.
VOLUME 4. THE GREAT DEMOCRACIES. 1958.
VOLUME 2. THE NEW WORLD. 1956.
VOLUME 3. THE AGE OF REVOLUTION. 1957.
VOLUME 4. THE GREAT DEMOCRACIES. 1958.
Published
1990
by Dorset Press
(first published 1956)
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Oct 06, 2012
Cathy DuPont
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
History buffs or historians
Prior to My Self-Imposed Challenge
Guys, applaud, please, I'm getting out of my comfort zone, mysteries. All with Jeff's Yoak's encouragement, and I'll say thanks, Jeff, when I finish. Maybe.
Yes, I'm Happy I Read It and Yes, Happy I Finished the Book
Dedicated to Jeff Yoak who said "Look forward to reading your review."
My effort to step outside my comfort zone due to Jeff's kind remark. My apology for the length, however I can assure you it's not as long as the book!
***********
Sir Winston S. Chur...more
Guys, applaud, please, I'm getting out of my comfort zone, mysteries. All with Jeff's Yoak's encouragement, and I'll say thanks, Jeff, when I finish. Maybe.
Yes, I'm Happy I Read It and Yes, Happy I Finished the Book
Dedicated to Jeff Yoak who said "Look forward to reading your review."
My effort to step outside my comfort zone due to Jeff's kind remark. My apology for the length, however I can assure you it's not as long as the book!
***********
Sir Winston S. Chur...more
I have rarely seen a book of history so deeply personal and analytical at the same time. By reading this 4-volume book, one gets a glimpse of Winston Churchill's intricate thinking pattern. As one of craftiest politicians of the 20th Century, he led a deeply pacifist British public to rise up against the Nazi's; he predicted America's downfall in Vietnam; he also infamously forced America into WWI at the cost of more than one thousand civilian lives aboard RMS Lusitania.
His mastery shines throug...more
His mastery shines throug...more
I read this over my summer vacation. its a very good book by a great man (Winston Churchill is the author). its clear Churchill has a passion for his subject. British history is clearly a great subject for Churchill. he is also passionate about other english speaking people, especially about Americans. All great! i only thought that the subject is so massive that it is impossible to fit into even a 1,000 page history. after cranking through the first 1,000 years (Roman colony in Britain to Magna...more
Jan 29, 2011
Bill Peacock
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
culture-politics,
history
Only about midway through the first volume right now (reading about the development of English common law), but Churchill's book is a fascinating and insightful book that makes me glad of my English-speaking heritage. In fact, everyone who lives in the United States (whether just arriving or a part of families that have been here for centuries) should read this to help them understand how what is now their English-speaking heritage has shaped the institutions, laws, and freedoms of the country t...more
Brilliant, as always. A master word-smith, Churchill brings character and insight to stretches of the book, mostly concerning the comings and goings within the British Parliament, which might otherwise have been dull. The more exciting historical passages are simply enthralling. The entire narrative comes with a perspective that you cannot really get anywhere else. No matter how thorough your knowledge of any particular time or issue, it is guaranteed that you will come across something new or b...more
Book #1: The Birth of Britain
Good book. Tell's briefly the story of each monarch and/or the nobles and their reign from the time when Cesaer invaded England to Richard III. I give it 4 stars.
Book #2: The New World
This book was good, but, a little harder read than #1. Covers from approx 1500 to the civil war of 1688. I give it 3 stars.
Book #3: The age of Revolution
I had somewhat of a hard time with this volume. It was good though. I liked the English take on the American Revolution. This book...more
Good book. Tell's briefly the story of each monarch and/or the nobles and their reign from the time when Cesaer invaded England to Richard III. I give it 4 stars.
Book #2: The New World
This book was good, but, a little harder read than #1. Covers from approx 1500 to the civil war of 1688. I give it 3 stars.
Book #3: The age of Revolution
I had somewhat of a hard time with this volume. It was good though. I liked the English take on the American Revolution. This book...more
This is the abridged version I used to follow the unabridged four volume set of Churchill's History of the English-Speaking Peoples. It has interesting illustrations and photographs the original version lacks. Although it is an abridgment, it certainly captures the essence of Churchill's style and cuts out the passages containing military and political details (the intricacies of Conservative and Liberal governments during the Victorian era and the tactics of military commanders in minor campaig...more
I bought the one-volume edition and it was on my night-stand / in tow for about a year as I nibbled away at it in between other books. To me it is fascinating that a man so immersed in world-changing events and as occupied as he was, devoted that much time to study, to understand intimately over a thousand years of detailed history. As other great historians, of whom most, unlike Churchill, have made it their full-time profession, his retelling sounds like he was there personally. His interpreta...more
Only read Vol. 1. If not interested in history, this isn't a book for you. Churchill does a good job of covering English history from the beginning through the War of the Roses. It is readable and informative. Since this was written in the late 1950's, some of the information is up to current historical research findings.
My Dad always wanted to own a set of this magnificent work. I picked up a set in a second-hand bookshop and settled down to see what all the fuss was about.
Dad got the very second set I found in a different second-hand bookshop; and I re-inherited them back when he died.
Dad got the very second set I found in a different second-hand bookshop; and I re-inherited them back when he died.
"Stuff in history that interested me" is the perfect way to describe this work. Churchill has definite opinions on many historical people and events, and doesn't hesitate to deliver judgement or lavish praise. It's a great overview of English and US history especially if you like the strategic aspect of battles. I actually learned quite a bit about Australia, Canada, and South Africa's colonial periods. I think my favorite part, though, was his analysis of the US civil war. The most boring parts...more
This collection is informative and interesting. The first two volumes were much easier to get through than the last two. The first two contain information about the British Isles from Antiquity to I believe 1641. It's a pretty neat time in British History as far as I am concerned. The next two books get really heavy into politics and military ventures. It was a little hard for me because I want to know more about the social culture in the country. The last books talks about the American Civil Wa...more
I have often considered Winston Churchill as the greatest all-around man of the 20th century. His writing skill leaves no doubt. Churchill writes with candor, humor, and I found his style highly approachable and entertaining. A MUST-READ for history enthusiasts.
Apr 07, 2012
Ross
added it
This is something every American should read. Whether or not you are of western European heritage, it follows and highlights many important events in English and World history that even though they may have occured 1,00 years ago, still impact on your daily life.
It's difficult to abridge a topic of this magnitude without omitting the knowledge that makes this a reference book, but Winston's managed to pull it off. He's also a very entertaining writer if you enjoy McCullough's writing style.
This is one of the greatest histories ever written, on part with Gibbon and Macaulay. Winston Churchill's command of English history is unparalleled and his style of writing is clear and accessible. This history is directed at the general public so if you are looking for a serious academic treatment of English history, Churchill's work is not for you. However, it is a useful read in case you wanted to know more about the names, places, and dates of English history. Churchill is particularly stro...more
A wonderful history of Britain, its Empire and a brief snapshot of the USA. Written by an imperialist in an age when the British Empire had begun its collapse...but still worth reading!
Aug 23, 2010
Jessie
added it
Only read vol. 4, but I think I'll go find the rest. Thought it would be really dry, but there's some humor in a British, let's-poke-fun-at-oursleves kind of way.
May 17, 2012
Chris Mericle
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
british-empire,
empires-colonialism-and-theory
The prose and the person who is the writer deserve this rank not that this is a particularly good book on English history (no social history! no economics!). Prose is excellent.
reads like his speeches, e.g.:
It is all true or it ought to be; and more and better besides. And wherever men are fighting against barbarism, tyranny, and massacre, for freedom, law, and honour, let them remember that the fame of their deeds, even though they themselves be exterminated, may perhaps be celebrated as long as the world rolls round. Let us then declare that King Arthur and his noble knights, guarding the Sacred Flame of Christianity and the theme of a world order, sustained by valou...more
It is all true or it ought to be; and more and better besides. And wherever men are fighting against barbarism, tyranny, and massacre, for freedom, law, and honour, let them remember that the fame of their deeds, even though they themselves be exterminated, may perhaps be celebrated as long as the world rolls round. Let us then declare that King Arthur and his noble knights, guarding the Sacred Flame of Christianity and the theme of a world order, sustained by valou...more
This book was good as far as a general overview of English history. It is fairly easy to read, but too often there are names given or events listed with no explanation and with the general assumption that you know what they are referring to. That is frustrating at times, but it generally doesn't take away from your understanding of what is happening. I don't know if that comes from the way Churchill wrote or if is a product of the editing to condense seven books into one. I do which I understood...more
Jul 21, 2012
Virginia
is currently reading it
I am on Volume I and so far I am in love. Not only is the early history totally fascinating, but Churchill was a very winsome writer.
Out of print. Old fashioned attitudes of the last unrepentant imperialist, and written with stunningly elegant prose.
Books 1 and 2 explained British history to me in a way that I could understand for the first time. By Book 3, it moved somewhat into overall European happenings due to all the wars of the 1600s and 1700s. Getting re-elected Prime Minister and winning WW II seemed to get in the way of finishing Book 4 and half of it ended up being about the US Civil War. Still, one of the best history works I've read and definitely the best I've read on European history. Sir Churchill's wit and occasional quips o...more
Not only does the historical accuracy seem high but his writing style makes these tomes a joy to read.
Still on volume 1 after 3 years. Very dry & detailed but a wonderful chronicle of these resolute people.
Three years of Christmas Gifts from Aunty Peggy & Uncle Sidney. I bought the last one probably in 1964.
Churchill wrote this magnificent tome in language that makes the reader believe WWII never happened. He refers to WWI as "The Great War." He also uses the royal "we" sometimes which is very amusing. I haven't reached the American revolution, but I trust he will treat it fairly. His mother was an American after all. We are, most of us, familiar with his great speeches that invigorated the English people and gave them hope during some dismal times. Well, his English skills are even more attenuated...more
Not sure if the problem is with Churchill or with the editor.
Another example of Churchill's writing ability.
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Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC (Can) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945, and again from 1951 to 1955. A noted statesman, orator and strategist, Churchill was also an officer in the British Army. A prolific author, he won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953 for his own historical writings, "for his mastery...more
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Oct 10, 2012 03:54pm
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