The Penguin Illustrated History of Britain and Ireland: From Earliest Times to the Present Day

by Barry Cunliffe

Compiled by a team of leading historians, this is a wonderfully rich, lavishly illustrated history of England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. The reader is taken on a journey from prehistoric times to the present day, examining such topics as the spread of literacy, the development of transport, and the evolution of country houses on the way. British cities are brought to life in artwork reconstructions that take the reader back to the Dublin of the 18th century or London in the 1850s. Scholarly yet accessible, this is the ideal introduction to British and Irish history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Sir Barrington Windsor Cunliffe taught archaeology in the Universities of Bristol and Southampton and was Professor of European Archaeology at the University of Oxford from 1972 to 2008, thereafter becoming Emeritus Professor. He has excavated widely in Britain (Fishbourne, Bath, Danebury, Hengistbury Head, Brading) and in the Channel Islands, Brittany, and Spain, and has been President of the Council for British Archaeology and of the Society of Antiquaries, Governor of the Museum of London, and a Trustee of the British Museum. He is currently a Commissioner of English Heritage.

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is an overview of a long history, but I found it was far too superficial to make it interesting and hold my attention. Mostly "what happened" without much "why it happened".

[Ann Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always like picking through this one whenever I have time.