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Highlights from Welsh History: Opening Some Windows to Our Past
A look at the huge contributions the small nation of Wales has made to the world. Black & white photos.
- GenresHistory
96 pages, Paperback
Published October 3, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 1, 2021
This is a delightful little read that summarises the large influences that Wales has had on the world from early history, to driving the industrial revolution, not to mention it's contributions to sport and entertainment.
February 16, 2026
Had some interesting bits in there but it had a real biased tone in it which I don’t really enjoy in a history book cause it kind of makes me feel like I can’t fully trust that they’re telling the whole story. Wish the author had gone more in depth with some parts but on the other hand it’s a nice quick overview of Welsh history to prompt the reader to do more research into parts they find interesting
December 27, 2021
Does what is promised by the title but missed the mark in a few places. It lost a star for not having an index, which is unforgivable in a book like this.
February 19, 2026
There are some interesting bits in here! I wanted to know more about Welsh history and it did give me that for sure. I enjoyed learning that a Welsh gangster was Al Capone's right-hand man.
The tone is very politicised and an underlying contempt for the English is evident from the author!
He also makes a false equivalency stating that the Welsh language retained its prominence during the industrial revolution because there were more domestic opportunities for work in the newly industrialised towns compared to Ireland where many had to emigrate to find work, framing the loss of the Irish language as a consequence of that emigration. This explanation doesn't address the penal laws in Ireland that pushed the Irish language out of education/law/public life. The Irish didn't choose to emigrate because of a lack of industrialised towns. Penal laws and land system after the "famine" left them with no way to own property or thrive. The industrial revolution in Wales is something that happened to a population that still owned a lot of its social structures, and enjoyed religious freedom and a growing middle class, whereas 100 years before the industrial revolution the Irish had been stripped of their wealth and education system. The areas in the west where the Irish language has survived the longest are so because Cromwell pushed a lot of the native Irish to the west of the country where the terrain was rough and it was difficult to cultivate anything; sending them to "to hell or to Connacht". So the west was an ethnic/linguist ghetto. And of course, the west then experienced emigration. Of course it's a book about Wales, not Ireland, but perhaps then he should have left out the comparison. It annoyed me, if you can't tell.
Some bits were quite tangential, others would have been worthy of more detail. I didn't dislike it overall.
The tone is very politicised and an underlying contempt for the English is evident from the author!
He also makes a false equivalency stating that the Welsh language retained its prominence during the industrial revolution because there were more domestic opportunities for work in the newly industrialised towns compared to Ireland where many had to emigrate to find work, framing the loss of the Irish language as a consequence of that emigration. This explanation doesn't address the penal laws in Ireland that pushed the Irish language out of education/law/public life. The Irish didn't choose to emigrate because of a lack of industrialised towns. Penal laws and land system after the "famine" left them with no way to own property or thrive. The industrial revolution in Wales is something that happened to a population that still owned a lot of its social structures, and enjoyed religious freedom and a growing middle class, whereas 100 years before the industrial revolution the Irish had been stripped of their wealth and education system. The areas in the west where the Irish language has survived the longest are so because Cromwell pushed a lot of the native Irish to the west of the country where the terrain was rough and it was difficult to cultivate anything; sending them to "to hell or to Connacht". So the west was an ethnic/linguist ghetto. And of course, the west then experienced emigration. Of course it's a book about Wales, not Ireland, but perhaps then he should have left out the comparison. It annoyed me, if you can't tell.
Some bits were quite tangential, others would have been worthy of more detail. I didn't dislike it overall.
November 6, 2020
Well I really enjoyed this. My grandparents were Welsh but moved to England just before Dad was born for work. Me and my husband until recently lived in England but right on the border so our children were both born in Wales too and then we moved into Wales. I have always had such a fondness for Wales - it is a beautiful place and I feel really at home here so was interesting to get a glimpse into the history of the place.
January 1, 2023
This was difficult to rate. On the one hand, lots of interesting tidbits of knowledge, on the other, it's a long way from being an objective study. Even as a proud Welshman myself, I found the politicised tone a bit awkward at times; it's a terribly cynical attitude to have, but when a politician states something as fact, my first instinct is to go and double-check it somewhere else. Overall worth a look, even as only a starting point for further research.
July 31, 2021
Thoroughly enjoyed. As a Welsh person there was so much that enriched my understanding of our practices & culture. Just want the same but a little more detail!!!
April 9, 2022
Really disappointing. This book could have used some editing for style and tone - very blustering and pompous, which is a shame. John Davies' History of Wales is a bit of a mammoth read but way more worth the effort than this.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews