The Usborne History Of Britain

by Ruth Brocklehurst, Usborne Publishing (Publisher)

From the Ice Age to the dawn of the 21st century, this book tells the story of Britain, its people and the events that have shaped their lives. It charts the dramatic developments and twists and turns of Britain's history, and describes characters from all walks of life, from conquering kings, revolting peasants and troublesome priests, to intrepid explorers, cunning inventors and outrageous artists.

Contents:
The people of Britain
Prehistoric Britain
Roman Britain
The early Middle Ages
The Middle Ages
Tudors and Stuarts
The Georgians
The Victorians
The early 20th century
The Second World War
Post War Britain
Factfile

Genres: History, Nonfiction, British Literature, Childrens

512 pages, Hardcover

First published June 27, 2008

About the author

When she wasn't riding her bike or making things out of loo rolls and scraps of fabric, Ruth spent her childhood reading about detectives and historical figures. She has written and edited countless books for Usborne - some about detectives and historical figures; some about dinosaurs, scientists and astronauts.

Reviews

[I. J. Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this book has some admirable qualities it is sorely in need of updating. Now that discussions of colonialism have entered the mainstream it's a great time to rewrite. To paraphrase Maya Angelou, "when you know better, do better."

The British Empire is not included in a meaningful way in this book. Colonised people are not depicted with agency, for example, the reader learns nothing of the independence movements, strikes and civil disobedience that forced Britain to give up its colonies. Instead Britain is depicted as graciously granting independence when they were asked to.

The text has been 'diversified' by adding a few extra individuals and events from minoritised groups, without changing the Eurocentric, colonial perspective.

An update would also benefit from a deeper discussion of racism, beyond a somewhat benign 'prejudice' members of the Windrush Generation are described as facing.

Usborne has a great catalog. It's time to bring this comprehensive history up to date.

[Rachel Menke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating read for me as an American with a lot of interest in history in general but also British culture and history specifically. Especially once the book reached the 18th century and British and US events began to intertwine it was fun to see the different perspective from which Brits perceive these events compared to what we highlight and promote about those same events in the US. While some of the author’s political biases seemed to peek through it was well done (as most Usborne books are) by making information easily absorbed, understandable, and memorable.

[Fabioreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great, as usual, from Usborne illustrated non-fiction books. I read this with my son every evening and he loved it. Perfect for children aged 9–13 - the illustrations and photos make reading and learning much easier and more fun.

[Ernest · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book is a nice description of British history, with good pictures, detail and information.

[Kimberley Handley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can not recommend this book enough. My child begged me to read it every night. A perfect sum up of Britain from caveman to the year 2000. I just wish there were more like it.

[Shu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Illustrated images reinforce the history gone through

[Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty good stuff!!

[Tianpu Han · Rating 4 out of 5]

很适合青少年对于英国历史的入门，但对于成人还是有些肤浅了。感觉像自己中学时学的历史教材

[Anthony Benwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book chock full of history and interesting tidbits.

Was a side read whilst I was reading another book but I liked to give this a read during the day.

[Penelope Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good coffee table book!

[Richard Peddar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very educational book as about the history
Of Britian

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is the book well-organised and easy to follow?

Does the book have any bias or does it present alternative viewpoints?
What is it about and the language that is biased?

Are the sentences long, complicated in terms of grammatical structure or difficult to understand?

What knowledge and skill in reading woruld a chld need to use this book?

What knowledge about the topic would the children need to have?

This is a super history book for children of any age. It reveals the whole of the history of Britain from Pre-historic times up to the Millennium. The information is presented succinctly in chapters