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Rating: 
Summary: Excellent introduction to the history of England
Review: If you're looking for in-depth analysis of English history, look elsewhere. However, if you want to get a grasp of the major figures and events of early English history, and have fun reading it, this is the book for you. The author has an eye for the details of history which tell a great deal about how the people of the time lived, without getting bogged down in dry trivia. He spends some time debunking popular myths, such as King Arthur and Lady Godiva, but the actual history on which the myths were built is far more fascinating. I especially appreciate his acceptance of historical figures as they were, as opposed to the judgemental, politically-correct attitude so many modern historians bring to their work. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants a quick overview of English history.
Rating: 
Summary: A fascinating ancedotal history
Review: Lacey's latest effort is superlative simply because it achieves what it states in its introduction. Namely, to provide a series of anecdotal storeis regarding historical figures any English person simply should know about. As he blandly states, history drops of the curricula quite early on in the english school and the history there is focuses on thematic history rather than factual. I recall dropping history at an early age because it was all about the political twentieth century and didn't really go into our history prior to the Industrial Revolution.
Lacey seeks to rectify that with his delightful and accurate stories about the greatest historcial figures from England's past, cheerfully admitting where he is simply adding to the `word-of-mouth' means of keeping history alive (albeit in the written format) and that he has no primary evidence for the stories. As such we are treated to stories that are part of English folklore, such as King Arthur, Whitby, Cheddar Man, King Alfred, Robin Hood and more. Each is told is a factual manner but doesn't forget that the primary motive for history is storytelling, hence the anecdotal style. The sequence of short tales means you can dip in and out of the book, rather than having to read it staight through (though this is just as pleasurable a read) and, by the end, as it so often is, you remember a lot about many of the tales for the human gossip element that prevails throughout.
Rating:
Summary: A fascinating ancedotal history
Review: Lacey's latest effort is superlative simply because it achieves what it states in its introduction. Namely, to provide a series of anecdotal storeis regarding historical figures any English person simply should know about. As he blandly states, history drops of the curricula quite early on in the english school and the history there is focuses on thematic history rather than factual. I recall dropping history at an early age because it was all about the political twentieth century and didn't really go into our history prior to the Industrial Revolution.
Lacey seeks to rectify that with his delightful and accurate stories about the greatest historcial figures from England's past, cheerfully admitting where he is simply adding to the 'word-of-mouth' means of keeping history alive (albeit in the written format) and that he has no primary evidence for the stories. As such we are treated to stories that are part of English folklore, such as King Arthur, Whitby, Cheddar Man, King Alfred, Robin Hood and more. Each is told is a factual manner but doesn't forget that the primary motive for history is storytelling, hence the anecdotal style. The sequence of short tales means you can dip in and out of the book, rather than having to read it staight through (though this is just as pleasurable a read) and, by the end, as it so often is, you remember a lot about many of the tales for the human gossip element that prevails throughout.
Rating:
Summary: A fascinating expose of best-loved tales
Review: Robert Lacey has compiled a chronicle of anecdotal English History from 7150 BC through Richard II's reign in AD 1381, when the first faint rumblings of democracy spread across the land, as well as an awareness of the economic opportunity that sometimes arises from the misfortune of others. In this compact tome, Lacey tackles some of the stories that have been cloaked in mystery and mythology, told and retold over the years, exposing obvious fallacies and offering more sensible, if less colorful explanations for such phenomenon as Lady Godiva's naked romp, King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table and the true adventures (?) of Robin Hood, who "stole from the rich to give to the poor."By demythologizing history, Lacey breathes life into pivotal characters, placing them in an appropriate context from which we can view their exploits with a grain of common sense. Of even greater value and a welcome addition to this slim volume are the bibliography and source notes provided at the back of the book. Lacey takes advantage of the electronic age, offering a series of internet sites where the reader may indulge his curiosity for English history in general, or individual stories as listed in the Table of Contents, whether it be Henry I and the tragedy of The White Ship, The Domesday Book or The Fair Maid of Kent and The Order of the Garter. Myriad small, but important details abound: once the Romans left Britain in 410 AD, written records of civilization were not kept until nearly 600 AD because the Anglo- Saxons did not keep recorded accounts; the Venerable Bede was the first real English historian and it is he who tells of the insults passed between the Irish and the English, the first documented poet, Caedemon, the popular disciplines of science, mathematics, astronomy and poetry and the process of AD dating; after the battle of Hastings in 1060, William the Conqueror introduced the element of the people's consent into governance, hence the phrase, "Long live the King!"; the White Ship incident was the Titanic of the Middle Ages, carrying the heir of Henry I, as it tragically sunk with the hopes of the future and the lack of an heir led to the first prolonged civil war; and the first anti-Semitic atrocities were committed during the reign of Richard the Lionheart, heir of Henry II, who did his best to stop the attacks, but later went on Crusade to Palestine, where he showed no mercy in the slaughtering of Muslims. Certainly, you can research your favorite stories or indulge in a great historical romp through the centuries, beginning with the bones of Cheddar Man. I wasn't sure which route to take, but once I started with Cheddar Man, I just kept reading, tracking the evolution of civilization until I reluctantly came to the end of this volume. At that point, I carefully read the chapter notes and made a list of topics that especially piqued my curiosity. No Condensed Reader's Digest this, but a concise, brilliant compilation of facts guaranteed to spark any reader's interest. Luan Gaines/ 2004.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining, But Digressions Into Modern Day Bothered Me
Review: These stories are entertaining and informative. He tells a continuous narrative of early British history by piecing together vignettes.
As a poorly-educated American I often lost the strand of the vignettes. Kings from one century merged into another. Basically, the idea I get from this book is that historically the lives of Brits were nasty, brutish and short.
The book finishes with the tale of Wat Tyler. Britons are as oppressed at the end of the book as they are at the beginning.
Occasionally this author lets us know his opposition to the recent US and UK led war against Saddam, and possibly, to other US policies in the Mideast. If I were Mr. Lacey's editor I would have deftly incised these passages from the text in order to produce a timeless narrative that concentrates on an ancient era.
Rating:
Summary: Great Tales Indeed!
Review: This book consists of chapters about famous (and not so famous) people in English history, written in an easily readable style that even a person not interested in history might enjoy.
The author seperates truth from fiction and all the while keeps it interesting. And the chapters are only three or four pages, so if you get bored with a chapter, go on to the next! But boredom setting in with this book is highly unlikely.
Highly recommended
Rating:
Summary: More for your money
Review: This, the first in a projected series of three, is an anecdotal romp through real and legendary figures of early English history. If you like your history easy to digest, you'll appreciate the accessible storytelling style and the short, manageable chapters. Robert Lacey provides three maps and an index. Dates are supplied alongside the chapter titles in the Contents.
The cavalcade of "A"-listers features Julius Caesar, Christ, Boadicea, Arthur, St Augustine, Bede, Alfred, Thomas a Becket. Less familiar personalities include, e.g., King Oswy, the Lady of the Mercians, Hereward the Wake. Other chapters deal with moments of historical importance, such as "Simon de Montfort and his Talking Place" which details the origins of Parliament (from the French parler = to talk).
The value of the book is that every chapter enshrines - somtimes quite cunningly - a point of general knowledge. So you're getting two books for the price of one. For example, the chapter on Caedmon, the First English Poet, not only tells the legend of his creativity, but points out his innovation - singing Bible stories in the vernacular ENGLISH, as opposed to the more educated Latin. The bit on the Domesday Book tells not only of that survey, but describes how English imported many French words from the conquering Normans. The Julius Caesar story describes the invading Roman army while telling us about the Julian calendar.
A wonderfully interesting book, especially for the beginner.
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