The Usborne History of Britain

Press & Blog Reviews

Beautifully jacketed, this compendium of British history has a cloth binding and a ribbon marker. Encompassing each period from the pre-historic to the new millennium, information is delivered in digestible chunks, complemented by carefully selected illustrations in a fluid style that changes to reflect a sense of each era.
Bookseller - Back to School reviews

The most immediately striking feature of this substantial history of Britain is, without a doubt, its sumptuous design. Across double-page spreads, muted pastel-colour backgrounds are used to offset a stunning range of illustrative material: a Victorian railway poster hangs above a reproduction of Turner's Rain, Steam and Speed: a medieval manuscript is superimposed against a photograph of Beaumaris Castle; each page turn brings new and yet more exciting visual treats. A covetable resource.
The contents are straightforwardly split into easily accessible chronological sections, which unhampered by the limitations of the curriculum - explore aspects of everyday life, encouraging readers to make links between social, economic and political developments, and intellectual and cultural history.
Extensive supplementary material is contained in an imaginative and wide-ranging "factfile", which includes details of Usborne's useful Quicklinks website plus suggestions for places to visit, and annotated lists of historical fiction, films and TV series.
The text is lucid and readable. This is a book no school library should be without.
Kate Agnew, Education Guardian

From hairy caveman to The Iron Lady, this book tells the complete history of Britain, taking in regal Romans, noble knights and revolting peasants along the way. Bright images, cartoons and quirky fact boxes make the pages burst with life. At the back, a snaking timeline provides a neat historical overview. It might look like a hefty tome, but it's actually a fun first reader in British history.
Junior Magazine

From the Ice Age to the 21st century, this book tells the story of Britain, its people and the events that have shaped their lives. It's a treasure trove of information written in an enlightening and entertaining way and will arouse a passion and enthusiasm for the past. Follow the dramatic developments and twists and turns of Britain's history, and find out about characters from all walks of life - from conquering kings, revolting peasants and troublesome priests, to intrepid explorers, cunning inventors and outrageous artists. This book is a classic that no family bookshelf should be without.
Love Reading for Kids Website

Covering British history from pre-historic times to the millennium celebrations in 2000, this 500 page reference book is packed with illustrations and interesting facts. Although dates are given where necessary, the emphasis is on events and social history - an approach which makes the book very readable and fun to dip into. The book has a section for each of the historical periods (Roman Britain, Early Middle Ages, etc) and the end material includes places to visit, novels and films with historical backgrounds and a timeline. This is a good choice for the family bookshelf as it will interest a wide range of ages, including adults
www.wordpool.co.uk

'sumptuously designed and well illustrated, sets everyday life of ordinary people against significant political, cultural and royal events of their time.'
Lesley Agnew - Ham and High

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Extras

• Usborne Quicklinks
  See the Internet links for this book.