Great Tales

I'm currently coming towards the end of Robert Lacey's third volume from Great Tales from English History - The Battle of the Boyne to DNA. I discovered the first two volumes (Cheddar man to the Peasant's Revolt and Chaucer to the Glorious Revolution) by accident in our local discount bookstore. This third volume came out at the end of last year.

They really are great volumes. Each chapter is headed by a date and a neat illustration. Then comes a succinct, well told account of an incident from English history. There is some scholarship and useful disambiguation but the main thing is a story well told. Like most books today the standpoint is a humanist one but I would commend these books to almost anyone. Lacey has done for me what Rowland W Purton was doing all those years ago in Days of Glory.

As an example chapter let me cite England expects ... which features a telescope and an eye patch at the head. It begins with a character defining description of 15 year old Nelson chasing a polar bear. With the briefest historical background we move to victory at the Nile (1798) aged 39. 'Invincible Nelson' then begins his affair with Lady Hamilton to the disapprobation of many but countered by his skill at spin. Then follows a debunking of the story that he raised his telescope to his blind eye at Copenhagen (1801) a later legend. And so, with remarks on his continued popularity, to Cadiz and the famous message which began as 'Nelson confides that every man will do his duty'. England replaced Nelson at an anonymous suggestion and 'Expects' was replaced 'confides' as it used fewer flags. And so on to Cape Trafalgar and victory and death. The 'Kiss me Hardy' story is supported. The 'Kismet Hardy' explanation was merely an attempt to suppress an idea that embarrassed some Victorians.
You get the idea.
Click here to hear the author himself briefly commend Volume 1. Also here for Volume 2 and here for Volume 3. Watch Mr Lacey age before your very eyes! He also wrote The Year 1000 which is very good. His own web page is here.