Crown and Country - David Starkey
Crown and Country: A History of England through the Monarchy - David Starkey
Non-Fiction
Pages: 488
I have to confess to being a little bit disappointed with this, although I suspect that probably comes from having more than the usual familiarity with the history of the British monarchy. As a primer or an introduction to the subject, I have no doubt it would be very good. But I found it a little too lacking in depth. Its scope is admirable, and I was pleased for once to find a book that traces the history of the monarchy beyond 1066 and William the Conqueror. But the flipside of tracing such a lengthy period of history is that it only really scratches the surface of any given period.
Added to that is the fact that it is essentially serving a dual purpose - a history of the monarchy as an institution and a history of the monarchs themselves. Being very familiar with the history of Britain's monarchs, I was hoping for more of an analysis of what makes Britain's monarchy unique, how it survived and evolved, where it is heading. I found this book didn't focus enough on that aspect for me. Perhaps it could almost have been separated in two volumes?
Non-Fiction
Pages: 488
I have to confess to being a little bit disappointed with this, although I suspect that probably comes from having more than the usual familiarity with the history of the British monarchy. As a primer or an introduction to the subject, I have no doubt it would be very good. But I found it a little too lacking in depth. Its scope is admirable, and I was pleased for once to find a book that traces the history of the monarchy beyond 1066 and William the Conqueror. But the flipside of tracing such a lengthy period of history is that it only really scratches the surface of any given period.
Added to that is the fact that it is essentially serving a dual purpose - a history of the monarchy as an institution and a history of the monarchs themselves. Being very familiar with the history of Britain's monarchs, I was hoping for more of an analysis of what makes Britain's monarchy unique, how it survived and evolved, where it is heading. I found this book didn't focus enough on that aspect for me. Perhaps it could almost have been separated in two volumes?