The British Isles: A History of Four Nations

By Hugh Kearney

Book Overview

Hugh Kearney's classic account of the history of the British Isles from pre-Roman times to the present is distinguished by its treatment of English history as part of a wider 'history of four nations'. Not only focusing on England, it attempts to deal with the histories of Wales, Ireland and Scotland in their own terms, whilst recognising that they too have political, religious and cultural divides. This new edition endeavours to recognise and examine contemporary multi-ethnic Britain and its implications for 'four-nations' history, making it an invaluable case-study for European nationhood of the past and present. Thoroughly updated throughout to take into account recent social, political and cultural changes within Britain and examine the rise of multi-ethnic Britain, this revised edition also contains a completely new set of illustrations, including 16 maps.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1107623898
• ISBN13: 9781107623897
• Release Date: March 2012
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 377 Pages
• Weight: 1.27 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.4" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

An interesting and fresh historical perspective.

Hugh Kearney argues that the history of the British Isles can not be properly understood by simply considering a single 'national' interpretation. The first five chapters of his book consider Celtic society, the Roman invasion, post-Roman centuries, Viking settlements and the Norman invasion - all within the context of the British Isles. The later chapters continue with the same approach, and bring a fresh perspective on well known events such as the 'English' civil war, the various Acts of Union (Wales in 1536, Scotland in 1707, and Ireland in 1800), the formation of the Irish Free State and the two world wars.