The History of England: from the Accession of James II (Vol. II)
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This is perhaps the best book I have ever read. It is the story of William of Oranage and James II. The descriptions of James's clash with the Bishops is purely Shakesperian, the description of La Hogue is fantastic. The history and historiography is well-analysed elsewhere, but surprise for me was the sheer power and joy of the narrative. Get the four volume set, its even better.
A Detailed Account
This is a book for those who are tired of efforts like "2000 Years of History" in about 150 pages. This is fewer than three years in a thick volume!
It is, in fact, Volume II of Macaulay's History of England and covers 1685-1688: the Glorious Revolution. It is a pity that the other volumes are not as readily available, because, first, it is wonderful 19th Century English prose, second, some background (like Volume I) would be helpful to most American readers, and, third, one would love to have the other volumes.
If you've ever wondered what the "Whig View of History" means--you won't after finishing this volumme.
English History-Lite and Tory-free
First off, I don't fancy abridged editions of anything, particularly history. But, as my current budget couldn't quite stomach the cost of the full five volumes, I settled on this edition.
This reservation having been asseverated, this is as fine an abridged edition of Macaulay's History as one is likely to find. Trevor-Roper does a splendid job of pointing out the prejudicial and less than honest accounts associated with Macaulay's unforgiving Whig triumphalism, and the book does, as has been mentioned by the other reviewers, read quite well. One only regrets the truncations and what not associated with the abridged version.
Try Hume if you fancy a well-written history from the other side of the political spectrum-Also, Churchill's History of The English Speaking Peoples.
A Great book in an unfortunate edition
This book is a 500-odd page abridgement of Macaulay's magisterial History of England. T.B. Macaulay is one of the supreme victorian stylist, if not unquestionably the greatest. He is also one of the forefathers of modern liberalism. The prose is brilliant, and Macaulay has bettered his master, Scott, in his renderings of a bygone era. That much being said, we deplore the need to abridge this masterpiece. Five volumes might sound daunting, but Macaulay is entertaining enough to sustain our interest throughout the length of the book. The abridgements are so extensive that the introduction is reduced to 3 pages, and the recreation of the reign of King Charles II is entirely lost. Buy this book by all means, but if you can find the full version, give that a try. A wonderful companion to this book is Hume's History of England.
Inspiration and Reality
This was my first taste of Macaulay and I'm an aficianado! I was exhilirated by the accounts of English unanimity and activism in the face of a royal tyrant. I was refreshed by a volume of history that, for its honesty, scholarship and its spirit of freedom, was so unlike the many insipid, politically-correct, and poorly-argued texts of modern historians. I was inspired to read of an actual case of widespread resistance to arbitrary government which succeeded by its sheer tenacity employing, however, moderate and unfanatical means. I was enlightened by a view of the Highlander culture and Scottish scene generally(in the 70-odd pages of chapter 16) that had a very realistic feel to it and was a great antidote to the more fantastic intimations of the popular Mel Gibson movie regarding an earlier era in Scottish history. The descriptions of battles are detailed, interesting, and a needed reality check for those who have not experienced warfare and think of it as a big video game.
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Price: $27.22
You Save: $0.28 (1%)
Description
This book is the history of England from the accession of King James the Second down to the time that is within the memory of men still living. The author shall recount the errors which, in a few moments, alienated a loyal gentry and priesthood from the House of Stuart. Macaulay traces the course of that revolution which terminated the long struggle between our sovereigns and their parliaments, and bound up together the rights of the people and the title of the reigning dynasty. He shall also relate how the new settlement was, during many troubled years, successfully defended against foreign and domestic enemies; how, under that settlement, the authority of law an the security of property found to be compatible with a liberty of discussion and of individual action never before known; how, from the auspicious union of order and freedom sprang a prosperity of which the annuals of human affairs had furnished no example; how our country, from a state of ignominio! us vassalage, rapidly rose to the place of umpire among European powers; how her opulence and her martial glory grew together; how, by wise and resolute good faith, was gradually established a public credit fruitful of marvels which to the statesmen of any former age would have seen incredible; how a gigantic commerce gave birth to a maritime power, compared with which every other maritime power, ancient or modern, sinks in to insignificance; how Scotland, after ages of enmity, was at length united to England, not merely by legal bonds, but by indissoluble ties of interest and affection; how, in American, the British colonies rapidly became far mightier and wealthier than the realms which Cortes and Pizzaro had added to the dominions of Charles the Fifth; how in Asia, British adventurers founded an empire not less splendid and more durable than that of Alexander.The events which the author proposes to relate form only a single act of a great and eventful drama extending through ages, and must be very imperfectly understood unless the plot of the preceding acts be well known. He shall therefore introduce his narrative by slight sketch of the history of our country from the earliest times. He shall also pass very rapidly over many centuries: but he shall dwell at some length on the vicissitudes of that contest which the administration of King James the Second brought to a decisive crisis.
1st Baron Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800-59) was a British historian, essayist, and statesman, best remembered for his five-volume History of England.
Baron Macaulay was a minor poet but a brilliant essayist. His History of England has been criticized for its Protestant and Whig bias, but his vast wealth of material, his use of vivid details, and his brilliant, rhetorical, narrative style combined to make it one of the greatest literary works of the 19th century.
Customer Reviews
Tremendous.This is perhaps the best book I have ever read. It is the story of William of Oranage and James II. The descriptions of James's clash with the Bishops is purely Shakesperian, the description of La Hogue is fantastic. The history and historiography is well-analysed elsewhere, but surprise for me was the sheer power and joy of the narrative. Get the four volume set, its even better.
A Detailed Account
This is a book for those who are tired of efforts like "2000 Years of History" in about 150 pages. This is fewer than three years in a thick volume!
It is, in fact, Volume II of Macaulay's History of England and covers 1685-1688: the Glorious Revolution. It is a pity that the other volumes are not as readily available, because, first, it is wonderful 19th Century English prose, second, some background (like Volume I) would be helpful to most American readers, and, third, one would love to have the other volumes.
If you've ever wondered what the "Whig View of History" means--you won't after finishing this volumme.
English History-Lite and Tory-free
First off, I don't fancy abridged editions of anything, particularly history. But, as my current budget couldn't quite stomach the cost of the full five volumes, I settled on this edition.
This reservation having been asseverated, this is as fine an abridged edition of Macaulay's History as one is likely to find. Trevor-Roper does a splendid job of pointing out the prejudicial and less than honest accounts associated with Macaulay's unforgiving Whig triumphalism, and the book does, as has been mentioned by the other reviewers, read quite well. One only regrets the truncations and what not associated with the abridged version.
Try Hume if you fancy a well-written history from the other side of the political spectrum-Also, Churchill's History of The English Speaking Peoples.
A Great book in an unfortunate edition
This book is a 500-odd page abridgement of Macaulay's magisterial History of England. T.B. Macaulay is one of the supreme victorian stylist, if not unquestionably the greatest. He is also one of the forefathers of modern liberalism. The prose is brilliant, and Macaulay has bettered his master, Scott, in his renderings of a bygone era. That much being said, we deplore the need to abridge this masterpiece. Five volumes might sound daunting, but Macaulay is entertaining enough to sustain our interest throughout the length of the book. The abridgements are so extensive that the introduction is reduced to 3 pages, and the recreation of the reign of King Charles II is entirely lost. Buy this book by all means, but if you can find the full version, give that a try. A wonderful companion to this book is Hume's History of England.
Inspiration and Reality
This was my first taste of Macaulay and I'm an aficianado! I was exhilirated by the accounts of English unanimity and activism in the face of a royal tyrant. I was refreshed by a volume of history that, for its honesty, scholarship and its spirit of freedom, was so unlike the many insipid, politically-correct, and poorly-argued texts of modern historians. I was inspired to read of an actual case of widespread resistance to arbitrary government which succeeded by its sheer tenacity employing, however, moderate and unfanatical means. I was enlightened by a view of the Highlander culture and Scottish scene generally(in the 70-odd pages of chapter 16) that had a very realistic feel to it and was a great antidote to the more fantastic intimations of the popular Mel Gibson movie regarding an earlier era in Scottish history. The descriptions of battles are detailed, interesting, and a needed reality check for those who have not experienced warfare and think of it as a big video game.
Although there was an unpleasant aspect of the book for me(Macaulay's views of Penn) that didn't quite ring true, this book is one of the truly classic histories of all time!
