HISTORY BOOKS (2)
Castles of the Celtic Lands.
Quercus. 2006
Today we see
castles as picturesque left-overs from a glamorous medieval past. But they were
not seen in that way when they were built – they were symbols of domination and
tyranny. They were symbols of raw power, both to the kings and barons who built
them and to the ordinary people they were meant to intimidate. Ordinary people
hated castles because they associated them with oppression and extortion. They
are nevertheless wonderfully varied buildings, and for many of us they are our
major link to the complex events of a particular phase of the past – and
powerful touchstones to the imagination.
Descriptions
of 60 castles and abbeys in Ireland, Scotland and Wales are accompanied by high
quality colour photographs.
Reader’s Comments:
‘Get this book for the (gorgeous)
pictures – or for the text.’
‘Has lovely pictures and gives some great general info
about major castles, cathedrals and abbeys. Lovely! Nothing’s better than a
pretty, fun and functional book.’ Saoirse
Redgrave.
The Book of Saints. Quercus. 2006.
Presented in order of feast dates
through the calendar year, the life stories of 100 of the most significant and
popular saints of the English-speaking world are told, along with details of
their canonization, patronage and prayers, and an image of each saint.
Inventions that Changed the World. Chartwell Books
(Futura). 2007
More than 250 inventions are described in
chronological order, from stone tools to DVDs, from gunpowder to the atom bomb,
from the wheel to the worldwide web, including the names and backgrounds of
their inventors, the problems the inventors were trying to solve, the
significance of the inventions to their contemporaries, the ways in which
inventions have changed the world in which we live.
Natural Disasters that Changed the World. Futura. 2007
More than 150 natural disasters are
described in chronological order, starting with the prehistoric mass
extinctions and ending with global warming. We need to understand why they
happen, because many of them recur, and some of them are at least partly our fault.
Reader’s comment:
‘Castleden starts his tragical history tour
with the Permian mass extinction about 251 million BC; his last entry is for
global warming about 2007. His wide-ranging knowledge of geography, history and
archaeology is everywhere evident as he makes all these events not just
exciting but understandable. I enjoyed it tremendously.’
Conflicts that Changed the World. Futura. 2008
This book looks at conflicts that are
turning-points in history. For example, the Battle of Hastings resulted in the
Norman Conquest of England. The book gives details o about 175 conflicts from
the Battle of Megiddo in 1479 BC to the Fall of Baghdad in AD 2005. The
conflicts are listed in chronological order. Each section contains a reference
box with details on the nature and location of the battle and the combatants
involved, the outcome and its significance to the countries involved.
Discoveries that Changed the World. Futura. 2008
More than 150 major discoveries are
described in chronological order, from the arrival of the first people in North
America to the landing of the first men on the Moon, from Troy
Witness to History. Canary Press. 2008
A collection of first-hand accounts written
by people who saw major historic events take place. Some of the witnesses are
bystanders or non-players in the big events of history. They are people like
Jean Hill, the American schoolteacher who saw from very close at hand the
assassination of President John F. Kennedy (shown on the dust jacket). Other
witnesses are major players in the events they describe: people like Orville
Wright describing his historic first flight. They are the makers of history.
Their testimonies, collectively, become its raw material.
Encounters that Changed the World. Futura. 2009
Describes a selection of major human encounters,
the backgrounds of the people involved, and the effects of those encounters on
the course of history.
More than 90 encounters are arranged
according to type: from meetings with aliens and with God to great friendships
and political and creative relationships. They range from Moses’ communion with
God in the burning bush to Tony Blair’s relationship with Gordon Brown at
Westminster, from Plato’s friendship with Socrates in Athens to Richard
Wagner’s summons by King Ludwig to Munich and Paul McCartney’s first meeting
with John Lennon at a church fete in Liverpool.
Reader’s comment:
‘Highly informative without getting too
history-heavy. An enjoyable aspect is the global perspective the author
attempts to capture. The book takes in a wide variety of people, places,
religions and races and none is given any more weight than another. I can
understand how frustrating it may be to print undeniable recorded fact at the
expense of mountains of hearsay, but it is this restraint which make his book
so educational.
Though it runs to 500-plus pages, it is a
surprisingly easy read, broken up into bite-size chunks of the past. It
provides just enough detail to satisfy the curiosity without overburdening one
with weighty background. Recommended.’
Castles of Britain
& Ireland
A lavishly illustrated volume telling the
stories of 115 of the most majestic castles in Britain and Ireland, and the
intrigues, bloodshed and myths that surround them. Whether royal residences or
romantic ruins, they remain potent touchstones for the imagination.
Element Encyclopedia of the Celts. HarperCollins. 2013
A comprehensive, entertaining and
authoritative A-Z guide to Celtic history and culture, telling the story of the
Celts’ way of life, their religion and their myths. An important source book
for those who strive to claim Celtic roots.
Reviews:
‘A superb, fascinating and comprehensive
compilation, treating all aspects of the Celts. No-one else could have produced
a work so thorough, fluent and outstanding.’ Paul Newman.
Readers’ comments:
‘A
fascinating journey into the world of the ancestors. Find other publications by
this author. He is a unique and talented historian, telling about the ancient
world with ease.’
‘Will tell you pretty much whatever you
want to know about the Celts, including aspects of their religion, history and
lifestyle. An excellent reference book. Excellently organized, not overly
wordy.’
Vikings: Raiders, Traders & Masters of the Sea.
Chartwell Books. 2015
From the late eighth century AD Viking
warriors came from the sea to raid, terrorize, trade with and colonize many
parts of the world. From Newfoundland to Baghdad, Vikings instigated a
remarkable cultural expansion that lasted for 300 years. But terrifying tales
of massacre and pillage by violent and ruthless warriors such as Erik Bloodaxe
and Thorfinn Skull-Splitter may partly result from the exaggerated reports of
contemporary Christian chroniclers. I try to separate the truth from Norse myth
and monastic propaganda, and examine the achievements of the Viking Age. These
tall blond settlers, with their amazing artistry and brilliant seamanship, came
to share their everyday culture with local inhabitants, leaving behind an
enduring legacy that truly changed the world.
