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Simon Schama
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A History of Britain, Vol. 2: The Wars of the British, 1603-1776 Hardcover – October 17, 2001

by Simon Schama (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 243 ratings
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A second installment in a three-part epic history of Britain chronicles the nearly two centuries of battles waged both home and abroad on grounds of political or religious conviction, between Republicans and Royalists, Catholics and Protestants, and colonialists and natives.
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Previous page
  1. Book 2 of 3
    A History of Britain
  2. Print length
    544 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Miramax
  5. Publication date
    October 17, 2001
  6. Dimensions
    7.5 x 9.75 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0786867523
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0786867523
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The beginning of the 17th century promised that England's golden age would long outlast its Elizabethan namesake. Within a few years, that promise would end in civil war, political unrest, and international conflict, a period of strife that would last for two centuries, but produce the modern British nation. In this swiftly moving narrative, the second installment in a three- volume companion to the BBC/History Channel television series, Simon Schama examines key events that would utterly change British life: the collapse of monarchy and republic, the establishment of the beginnings of empire, and the ever-wider division between court and country. The wars that accompanied these turns of fortune were, Schama writes, "eminently unpredictable, improbable, and avoidable." With them came the Glorious Revolution, the bloody suppression of religious dissent, the conquest of neighboring kingdoms, and the wide-scale movement of large populations from one place to another--including the deliberate introduction of nearly 100,000 Scots, Welsh, and English settlers in Ireland, which, Schama writes, "utterly dwarfed the related 'planting' on the Atlantic seaboard of North America." Along the way, Schama considers actors major and minor in this tumultuous play, from the unlucky king Charles I to Oliver Cromwell (who "lacked the one essential characteristic for true dictatorship: a hunger to accumulate power purely for its own sake"), from the writer Daniel Defoe to the pragmatic politician Sir Robert Walpole, from William Pitt to the African slaves who peopled Britain's American colonies.

Though understandably rushed and sometimes unfocused, Schama's narrative ably captures Britain's transformation from island outpost to global power. -- Gregory McNamee

From Publishers Weekly

This second in a series of three volumes, following the excellent A History of England: At the Edge of the World 3500 B.C.-1603 A.D., is an elegantly written, consistently engaging account of a seminal period in British history, penned by one of today's finest historians. Schama begins with the Stuart dynasty, which unified the crowns of Scotland and England in 1603 and as a result met its downfall. Schama contends that the concept of Great Britain caused constant upheaval for England: "The trouble was Calvinist Scotland and Catholic Ireland, and their deep religious incompatibility with Stuart England." When Charles I attempted to impose a unified religious establishment on Scotland, a firestorm ensued. In 1638, Scottish Calvinists signed a "National Covenant" and claimed that, by interfering with Scottish religion, Charles I had broken his contract, and Scotland claimed the right to overthrow him. A furious Charles called Parliament to raise military funds, but it denied his request. Instead, it began making demands for political, legal and religious rights. Charles's stubborn refusal to compromise triggered a civil war that resulted in his beheading. Parliament finally achieved its power-sharing demands in 1688-1689, when the Stuarts were toppled and an arrangement was reached with King William and Queen Mary. The year 1776, Schama points out, brought the ultimate irony: the American colonists demanded the same hard-earned liberties for which their British forefathers had fought the Stuarts. George III would prove every bit as obstreperous as Charles I. Columbia University historian Schama (The Embarrassment of Riches, etc.) is to be congratulated for this magisterial, delightfully accessible and important book. 150 color photos, 10 color maps not seen by PW. (Oct.)Forecast: As with the first volume, this book is issued simultaneously with the airing of a History Channel companion series. Schama's excellent reputation plus the book's rich illustrations make it a good gift book that should sell steadily through its 50,000 first printing.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Miramax (October 17, 2001)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 544 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0786867523
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0786867523
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.5 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 9.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 243 ratings

About the author

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Simon Schama

Simon Schama

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Simon Schama is a professor of art history and history at Columbia University, and is the author of numerous award-winning books; his most recent history, Rough Crossings, won the National Book Critics Circle Award for nonfiction. He is a cultural essayist for the New Yorker and has written and presented more than thirty documentaries for the BBC, PBS, and the History Channel, including The Power of Art, which won the 2007 International Emmy for Best Arts Programming.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
243 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Chaim Rosenblatt
5.0 out of 5 stars Great reading.
Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2021
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Volume 2 is an excellent as Volume 1. Entertaining, educational, and very readable.
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LTC CANON DR
5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary
Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2011
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A great read! An abundance of details and information that help explain the "why" in addition to the what. A wonderful opportunity to learn how English history developed during the period that led to the development of our United States, and a chance to see how British concerns affected the judgments of America.
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Paul Versteeg
4.0 out of 5 stars A good book, but too single-sided/unbalanced
Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2015
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A lot of information about this crucial and vital period for England and it's role in world history.
I like the humor, but a lot is dry with names and events mentioned, but not explained or put in context for newbies in this period.
This is a book for people that already know the era, and want to have another overview.

Unfortunately, as with so many history book about this period, it's better, but still too single sided (slanted) and only focused on the English portion and that with a positive spin for English readers. I would have expected a more balanced book from Simon, because he very well knows the influence of say the Dutch in this period and on this period. (see The embarrassment of riches) Also Louis XIV is barely mentioned. Is it too shameful/painful to document the fact that the two brother Kings just about wrecked the country, started wars for personal gain, and factually sold England's future to the France of Louis XIV? If it hadn't been for the invasion of William III and the removal of James II, what would England be today? The Anglo-Dutch wars are barely mentioned, let alone England's part in the Franco-Dutch war. Instead, we do read page after page of details aimed probably historians and specialists and a lot about the activities in the America's, but not much else. I'm a little disappointed about volume 2, not sure if I will purchase the others.
2 people found this helpful
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Barbara B.
5.0 out of 5 stars A good read
Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2013
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Volume 1 was so good I bought volume #2, primarily to understand the social, political, and economic forces which led to the migration of so many British to the American colonies. I was not disappointed, and there was the occasional, un-looked for gem, such as the movement of so many from Massachusetts to more southern New England lands. The book is well worth the price, and I am hoping Mr. Schama will at some point do a history of the colonies - one knows it would contain far less propaganda than is currently available in history written by Americans.
2 people found this helpful
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Ken G
5.0 out of 5 stars very well done history
Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2014
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This covers the period of time in which my ancestors lived in England and which led to them emigrating to the New World (New England), so it was very personal as I read it.
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Raymond J. Toth
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2018
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Very enjoyable.
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Al Singh
3.0 out of 5 stars The first half of this book, on the English ...
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2014
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The first half of this book, on the English Civil War, the Commonwealth, and the early Restoration, was rather difficult to get through. The book really takes off in the final chapter, in which Schama explores the problems and contradictions of Britain's imperial destiny. With consummate irony he describes the way in which British orators and rhetoricians composed paeans to the blessings of political liberty bestowed by their own uniquely enlightened form of government, only to have such lofty ideals hurled back in their teeth by disgruntled American colonists. Settling British affairs in India became a kind of compensation for losing America, but opened up temptations and moral compromises that sat uneasy on the British imperial conscience. The book ends just as the story seems to be picking up steam, but in a way that is analagous the fate of the British Empire itself. This volume is not as readable as the first volume, but it owes much of its difficulty to the difficult period that it covers.
3 people found this helpful
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Lauren S. Kahn
5.0 out of 5 stars Popular History Based on the TV Series
Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2003
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This is popular history for those who know little but those who know a great deal will also find it enjoyable. Sure, it is a coffee table book, but so what?
I loved it as I loved the two other volumes.
It would also make a nice gift for anyone interested in British history. So what if they know everything? They can look at the pictures.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Anne Topley
5.0 out of 5 stars ARRIVED at last. Schama at his best.
Reviewed in Italy on September 20, 2020
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Shama at his best. Worth waiting for.
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Supal
3.0 out of 5 stars Book quality is bad.
Reviewed in India on August 16, 2020
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Quality of the Book is very bad. It almost looks like used, old, dirty. It's not worthy of price.
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tatyana orlova
5.0 out of 5 stars A History of Britain - Volume 2: The British... Simon Schama
Reviewed in Germany on May 21, 2018
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Thank you very much for the excellent service and quick delivery. I love this book. I'm going to order the other book by Simon Schama here again.
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R. S. Stanier
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, readable and exciting history
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 9, 2002
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The second of Schama's beautiful volumes technically covers 1603-1776, but (naturally) spends most of the time discussing the era around the Civil War: it was here, after all, that Britons actually spent considerable energy deciding what sort of country they were: blank canvas after blank canvas was begun only to be torn up, until the monarchy cum Parliamentary democracy compromise was reached.
Schama writes on two levels: the first is just to tell you what happened and to cover off the classic stories along the way, hence longish excursus on e.g. the Great Fire of London, the building of St Pauls, Wolfe in Quebec etc. The second is to offer his own vision for the forces behind what was going on.
Since Schama's vision is invariably fresh and insightful, this is a constantly illuminating read: he can shed light on topics you think you know well, as well as just lucidly explaining the things you knew nothing about.
Occasionally, though, this makes it a strange work. His explanation for the bringing to trial of Warren Hastings, for example, is that the Governor of India was a vicarious scapegoat for Britain's failure in America: though fascinating, that has to be a very idiosyncratic view, and yet he doesn't flag this up. All this means, I suppose, is that you shouldn't read Schama to get the standard account of things, there may be other books that do that job better.
Rather, read Schama's history for his unceasingly fresh vision.
Moreover, he expounds his themes magnificently, for example, the way Britain gravitated away from the "right" (mercantile) to the "wrong" (governing) sort of empire, or in how responsible Charles I actually was for the onset of the Civil War.
Unafraid to back the out of favour Whig view of history (that it was all inevitable progression) with relatively few qualifications, Schama's confidence is invigorating.
One minor quibble is a fallout from his TV narration, where things, instead of being "probably true", are "not altogether unfounded" or instead of being "reasonable" are "not without reason". After a while, this grates.
But this is a trivial thing.
All in all, this is simply magnificent.
I started with Volume 2 and am now beavering through Volume 1 in an effort to get myself on track.
Much, much more than a book of the series.
A classic.
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edward bache
5.0 out of 5 stars great
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 17, 2022
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I really enjoyed the second volume, well written and a very readable account on British history from 1603 till 1776 , although the pictures at the book look like an ink blot test .
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