Robert Tombs massive volume is 1040 pages long; the unabridged audiobook is 43 hours. But it is possible to dip in and out of The English and Their History and take breaks between chapters. Tombs starts with a quick rush up to 1066, and he gets though the Middle Ages without too much fuss. Then things slow down as he gets to the House of Tudors. Tombs goes over the standard political history, with wars, kings and queens, parliament, social unrest, and religious trends. But he also goes into cultural life, language, and some details of everyday life.  It is a good history, narrated well by James Langton on the audiobook.

This history of England comes into its own with the twentieth century, as we see the First World War, the difficult period of the twenties and thirties, and the Second World War. Putting these wars in the context of the history of the country helps explain it. Tombs is good at showing the debates about the causes of war, as well as the futility or purpose of the war. He does not press a particular view, but argues that it is not so obvious that the First World War was completely pointless. He is also good at following trends in post war Britain, with social changes as women get into the workplace, sex and sexuality become much more open, and immigration becomes a major factor in social and political life.  While the end of the book comes before Brexit, Tombs is clear eyed about the political trends that made it likely. The English and their History is an impressive and even though it is very long, it does not become boring.  At this stage of world events, looking at history helps to see how we have survived so many changes and difficult times.

© 2016 Christian Perring

Christian Perring is hoping to find a socialist utopia.