English and British History in 100 Bite-size Chunks

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Pub Date 28 Sep 2020 | Archive Date 5 Oct 2020

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Description

Very often, history is thought of as that lesson we suffered through at school, made into boring facts and figures rather than the rich and interesting tales that actually comprise it. In English and British History in 100 Bite-size Chunks, history is enlivened and broken down into readable ‘chunks’ that anyone can read, and learn, at their leisure. 

Beginning at the beginning, with the physical formation of these lands, it ends where we are now, with our current lifestyle, government, society, beliefs, complexities, fears and hopes. It charts the development of England’s characteristics through the great and the good, and ordinary men and women; those who often get the glory and those who lived lives more hidden from history’s storytellers. It brings to life people, places, events and ideas; and successes and failures. This is not a story of England in splendid isolation but a more rounded picture touching on the influences from and on other places and nations, for good or bad, near and far in geography and time. 100 Bitesize Chunks are followed by a recognition of historic themes and some conclusions, and just a glimpse of the possible future history of a nation.

A commentary on history itself, how we know, how ‘history works’, what we think of it, and how we care for it – or don’t care for it, this book is an encouragement to study history actively through the evidence we can see and touch and interpret, in museums and in its real locations. Ideal for anyone returning to history or for an enthusiast!

Very often, history is thought of as that lesson we suffered through at school, made into boring facts and figures rather than the rich and interesting tales that actually comprise it. In English and...


A Note From the Publisher

Paul Hodson was born in Lincoln, where he now lives, but has worked as a secondary school History teacher in a range of schools and locations which include Lincolnshire, Kent, inner and outer London and the Middle East. This is his first published book.

Paul Hodson was born in Lincoln, where he now lives, but has worked as a secondary school History teacher in a range of schools and locations which include Lincolnshire, Kent, inner and outer London...


Available Editions

EDITION Ebook
ISBN 9781838596651
PRICE £6.99 (GBP)
PAGES 200

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Average rating from 31 members


Featured Reviews

History becomes accessible when people can relate to the person telling them about it. By bringing the “ordinary” person’s perspective to bear, this book goes beyond the transitional focus on the famous and powerful people and gives insight into what Britain may have been like for anyone. A good overview of key historical events, this book is one you can dip into over time rather than having to read in one go.

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I’ve been on a quite a history binge lately and books like this make me wish I had better history teachers. This was well written, easy to digest and doesn’t beat around the bush and cater to one side. Really enjoyed the experience of reading it!

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This is such a brilliant way to learn about British history in a digestible way. I read it in snippets and found it really interesting!

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I'm a huge history fan but often find books quite difficult to read. I loved the structure of this and learned lots too.

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**I received and voluntarily read an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

I love history, so I jumped at the opportunity to learn more by reading and reviewing this book. Even though I'm American, history from around the world intrigues me.

My plan was to read individual sections in between tasks. I had hoped that with such short chapters that the author would be able to keep the information from being too dry. Unfortunately, it was still a little too dry for my taste. The length of the chapters helped, but didn't really stop me from getting bored- with that being the case, I ended up just skimming the entire book in two sittings.

I think tons of photos and maps would have made this book sit better with me. After all, this is the smart phone generation, our attention spans are not what they used to be.

Overall, good information and I learned some new things, but this book just wasn't for me.

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I’ve always been interested in history but didn’t want to sparse through all the details. The concept and format of this book appealed to me for that reason. I liked that through the chunks of information I was able to piece together a larger narrative. It was easy to read a bit and then come back later. This book made history more approachable.

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This is an excellent reference book. While organized chronologically, I hopped around to different topics in which I was interested. It's not written like a dry encyclopedia. The author brings the subjects to life with clarity and humor. I'll be revisiting this one for years.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

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In a book of just under 400 pages, the author of this title covers English and British history beginning with “The Fossil Record,” moving through Ancient and Pre-Roman Times and continuing on until finally reaching The Atomic and Nuclear Space Digital Age of War. Along the way, readers can spend time in their favorite era whether that is time with the Romans, The Georgians, The Stuarts, The Victorians or a different time entirely.

The range in this book is extensive. In browsing, I read about Victorian women and the evolution of their rights and then moved backward to read about ancient art. There is so much of interest in this book.

You do not have to be a scholar to read this book. It is geared to anyone who would like to know more about English and British history.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this interesting title. All opinions are my own.

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A very pleasant book which I would recommend for students and interested readers. The author zips efficiently through British history but with no sign of haste. If anyone is interested in a potted history with wit and intelligent choices of topic, this is the perfect read. I highly recommend. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this excellent book

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Hodson's book English and British History in 100 Bite-size Chunks was certainly filled with a lot of information, although I would not necessarily call them bite-site chunks. Reading about the geological formation of England was not exactly what I was expecting when I began reading. Parts of the book were quite dull but others were more interesting. As much as I love history, I don't think I was the right reader for this book, however, I can see a naturalist or geology buff enjoying it.

Thank you NetGalley and Troubador Publishing Ltd. for the opportunity to read an advance reading copy.

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A wonderfully written informative read.An easy interesting way to learn British history.A book that’s fun to dip in and out of.Highly recommend.#netgalley #troubadorbooks

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Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As a history freak, I was excited to read this book. Full of facts and information. Great for people studying the subject, quizzers, and general interest. Recommended.

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It is very difficult to write an entire history of England/Britain in 400 pages, yet Hodson does just that! I think this book would be best read slowly, one chapter at a time. It’s the perfect type of book to pick up when you have a spare few minutes. I would recommend this book to someone who is interested in British history, but doesn’t have the time to read several volumes about it.

The first several sections were my favorite. Prehistory and very early history are the time periods I know the least about, so I learned the most from those sections. The sections got drier as they went on, particularly from the Victorians through modern day.

There were several pictures and maps included, which were good, but this book would benefit from many more. I would actually love there to be one photo per section.

I also really wish there was a “further reading” section at the end of each chapter, which then listed the referenced sources. There were several times when I wanted to know more about a topic, but without regular annotations there is no way to find the corresponding source from the bibliography.

*I received an e-Arc from NetGalley in exchange for writing an honest review*

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English and British History in 100 Bite-size Chunks isn't quite as basic as it initially seems. The author covers a span of history from "prehistoric" times using fossil records into modern day history. Bite-size is also not quite how I would describe the chapters although they are brief when considering the overall amount of information to choose from. Overall I found the book quite interesting and it gave a decent overview of British history without going into too much detail. It's easily a book that can be picked up periodically to continue the story.

Overall, I give this 3.5 stars.

Thank you to Troubadour Publishing and Netgalley for sharing an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

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If you love history this book is for you. It really is a well researched and comprehensive guide to the history of our country. There is a lot of fascinating information in this right from creation which I was not expecting so everyone is going to learn things even if you think you know it all.

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Princess Fuzzypants here: If you are expecting a small tome with bit sized chunks of history, you will either be disappointed or delighted. This lengthy book is jam-packed with well researched and far more extensive coverage than the title seems to indicate. Usually a book with such a title would be good for dipping in and out at whim. This one makes you want to keep reading in chronological order. So what to some might be a deterrent, it is a bonus in fact. You just need to know what it is you are buying.

As for the content, it is well written and is somewhere between a quick blurb and a long thesis. It also provides a pretty fair interpretation of events. You cannot ask much more of any history. Some of the details were fascinating especially when it goes back to the very beginning before the tectonic plates made the island that exists today. I did enjoy it. Four purrs and two paws up.

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I'm a self-confessed History nerd and proud of it. although my interest mainly lies in the Roman/Greek era through to the Renaissance, I found this a very interesting read.

Everything is in a manageable size. Even when it's not your "thing" the chapters are short enough that you don't feel it too much of a slog. Non-history buffs may find it a bit hard-going and dry but I enjoyed it. A couple more illustrations/maps, etc wouldn't go amiss though.

Plenty of information to give you the impression of learning something without feeling that you're about to launch into a thesis!

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Thank you to NetGalley, Matador, and the author for this advanced reading copy. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I'm American but a big fan of British history, and I enjoyed this book. If you're looking for a huge discussion on Queen Victoria you're not going to get it here. But if you're looking for well-researched chunks of thousands of years of history then this is your book. I actually think this would be great as an assignment for school--it would be easy to assign & have discussions on a couple chapters at a time.

Overall a great overview of British history!

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It is an ambitious task to summarise history into 100 ‘bite-size’ pieces but Paul Hodgson does the task well. The chapters are longer than I expected but I enjoyed it.

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British history in bitesize chunks.
I love history but I also love history books that present topics in an accessible way, which this book does.
The author clearly is very knowledgeable and has a passion for his subject. I would highly recommend.

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This book is perfectly arranged for someone like me who is interested in history but can't read a whole book on one person or subject without losing interest. It takes one event in the History of England and looks at it from various views like the location, people who live there, events surrounding the area, etc and gives a short to the point description of the idea. Covers the Tutors, Romans, and the middle ages. Good gift for a teen reader interested in world history. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

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Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for honest feedback. This review will also be posted to Goodreads.

I was actually really surprised by this book. I am a huge fan of British history/Britain in general, and I often do searches on NetGalley to see if any British-themed books available for reviewing. I thought that this would be sort of like a pocket guide, or something short like a novella-sized read. I was really surprised to find a lengthy, well-researched and well-thought out book! It's really ambitious of the author to undertake this project. There is quite a lot to cover, digest, and relay back to the reader. But I think this book does a really good job of just that. In fact, I would really like to own this book as part of my Brit History collection. I learned about bits of history that I haven't really become well-acquainted with because this book covers some of the underrepresented parts of the past. I really like and appreciate the work that the author put into this book.

Well done!

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Thank you so much to NetGalley and Troubador Publishing Ltd. Matador for my copy of English and British History in 100 Bite-size Chunks by Paul Hodson in exchange for an honest review. It published September 28, 2020.
What a neat little book! I think this would make a great gift, or a coffee table conversation starter. Any Anglophile would be drawn to this and the format is really fun to read. It doesn't feel like reading a text book like many non-fiction books can feel. It was clearly well-researched.

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This is a really unique and ambitious format aimed at introducing people to the history of the British Isles in small and easy to understand segments. For the most part, I think the author achieved his goal. It can be read at one's leisure and I recommend it for anyone just beginning to try to tackle history.

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