Peter Ackroy'd "Foundation" is a good book for casual English history geeks, such as myself. Not too fluffy, not too detailed. While I was sometimes surprised by his approach (unlike other sources I've read, he seems reluctant to diagnose some major royal players, such as Henry VI, as simply insane), such minor disagreements merely heightened my engagement, as I made counter observations in my head. I would have liked some genealogical charts, but Wikipedia does exist for a reason, I guess. More on the Black Death would've been fun, too, although I appreciated learning about the laws passed afterwards that attempted to artificially depress wages, as the high mortality rate had ended the days of dirt cheap labor.I was rather sad when it was over, as I have several other books I must read before I get to Ackroyd's next installment on the Tudors. I bought "Foundation" and will probably buy its sequels as well. Looking forward to them! An enjoyable read about a time period in England that I know very little about. This book covers the history of England from the earliest recorded times to the end of the War of the Roses. The author basically alternated chapters between covering the political leaders and social/cultural history. I enjoyed the social/cultural history a great deal as it gave me a feel for what England was like. I struggled with the political history as many of the names were not familiar to me, and the book moved quickly through the time periods. I enjoyed the latter parts of the book most as it moved into the figures made famous by Shakespeare. Overall a solid book and I will continue this multi-volume history of England.
What do You think about Foundation (2012)?
Very well written. Excellent overview of pre-Tudor English history...in less than 500 pages!
—SingOutLoud02
Very readable history of early England.
—lalahaha2313
really well written and easy to follow
—carol23016
