Visitor's Guide to a History of Britain

This book made me want to take a year off of work and go to each and every historical site in Britain. I'm still trying to get my hands on the BBC History Channel television series as this book was written as its companion. --Vicki Landes, author of "Europe for the Senses - A Photographic Journal"

This is the small companion volume to the BBC/History Channel TV series, which I really enjoyed. It's less of a picture book, though, and more of a glove-compartment guidebook, with information on some 800 historical locations in England, Wales, and Scotland (including the Orkneys -- but no Ireland, for some reason), only a few of which were in the series. Photos are included for maybe twenty percent of the sites listed, and the short annotations often are only teasers; i.e., you have to go there and look for yourself. You can't fairly criticize a book for not being what it was never intended to be, but I do wish there was a large, coffee-table volume for the series filled with glossy pictures.

This is a good, small book to carry with you when you travel. In fact, it seems designed as an on-the-road reference, listing important sites, where they are (with driving directions), and when they're open for you to tour. The book's historic and "must-see" notes are brief but very useful and quick to grasp at a glance. This book is organized by time periods, starting with "Ancient Stone and Wood" and progressing through "Grime, Soot, Steel, and Glass." Within each era, the chapters are organized by areas: South-west, South-east, Eastern, Central, Wales, North-west, North-east, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. While it's not as comprehensive as Hudson's "Historic Houses & Gardens," it's also about 1/10 the size and weight, while still retaining a sense of quality with glossy pages. Readers will also appreciate the gorgeous photos and information provided by the BBC/History Channel television series of the same name. If you're planning a trip itinerary, you'll do better with other guidebooks. However, for a good, small & portable book to read as you travel, this is an excellent choice for history buffs and fans of stately houses. If you like Hudson's annual guides, you'll consider this smart little book a must-own. --Reviewed by Eibhlin Morey, editor, All Info About Literary Britain