History of England

Forget whatever you were told at school or university about the Whig school of history. For all its faults no other tradition boasts such an array of literary and historical talent. Trevelyan's work makes the reading of English history as pleasurable as devouring a great novel. His interpretation is loose enough to accommodate other schools of thought yet structured enough to provide some order to the vast span of history which his work encompasses. The work stresses the progressive elements at play in the evolution of the English parliamentary system and often fails to weigh the fragile nature of reform as it occurred. There is undoubtedly a sense of inevitability about the process which is somewhat contrived. His scholarship often does fail to give a sense of the role played by the other nations of the British Isles in England's development (or for that matter attempt to reconcile England the nation with Great Britain the state). For all that, however, no other work that I have encountered has the same unity of purpose, analytical mastery and literary finesse that can be found in this volume. For anyone seeking to understand English history from first principles, this volume is the best single introduction to English history. For someone already well versed in English history from all angles, Trevelyan's work provides the bedrock or foundation of any considered defense of the "English Tradition".