HISTORY OF BRITAIN & IRELAND

The definitive Visual Guide.

From the pile of new books received over the last few months, it was a huge pleasure to start reading and reviewing this latest superb chronicle. Thankfully, history is now being chosen as an option by the young, after being sidelined by students for a decade or so and there could be no better exemplar than this latest issue from the publisher Dorling Kindersley.

Readers are taken on a journey from the first pre-historic settlements and Viking invasions, through to the age of Victorian age of Charles Dickens, right up to the modern oil crisis of the 21st century. This amazing book vividly brings to life some of the key events, turning points and people who have shaped British history.

Each chapter starts with a timeline, giving a comprehensive overview of the key events of the period. Fabulous illustrations detail the major political, cultural and military episodes of each era with topic boxes and mini biographies. I particularly love the double-page features describing key events such as the Great Fire of London, while detailed profile pages take a look at some of the most popular movers and shakers in British history, including Elizabeth l, William Shakespeare, Charles Darwin and bang up to date David Cameron and Nick Clegg.

The History of Britain and Ireland is a book like no other, packed with a wealth of articles, illustrations and super photography, perfect for dipping into, or reading from cover to cover (which I am hoping to do). For more information, contact www.dk.com or purchase from Amazon and good bookshops. ISBN 978-1-4053-6428-7. Price £25