Archive for October, 2015

Media Center: ‘English and Their History’ by Robert Tombs

October 29th, 2015

WHO: Robert Tombs

WHAT: THE ENGLISH AND THEIR HISTORY

WHEN: Published by Knopf November 2, 2015

WHERE: The author lives in England.

WHY: “Arguably the finest one-volume history
of any nation and people ever written.

“Proceeding from prehistoric times to the present at a commanding pace, Tombs, an expert at the University of Cambridge on Franco-British relations, focuses on England and the English while paying due regard to their Irish, Scot, and Welsh compatriots.
“No one will confuse this work with the celebrated, sweeping multivolume histories of Macauley, Trevelyan, and Churchill, but this is nevertheless a brilliant distillation of a vast tale and arguably the finest one-volume history of any nation and people ever written. Rare is the historian who can maintain balance amid the interpretive snares posed by such a large subject poses, especially while making ‘memory and its creation an inherent part of the story.’ But Tombs succeeds, all the while clearly stating the bases for his judicious assessments. His lively coverage of social, cultural, and political history is dazzling, while his compressed reviews of such complicated matters as the Civil War of the 1640s, Victorianism, and English ‘decline’ may be unsurpassable.
“Everyone from King Arthur to the Hobbit makes an appearance. It’s hard to identify a source Tombs hasn’t consulted or an apt quotation he’s neglected to slip in. Comprehensive, authoritative, and readable to a fault, this book should be on the shelves of everyone interested in its subject.” —PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, a starred review

“A massive yet accessible study of the historical and linguistic continuity that makes up the English people…presented in one surprisingly approachable doorstop.”
—KIRKUS, a starred review

Jacket photoMedia Resources:
About the book and author | Read an excerpt | Download the jacket | Download the author photo

Publicist for this title:
Helen Tobin | 212-572-2018 | htobin@penguinrandomhouse.com