The Oxford Illustrated History of Britain

Oxford New York: Oxford University Press , 1986. 1st Edition . Soft cover. Very Good. 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall. xiv 640 pages, illustrated, indexed, maps. Overseas customers please note the book is heavy and will attract additional potsge. The covers' edges are lightly bumped and from page 629 through to the back cover the head's outer edge is bumped and creased as though not properly shelved. Overall a very nice copy, clean, unmarked and solid as though unread. "This beautifully illustrated volume tells the story of Britain and its people over two thousand years, from the coming of the Roman legions to the present day. Encompassing political, social, economic, and cultural developments throughout the British Isles, the dramatic narrative is taken up in turn by ten leading historians who offer the fruits of the best modern scholarship to the general reader in an authoritative form, illuminating their text with carefully chosen pictures and maps. A vivid, sometimes surprising picture emerges of a continuous turmoil of change in every period, and the wider social context of political and economic tension is made clear. But consensus, no less than conflict, is a part of the story: in focusing on elements of continuity down the centuries, the authors bring out that special awareness of identity which has been such a distinctive feature of British society. By relating both these factors in the British experience, and by exploring the many ways in which Britain has shaped and been shaped by contact with Europe and the wider world, this landmark work brings the reader face to face with the past, and the foundations of modern British society." (Publisher)