Foundation: The History of England Volume I - Softcover

Ackroyd, Peter

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0330544284 ISBN 13: 9780330544283

Publisher: Pan, 2012

Synopsis

Having written enthralling biographies of London and of its great river, the Thames, Peter Ackroyd now turns to England itself. This first volume of six takes us from the time that England was first settled, more than 15,000 years ago, to the death in 1509 of the first Tudor monarch, Henry VII. In Foundation, Ackroyd takes us from Neolithic England, which we can only see in the most tantalizing glimpses - a stirrup found in a grave, some seeds at the bottom of a bowl - to the long period of Roman rule; from the Dark Ages when England was invaded by a ceaseless tide of Angles, Saxons and Jutes, to the twin glories of medieval England - its great churches and monasteries and its common law. With his extraordinary skill for evoking time and place, he tells the familiar story of king succeeding king in rich prose, with profound insight and some surprising details. The food we ate, the clothes we wore, the punishments we endured, even the jokes we told are all found here, too.

About this title

Review:

"Given his eye for detail and the near-mythic writing in books like "Thames: Sacred River", Ackroyd's latest--not surprisingly, a huge best seller in England--promises to be an original read. For all those Anglophiles."--"Library Journal"

""

"Once again, Ackroyd exhibits his magic touch with the written word, this time with the first in a six-volume history of England." --"Kirkus Reviews"

"Once again, Ackroyd exhibits his magic touch with the written word, this time with the first in a six-volume history of England." --"Kirkus Reviews

""An extraordinary book...Peter Ackroyd is arguably the most talented and prolific writer working in Britain today." --"Daily Express "(UK)

Praise for Peter Ackroyd:

"Marvelously erudite and staggeringly industrious."--"Los Angeles Times

""For Ackroyd, the past isn't merely past; it's alive."--"The Boston Globe"

"Ackroyd is a medium through which the obscured voices of the past are channeled."--"Newsday"

"His best work is in his marvelous cultual visions...because they convey a comprehensive and frequently dark sense of the English character and its vagaries."--Harold Bloom, "The New York Times Book Review"

Praise for "Foundation"

"Ackroyd's trademark insight and wit, and the glorious interconnectedness of all things, permeate each page."--"Observer" (UK)

"Ackroyd brings delightful but revealing details of the lives of the people from the past into the present."--"Sunday Express" (UK)

"With "Foundation", Ackroyd makes a compelling case to be the country's next great chronicler."--"Time Out" (London)

"Given his eye for detail and the near-mythic writing in books like "Thames: Sacred River", ["Foundation"]"--"not surprisingly, a huge best seller in England--promises to be an original read."--"Library Journal"

Praise for "Foundation"

"Ackroyd's trademark insight and wit, and the glorious interconnectedness of all things, permeate each page."

--"Observer" (UK)

"Ackroyd brings delightful but revealing details of the lives of the people from the past into the present."

--"Sunday Express" (UK)

"With "Foundation", Ackroyd makes a compelling case to be the country's next great chronicler."

--"Time Out" (London)

"Given his eye for detail and the near-mythic writing in books like "Thames: Sacred River", ["Foundation"]"--"not surprisingly, a huge best seller in England--promises to be an original read."

--"Library Journal"

"The hugely popular Ackroyd's ease of erudition ought not to be missed."

--"Booklist "(starred review)

"Once again, Ackroyd exhibits his magic touch with the written word, this time with the first in a six-volume history of England."

--"Kirkus Reviews

""An extraordinary book...Peter Ackroyd is arguably the most talented and prolific writer working in Britain today."

--"Daily Express "(UK)

"Ackroyd paints a portrait of early England that is both historically rich and compellingly human."

--"Shelf Awareness"

"[Ackroyd] is a natural storyteller and a passionate historian, but his true skill lies in his acute eye for revealing interesting details."

--"San Francisco Book Review"""

Praise for Peter Ackroyd:

"Marvelously erudite and staggeringly industrious."

--"Los Angeles Times

""For Ackroyd, the past isn't merely past; it's alive."

--"The Boston Globe"

"Ackroyd is a medium through which the obscured voices of the past are channeled."

--"Newsday"

"His best work is in his marvelous cultual visions...because they convey a comprehensive and frequently dark sense of the English character and its vagaries."

--Harold Bloom, "The New York Times Book Review"

Praise for "Foundation"

"Ackroyd has drawn a large, loyal readership in his native land. Over some 50 books, he has seldom strayed far from the subject of the past and the traces it has left in the present. And the history that interests him most is the kind touching on national memory and a sense of place, 'longing and belonging, ' in his memorable phrase."

--"The New York Times Book Review"

"Ackroyd's trademark insight and wit, and the glorious interconnectedness of all things, permeate each page."

--"Observer" (UK)
"Ackroyd brings delightful but revealing details of the lives of the people from the past into the present."

--"Sunday Express" (UK)
"With "Foundation," Ackroyd makes a compelling case to be the country's next great chronicler."

--"Time Out" (London)
"Given his eye for detail and the near-mythic writing in books like "Thames: Sacred River," ["Foundation"]"--"not surprisingly, a huge best seller in England--promises to be an original read."

--"Library Journal"

"The hugely popular Ackroyd's ease of erudition ought not to be missed."

--"Booklist "(starred review)

"Once again, Ackroyd exhibits his magic touch with the written word, this time with the first in a six-volume history of England."

--"Kirkus Reviews
""An extraordinary book...Peter Ackroyd is arguably the most talented and prolific writer working in Britain today."

--"Daily Express "(UK)

"Ackroyd paints a portrait of early England that is both historically rich and compellingly human."

--"Shelf Awareness"

"[Ackroyd] is a natural storyteller and a passionate historian, but his true skill lies in his acute eye for revealing interesting details."

--"San Francisco Book Review"""

Praise for Peter Ackroyd:
"Marvelously erudite and staggeringly industrious."

--"Los Angeles Times
""For Ackroyd, the past isn't merely past; it's alive."

--"The Boston Globe"
"Ackroyd is a medium through which the obscured voices of the past are channeled."

--"Newsday"
"His best work is in his marvelous cultual visions...because they convey a comprehensive and frequently dark sense of the English character and its vagaries."

--Harold Bloom, "The New York Times Book Review"
Praise for "Foundation"

Ackroyd has drawn a large, loyal readership in his native land. Over some 50 books, he has seldom strayed far from the subject of the past and the traces it has left in the present. And the history that interests him most is the kind touching on national memory and a sense of place, 'longing and belonging, ' in his memorable phrase.

Ackroyd's trademark insight and wit, and the glorious interconnectedness of all things, permeate each page.

Ackroyd brings delightful but revealing details of the lives of the people from the past into the present.

With "Foundation," Ackroyd makes a compelling case to be the country's next great chronicler.

The hugely popular Ackroyd's ease of erudition ought not to be missed.

Book Description:

The first volume in Peter Ackroyd's stunning six-part history of England, taking us from Stonehenge to the death of Henry VII

About this edition

• Publisher: Pan
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0330544284
• ISBN 13: 9780330544283
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 512