Vanished Kingdoms: The Rise and Fall of States and Nations - Hardcover

Davies, Norman

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 067002273X ISBN 13: 9780670022731

Publisher: Viking Pr, 2012

Synopsis

An evocative account of fourteen European kingdoms-their rise, maturity, and eventual disappearance.

There is something profoundly romantic about lost civilizations. Europe's past is littered with states and kingdoms, large and small, that are scarcely remembered today, and while their names may be unfamiliar-Aragon, Etruria, the Kingdom of the Two Burgundies-their stories should change our mental map of the past. We come across forgotten characters and famous ones-King Arthur and Macbeth, Napoleon and Queen Victoria, right up to Stalin and Gorbachev-and discover how faulty memory can be, and how much we can glean from these lost empires. Davies peers through the cracks in the mainstream accounts of modern-day states to dazzle us with extraordinary stories of barely remembered pasts, and of the traces they left behind.

This is Norman Davies at his best: sweeping narrative history packed with unexpected insights. Vanished Kingdoms will appeal to all fans of unconventional and thought-provoking history, from readers of Niall Ferguson to Jared Diamond.

About this title

Review:

`An original and stimulating masterpiece' --Roger Morgan, The Times Higher Education

`Davies is certainly one of the best British historical writers of the past half century, and every gauntlet he throws down is bejewelled' --Timothy Snyder, Guardian

`Vanished Kingdoms gives full rein to [Davies'] historical imagination and enthusiasms, imparting a powerful sense of places lost in time' --Economist

`Vanished Kingdoms is great history and also great art. It is written with verve, passion and profound empathy. --David Marquand, New Statesman

`There are few better ways of coming to an understanding of the multilayered splendours and horrors of Europe's past'
--John Adamson, Sunday Telegraph

From the Back Cover:

Europe

'Books of real quality and importance are rare. Norman Davies's history of Europe is one of them. It is a brilliant achievement, written with intelligence, lucidity and a breathtaking width of knowledge... This is a book everyone should read.'
- A.C. Grayling, Financial Times

'A noble monument of scholarship, and all the more noble because it is so full of surprise and feeling... There are superb assessments of vastly daunting subjects.'
- Jan Morris, Independent

'No history of Europe in the English language has been so even-handed in its treatment of east and west... Strong characterisation, vivid detail, trenchant opinions, cogent analysis all make this tremendous reading' - Tim Blanning, TLS

The Isles

"Davies is among the few living professional historians who write English with vitality, sparkle, economy and humour. The pages fly by, not only because the pace is well-judged, but also because the surprises keep coming" - Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, Sunday Times

"A book which really will change the way we think about our past... marvellously rich and stimulating" - Noel Malcolm, Evening Standard

"Norman Davies possesses remarkable range, massive gusto and a spanking literary style. His ability to synthesise vast amounts of specialized material, to draw out arresting examples and comparisons, and to combine political, demographic, environmental and cultural analysis is always impressive..." - Linda Colley, TLS

"The Isles is a key book for its time. It seizes the conventional wisdom of the moment, and destroys most of its foundations." - Hugo Young, London Review of Books

About this edition

• Publisher: Viking Pr
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 067002273X
• ISBN 13: 9780670022731
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 830