Vanished Kingdoms: The History of Half-Forgotten Europe - Hardcover

Davies, Norman

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1846143381 ISBN 13: 9781846143380

Publisher: Allen Lane, 2011

Synopsis

'The past is a foreign country' has become a truism, yet we often forget that the past is different from the present in many unfamiliar ways, and historical memory is extraordinarily imperfect. We habitually think of the European past as the history of countries which exist today - France, Germany, Britain, Russia and so on - but often this actually obstructs our view of the past, and blunts our sensitivity to the ever-changing political landscape.

Europe's history is littered with kingdoms, duchies, empires and republics which have now disappeared but which were once fixtures on the map of their age - 'the Empire of Aragon' which once dominated the western Mediterranean; the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, for a time the largest country in Europe; the successive kingdoms (and one duchy) of Burgundy, much of whose history is now half-remembered - or half-forgotten - at best. This book shows the reader how to peer through the cracks of mainstream history writing and listen to the echoes of lost realms across the centuries.

How many British people know that Glasgow was founded by the Welsh in a period when neither England nor Scotland existed? How many of us will remember the former Soviet Union in a few generations' time? Will our own United Kingdom become a distant memory too? As in his earlier celebrated books Europe: a history and The Isles, Norman Davies aims to subvert our established view of what seems familiar, and urges us to look and think again. This stimulating surprising book, full of unexpected stories, observations and connections, gives us a fresh and original perspective on the history of Europe.

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: Allen Lane
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1846143381
• ISBN 13: 9781846143380
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 5
• Number of pages: 848