by:
Loades, David M. (Editor)
Loades, D. M. (Editor)

Publisher:
Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers
Published:June 1, 2003
ISBN:1579582427
Format:Hardcover
Pages:1620

Description: From Booklist
There are not many works of historiography that cover the complete secondary historical literature of a country or topic, but Fitzroy Dearborn's series of reader's guides are outstanding works that introduce students and librarians to these important titles. The Reader's Guide to British History is the newest in this series, and the depth and breadth of the titles included are overwhelming. The aim of the set is to introduce the reader to the most informative works of secondary scholarship on a wide range of political, social, economic, biographical, and religious topics in the history of the British Isles. More than 1,000 topics are covered in essays that range from a minimum of 1,000 words to 3,000 words in length. Major topics such as the "American Colonies," "Architecture," "Monarchy," and "National Identities" are divided into three, four, or five separate essays so that the topic can be covered in depth. The chronological range is from prehistoric times to the present government of Tony Blair.

Each topic is covered in an essay that opens with a bibliographic list of the secondary titles included (anywhere from 6 to 20 of the most important and influential works), an overview of the topic and the related scholarship, and then a brief discussion and evaluation of each of the titles. The books and ideas in them are compared to one another and to the earlier scholarship on the subject. See also references refer the reader to related essays. The contributors are professors of history, lecturers in history, or editors of historical journals in the British Isles, the Commonwealth countries, or the U.S.

The essays are preceded by an alphabetical list of entries and a thematic list of entries. The thematic list is very helpful to students looking for information about a specific time period, because they will see both people and events that relate directly to that period. At the end of the work is a complete list of all the books and articles discussed, along with a general index of subjects, people, events, and places mentioned in the essays.

This set is an important guide to British history for undergraduate and graduate students doing historical research and for librarians looking to develop their collections in British history. It is highly recommended for all academic libraries and large public libraries. RBB
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