The Penguin Illustrated History of Britain and Ireland

The Penguin Illustrated History of Britain and Ireland is a wonderfully rich and comprehensive guide to the eventful history of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland—from the arrival of the first humans half a million years ago right up to the present day.

It traces the unfolding of key events through the Roman and Norman conquests, the Civil War, the World Wars, and the rise and fall of the British Empire. At the same time, it looks at the life of society, focusing on such subjects as the growth of towns, the changing languages of the British Isles, women’s suffrage, and the ascent of Victorian seaside resorts and the spread of the suburbs.

Readers can explore the streets and landscapes of historical cities in artwork reconstructions—from Roman London via medieval Norwich to eighteenth-century Dublin and Enlightenment Edinburgh. And superbly detailed maps depict such intriguing aspects of history as Neolithic monuments, Viking raids, the Napoleonic wars, the home front during the Second World War—and even Beatles concert venues in the 1960s—as well as painstakingly showing the influence that humans have had on the landscape over the centuries.

Meticulously researched by a team of experts to offer a wide variety of perspectives, The Penguin Illustrated History of Britain and Ireland provides a kaleidoscopic account of centuries of change and achievement, bringing the diverse and fascinating history of the British Isles vividly to life.