Although Lacey can hardly go in-depth in a series of essays only a few pages long each, he does some delightful surface-skimmings here. This book is sure to pique the reader’s interest in English history. I would recommend for adolescents and adults. Children would also find it interesting, but it's quite violent. ( )

Can't remember where I heard about this book from, I do remember being excited to read it. The first few chapters dealt with early man, 7150bce to be exact, I was so bored that I put the book away for several months until I decided to give it another try. Boy am I glad I did.

The book is divided into little chapters of 2-3 pages each story. Perfect for a 15-20 minute lunch at work. A way to get away from the common day and into some amazing stories.

If I had kept notes of all the people and places I wanted more info on I would have filled pages, and spend long hours on Wikipedia getting even more info. I can't here describe some of the things I learned over the months I spent reading this work. I hope to pass on this book to my son, Caspian as I know he will really enjoy the stories as well.

26-2008 ( )

When I first saw this book I knew it had potential; to me, presentation has a lot to do with my overall love for a book and this one is beautiful. After checking it out from the West Jordan library when I worked there, I found Mr. Lacey's writing to be exciting, interesting, and informative. A few weeks ago I set to reading the whole thing and I'm glad I did. The book presents short stories about moments from English history that you may or may not have heard of.

From the introduction: "Brief though each chapter is, Great Tales seeks to create a coherant, chronological picture of our island story, while following the guiding principle that all men and women have heroism inside them - along with generous and fascinating measures of incompetence, apathy, evil and lust." The book is also beautifully illustrated by Fred van Deelen and Mr. Lacey has included fantastic end notes and bibliographies that you can investigate if you find a particular subject interesting. If you have any interest in English history, pick this one up at your local library and you'll probably find yourself reading the short chapters in just a few minutes each. You'll not be dissapointed! (And if you finish this and want more, try Great Tales vol. 2 and Great Tales vol. 3). ( )

This volume (one in a series of three) begins in 7150 BC with the life and death of Cheddar Man, England’s oldest complete skeleton, and ends with The Great Rising of 1381 or the Peasants' Revolt during the reign of Richard II.

There are 43 short chapters ranging from 2 to 11 pages. Besides those mentioned in the subtitles, Lacey discusses other famous characters and events such as Hadrian’s Wall, Caedmon, Boadicea, The Venerable Bede, the Magna Carta, and Hobbehod or Robin Hood.

The book presents history and legends in an approachable manner and is careful to distinguish between the two. Concerning the latter, Lacey notes in his "Storytelling" introduction, “You will find them examined here as myths that illustrate a truth about the age from which they spring…” Lacey also includes a bibliography, and suggests other sources (including websites) and places to visit. Lacey reads his own audiobook and is easy to understand.

For me, the most interesting parts were the chapters on the plague, which struck six times between 1348 and 1390. In particular, the following quote from pages 201-202 was intriguing: "Doctors researching the AIDS epidemic have discovered there are certain, relatively rare, people who will never come down with AIDS, however much they're exposed to it. What these people have in common has been identified as a gene mutation known as CCR5-delta 32, found mostly in white Europeans and especially in Swedes. Doctors suspect that the ancestors of these people were precisely those who were infected and managed to survive the plagues of the fourteenth century. The mutation does not appear to exist in African and East Asian populations that did not suffer the Black Death." ( )

The first of three volumes, this narrative presents the history of the British Isles in a way that reminds one of how folktales must have once been told. The tales begin with Cheddar Man and end with the story of Wat Tyler, spanning the years of 7150 BC to 1381.

Lacey intersperses stories of famous royals with little known people, which makes this a truly unique book. I really like learning stories that explain various parts of the English culture.

I highly recommend this series! ( )