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An Utterly Impartial History of Britain: (or 2000 Years of Upper Class Idiots in Charge) | 
 enlarge | Author: John O'farrell
Publisher: Black Swan
Category: Book
List Price: £7.99
Buy New: £2.17
You Save: £5.82 (73%)
New (30) Used (5) from £2.15
Rating:  16 reviews
Sales Rank: 26
Media: Paperback
Pages: 592
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5 x 1.6
ISBN: 0552773964
EAN: 9780552773966
ASIN: 0552773964
Publication Date: May 5, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New & In Stock - Immediate Despatch!
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| Customer Reviews: Read 11 more reviews...
A Humourous Look At History July 21, 2008
I have always been fascinated by history but have never studied it past when I had to for fear of being inundated with boring facts and dates. This book, however, does none of that. Bought on a whim before a holiday, I spent a good part of my holiday reading it (it's a thick book!) and was pleasantly surprised. Fascinating time periods of Britain are brought to life by O'Farrell's wit and his penchant for unusual facts. This book IS about people throughout history however, and doesn't give much detail about what life was like in that time period, which I would have liked. Other than that, a fantastic read that I highly recommend.
 Should have bought Nuts magazine instead July 19, 2008
I bought this book before a long flight, thinking it would be interesting and entertaining. I was disappointed to find it was neither. I'm all for slight dumbing down, after all, it means I can read it, but as there are more (unfunny) gags than facts, this book becomes a bit pointless. I know very little about history, but this book didn't help. The chapter on the Great War, for instance, told me nothing except trench warfare was used. Wow. Nothing on how the war was caused, who the main players were... I might as well have picked up a copy of Nuts magazine. At least it doesn't pretend to be educational.
Very amusing account of how we ended up where we are today July 16, 2008
First of all, if you're after a serious history book then this one will NOT be for you. My guess is that the way this book deals with periods in history in bite size chunks will not be sufficient for you, and the frequent use of puns and witty one-liners will frustrate you.
However, if you're after a light hearted account of 2,000 years of British history, covering all the most significant events taking place in that time, then chances are you will enjoy this book. In a way you could almost view this book as a sort of "British history for dummies" type book. All the chapters are brief and therefore a breeze to get through, but that said they all follow a logical sequence and where necessary the relevant cross-references are made to other events. I very much enjoyed the humorous style of writing, but can easily see that other may find this particular aspect of the book a bit of a pain.
Of course, if, after reading this book, you're inspired to gain a more in-depth knowledge of some of the areas covered in the book then there's obviously nothing to stop you from reading a "proper" book on the subject.
 Laugh and cry July 16, 2008
Having an aversion to The Guardian I was not familiar with the excellent wit of the author until I read this book. I shall now seek out his other books. It is the funniest history I have read since 1066 and All that. it is excellent. I laughed out loud, read excerpts to friends and cried at parts of his WW2 chapter. Of course the title is ironic. He is a leftie but a very funny one. I guess from his name his background is Roman Catholic but if so he does well in a very Protestant story. It is informative and witty. I only wished he had gone on past 1945. Stimulating first class read. One spelling error spotted. Should be Meccano.
Splendid! July 14, 2008
I picked this book after reading a few pages at the airport. It is certainly very informative and entertaining. O'Farell is quite funny. Sometimes though, he can be slightly irritating. I however do like his sense of humour so it wasn't a problem for me. I can understand how some reviewer complained it can be a tad "too much". However, he succeded in containing the history of Britain in 592 pages starting with the Celts and ending to an era which is now.
It is very light and easy reading and the book will last your entire holiday. Warning - it does need concentration though or you easily miss the plot! A world class read perhaps not - but certainly a worthwhile good humoured, easy read and educating (if you can call it that way!).
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