A History of Wales

This is the seminal work on the subject written concisely, clearly and interestingly throughout whether in the original Welsh or inits excellent English translation. No library whether municipal or private should be without it and it should be advisory reading for anyone who has a problem understanding why Wales and England are not perceived as the same by the Welsh. it was particularly well received by a Dutch Psychologist acquaintance. The latest edition is totally up to date.

I am not a historian and so reading history books doesn't come easy to me. This book by John Davies is no exception. Every page is crammed with facts and dates which makes it difficult to read and understand if, like me, you begin at the beginning and work your way through the history of Wales. I am only half way through the book at the moment. I did find much of the first part to be quite dry and difficult to get through - after all, Davies begins the history almost at the beginning of recorded time! But as I have progressed through, the pages have become more readable, likely because by around the 1500s there was far more written documentation that could be referred to. For someone wanting detail, I think this book is a must since it appears that nothing much could have been left out (judging by my reading up to around the 1700s so far). There is little author comment, the emphasis is on reporting the facts from research, which is the intention of a history book. As a starter book to learn about Welsh history this might not be the best for someone who isn't versed in academic history books but it is definitely a respected book that deserves reading. My only fault here is not with the author at all, it is with the publisher. The right margin on the left pages and the left margin on the right pages is far too small. Given the sheer size of this volume (over 700 pages) and with the font being quite small, those margins that meet in the middle of the book should have been larger since it can be a strain trying to read the page edges, especially if you don't want to damage the spine.

This book has been a joy to read and I learned so much. It has been well researched and well written. I wish I had read it earlier in my life.

Although I am English,I lived in Wales for four years and have lots of friends there. I lived in the Rhondda'Valleys', and found the place and the people were first class. I think you have to go live in a place to know it,and not listen to veiws people have! that have never been there. I can say I enjoyed every minute of it,and at times I wish I had stayed there. I gave my copy of this book to a friend of mine who was moving to the USA,and have just got myself another copy from Amazon. It doesn't surprise me that this book has nothing but five star reviews',and I am not going to change that,in fact I would give it ten stars if I could. It's a book that I am proud to own,-Proud,like Wales and the people that live in it-. It's not a book that you can read in a day. But then again Wales was not built in a day. A bit like Rome eh?. So if you want to know about Wales,this is the book to answer all your questions.

DO NOT BE PUT OFF BY THE LENGTH OF THIS WELSH HISTORY, AS IT IS VERY READABLE AND YOU LEARN SO MUCH ABOUT THE EVOLVING WALES.JOHN DAVIES PROVIDES A VERY DETAILED ACCOUNT,NOT ONLY OF WALES,BUT THE INFLUENCE OF OTHER CELTIC NATIONS IN ITS HISTORY,PARTICULARLY THAT OF IRELAND,IN ITS SIMILAR QUEST FOR NATIONAL IDENTITY.IT IS CERTAINLY THE TYPE OF BOOK THAT YOU CAN DIP IN AND OUT OF TO UPDATE YOUR KNOWLEDGE ABOUT A CERTAIN TIME PERIOD.

I've always felt a bit sorry for the Welsh as their proximity to England has put them at a disadvantage to the other Celtic nations - Ireland separated by the sea and Scotland separated by sparsely-inhabited northern England. Wales has three large English cities within driving distance - Liverpool, Bristol and Birmingham - and has been legally and administratively annexed to England for over 400 years. It has also attracted English immigrants in a way that Scotland never has thereby diluting the ethnic composition in many areas. Figures from this book show that Welsh-born people make up 1% of the population of England while English-born people make up 20% of the population of Wales. As a result, many Welsh people themselves developed inferiority complexes and felt they were incapable of running their own affairs. The same was true in Scotland for much of the 20th century but fortunately all this has changed and Scotland is now heading towards independence and, hopefully, encouraging the Welsh to see that it is possible to emerge from under the English shadow. Welsh nationalism has been held back by a number of factors such as the feeling by some non-Welsh speakers that Plaid Cymru was against their interests or the Labour Party belief that nationalism went against international socialism. The Welsh have not only provided leaders at UK level, i.e. Lloyd George, Ernest Bevan and Neil Kinnock but have elected English-born MPs like Michael Foot and Jim Callaghan to represent them in London. This is a fascinating book and shows that Welshness has remained a living force despite the centuries of oppression and neglect by London-based governments. The Welsh have maintained many aspects of their culture - particularly their language - to a greater extent than the Irish and Scots. It might be asking too much to expect someone who is not Welsh to read 700 pages of the country's history which, at times, is a bit heavy going. However, at a time when relations among all the countries in the British Isles are changing, it is worth the effort to learn about the country that is least known* even though it was home to the original Britons. *That is unless you regard Cornwall as a separate country too.

Been to Wales this summer and loved it! I discovered this book in a remote castle-shop but decided to check at home if there were any better books about welsh history. (My already stuffed suitcase was grateful. ;-) I found out that there aren't all that many, so I sticked to this one (very cheap 'cause a little used) and am very happy. John Davies writes well, with lots of infomation but not overwhelmingly so. The book is easy to read and just about all I wanted.

innit

Very detailed book on Wales covering the centuries. You learn about interactions and relationships of England and Wales.

This is an authoritative account of the history of my country of birth. Sometimes difficult and challenging reading but comprehensive and satisfying.

Ce livre couvre une grande période, et ne rentre donc pas dans les détails. Néanmoins il permet d'avoir une vision général sur l'histoire Galloise (ce que je cherchais).