A History of Wales

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.

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 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.

A superb work, encompassing the history of the British Isles before the Roman and Anglo-Saxon immigrants, and continuing with the place of Wales within those later administrations. The political aspect are particularly interesting, as is the way in which the remaining ancestors of the ancient Brythonic peoples (the Welsh) fought to retain that identity. Strongly recommended to those who believe that history began in 1066.....

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.

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.

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.

In terms of research, it is an extraordinary achievement. But oh dear, what poor use that research has been put to in this book. Unless you have a burning desire to know who won which seat in which election for which party by how many votes in which year against which opposing parties, which clerics and which strains of protestant or Catholic or other religious branches were appointed to which churches, which parishes, which sees, then you will find this soulless book, drowned as it is in endless, needless statistics and obscure references to obscure people many of whose contribution to Wales past can only be describes as insignificant (all of which should be stripped out and annotated through a reference section at the end of the book) a terrible disappointment. This is not about Wales – the real Wales - or about the Welsh and why they are, and have every reason to be a proud nation. Wales is a country which has a wonderful tale to tell, and any history of the country should make come away with an understanding of why the Welsh feel such pride at being Welsh. Yet this book makes no attempt to achieve this, more interested as it is in putting as much down on paper, every reference, every static, every name come across during the research, the aim of the book appearing to be to make sure the reader understands how much research has gone into producing the book. He asks the question about what it means being welsh, but hit is clear that for him, it is about Welsh held authority - legislative power and authority in Welsh hands as an indication of autonomous control – and the nations buildings that reflect that authority. But that isn’t Wales. Wales is about people, not buildings or votes of influence. That the author should insist on several occasions that Football is the major sport in Wales, not Rugby (which is given but little mention in the book, yet which is more characteristic of the heart and soul of the people of wales than much of what is written here) - shows he little he knows other than what he has read in books about his own country. He has obviously never been to Cardiff on (rugby) match day... (I followed both avidly as a youngster - how he could make such a claim is beyond me) Worse still, his treatment of Dylan Thomas, to whom he accords fewer words and attention than a whole raft of unheard of welsh poets from down the years, is little short of disdainful. You don’t have to like his works, or approve of his lifestyle, to appreciate how great a poet he was; Thomas did more to put Wales on the map than any other Welshman in history. Surely that is worthy of proper recognition? Not so in the eyes of Mr.Davis, it would appear. Wales is such a wonderful country full of extraordinary people. Such a shame that this is not reflected in this book.

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).