Michael Wood (1)Resenhas

A volume in the classic style of the author, this one gives a rapid survey of the major centres of ancient civilizations as unearthed by archaeologists: Mesopotamia, ancient India, China, Egypt, and Central America, and then turns to contrast these with what he calls the 'barbarian' West. As many others have remarked, the West has been fashioned by two contrasting forces: the imperialistic and slave-owning Roman system, and its nemesis, the free-living, free-wheeling Teutonic tribes that destroyed the old order based on the divine nature of kings, and fostered a new type of organization, based on freedom and individual rights. With his deep knowledge of the forces that have shaped each civilization, and his personal experiencing of the links with the past, Wood is especially well placed to understand and interpret for us the differences and similarities of these ancient regimes, and their continuing influence on our modern life.

Read this a few years ago now and do not recall much about it unfortunately although as a child I was very interested in Greek mythology.

This was an interesting title that I feel served as a useful introduction to the vast and frankly intimidating topic of Chinese history. The author admits at the outset that a complete historic overview is beyond the scope of this or any single volume. However, he intersperses his sweeping historical narrative with a wealth of primary sources, giving an excellent feel for the time and place of these events.

I would recommend this to anyone curious about Chinese history and wanting a very brief introduction, or anyone who enjoys well written, informative history books.

4 stories. 1st two are exciting. Last two are interesting.

A well written book that did a great job in condensing 5,000 years if history into a single volume. The book is broken down chronologically into the main dynasties and a brief geo-political description is given, followed by a detail exposition of key aspects of life in China in ch era via the journals/diaries ect of certain individuals.

A lo largo de los siglos, los mitos que se refieren a la guerra de Troya y sus protagonistas, transmitidos desde la Ilíada por una numerosa secuencia de recreaciones literarias, han mantenido viva su fascinación. Sólo cuando Heinrich Schliemann pretendió, hacia 1873, haber descubierto el "tesoro de Príamo" y las ruinas de Troya en Hisarlik, en la actual Turquía, comenzó a pensarse en la posibilidad de que los acontecimientos narrados por Homero tuviesen una base histórica.

Long named 'The Dark Ages', the time from the fall of the Roman Empire to the Battle of Hastings has been overlooked by history. There are few contemporary sources but the five hundred year stretch is full of events and characters that shape our lives even now. I remember reading this book many years ago (though not on publication!) and enjoying it but coming to this new edition was a joy. Wood has expanded his tales to include new ones, arguably to appeal more to modern desires, but this is still a very readable and insightful approach to a forgotten era.

Obviously a summary, it goes through the dynasties and interregnums, highlights key historical and cultural figures and includes occasional recent discoveries to hint at the depth and texture of the various periods. Useful as an introduction, that it doesn't even mention the one child policy gives an idea of how far it should be trusted as a guide.

Signed by Michael Wood.

This 40th anniversary edition of the book to accompany a 1980’s BBC television series has been updated and expanded from the original, but retains the overall structure of the original, and this is the fundamental weakness of the book compared to later works, such as Marc Morris’ The Anglo-Saxons and Max Adams The First Kingdom. The book covers the history of England from the Roman invasion through to the Norman conquest through chapters looking at the lives of specific individuals. This approach allows for excellent narrative storytelling of particular periods, but is necessarily disjointed.

The first chapter skilfully recounts the rebellion of Boudica in the early years of Roman occupation. I enjoyed this history of Roman Britain, but it isn’t about the “Dark Ages”.
There follows five chapters comprising about a third of the book broadly covering the period from 400 to 850 (ie more than two thirds of the period nominally under discussion), which deal with:
• King Arthur - the real “Dark Ages” (about 410-600) period when we don’t know how the Germanic tribes from Europe settled in South and Eastern Britain.
• Sutton Hoo - a pagan burial in the kingdom of the East Angles, probably of King Rædwald (early 600s)
• Penda (died 655) - the last pagan king of a major kingdom (Mercia)
• Theodore of Tarsus and Hadrian the African - an archbishop of Canterbury and abbot of Canterbury in 670 onwards, initiating a “renaissance” in learning, but feeling a bit politically correct perhaps as an added chapter, as they were originally a Syrian and an African (from now Libya).
• Offa (reigned 757 to 796) - who created a significantly enlarged kingdom of Mercia that claimed overlordship of other kingdoms (West Saxon, East Angles, Kent) and had diplomatic links with Charlemagne.
The chapters on Penda and Theodore & Hadrian are additions in this updated edition.
The book now switches to the more successful West Saxon (Wessex) dynasty with chapters on:
• Alfred the Great (lived 848-899) - who ruled Wessex from 871, resisting the Vikings who had first raided Britain in 753 (Thanet, and more famously Lindisfarne in 793), and uniting the Anglo-Saxons against the Viking invaders from 886
• Aethelflaed (lived about 870 to 918) - who was Alfred’s daughter and ruled in Mercia, with her brother Edgar ruling in Wessex, consolidating the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of Wessex and Mercia
• Athelstan (lived 894 to 939) - grandson of Alfred who expanded the Anglo-Saxon kingdom, as King of the Anglo-Saxons from 924 to 927 and King of the English from 927 to his death in 939, after conquering the Viking kingdom of Northumbria (York).
• Lady Wynflaed (died mid-tenth century) - a rich widow whose Will is analysed to provide details of her life - see https://blogs.bl.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2018/09/wynflaed-and-the-price-of-fashi...
• Eadgyth Princess of Wessex, Queen of Germany (lived 910-946) - a granddaughter of Alfred the Great, who at 19 married Otto, a German prince, who became king (East Francia). Although written records are mainly German, this chapter discusses how royal princesses were part of the medieval diplomatic alliance process.
The chapters on Aethelflaed, Lady Wynflaed and Eadgyth are further additions in this updated edition.
The Anglo-Saxon kingdom is then disrupted by Vikings again and this is examined by looking at the life of Eric Bloodaxe (died 954), who ended his life after twice being King of Northumbria (c. 947–948 and 952–954).
The Anglo-Saxon kings are again looked at through the reign of Ethelred the Unready (reigned 978 to 1013 and again 1014 until his death in 1016), who was overthrown by Sweyn of Denmark in 1013-1014. Although mainly told through extracts from the contemporary Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, this chapter failed to illuminate Ethelred’s character for me. Although succeeded by his son Edmund “Ironside in 1016, Edmund was killed by Sweyn’s son Cnut (also king of Denmark and Norway) and an Anglo-Saxon rule was not reimposed until 1042, when the last Anglo-Saxon king, Edward “the Confessor” ruled to 1066.
The final chapter looks at how William “the Conqueror” came to have a claim to the English crown and the battles of 1066 that allowed him to take the crown.

Overall, this book is very readable and provides engaging portraits of individuals who lived during the long period covered by the history, but feels more like a series of snapshots.

I received a Netgalley copy of this book, but this review is my honest opinion.

This book is definitely wrongly titled. In fact, BBC journalist and trained historian Michael Wood (b. 1948) pays very little attention to the earliest civilizations (Mesopotamia, India, China, Egypt, Central America). He does take them as a starting point, but after a few pages he jumps over to the further history of the regions where those first civilizations occurred. And his main thesis, then, is that the basic features of those early civilizations also returned later, down to the present day. Of course, there’s something to it, but in doing this in such an extremist way, Wood ignores all the findings that have been highlighted by movements such as Global History, Transnational History, Connected and Subaltern History in recent decades. And that is that all civilizations and cultures have continuously influenced each other, in a mutual cross-fertilization, with very different accents and constant evolutions and shifts. Michael Wood apparently deliberately chooses to close his eyes to this, perhaps a consequence of the simplification of the TV format on which this book is based. Though this certainly is an enjoyable read, it is definitely outdated. More on that in my History account on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1384596423

Chinese history in not something that is studied with any depth here in the west. As a casual student of history, I have frequently attempted to do this on my own with mixed results. Most of the books that I have read are structured a lot like the history text books from which we learn our own history ... basically a list of dates, events and people on a timeline to memorize. Rarely do we see any attempt to explain the impact of these events on the social consciousness of the society in which they happen. This book not only provides an accessible survey of Chinese history, it compares and contrasts the social difference as well as presenting a reasonable hypothesis for why East and West have such divergent approaches to governance. Key to this examination are the references to contemporary western (greek/roman) philosophers and historians. From this I believe that I have a better understanding of the importance of conformity within eastern cultures, and how such could fall under the influence of such "Machiavellian" thought found within "The Book of Lord Shang." (Loc 1088/12%).

As expected given the time periods covered, this is a huge book packed with a great deal of information; some more interesting to me and some less so. I found myself skimming over a lot of the literary references in part because I had a hard time understanding how they reinforced or supported some of the authors points on Chinese culture. That still left a lot of material to slog through. The book is organized by dynasties (Xia, Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing) and interregnums (Warring States, Three Kingdoms, Five Dynasties, Taiping & Boxer Rebellions, etc.), highlighting the cultural contributions (and continuity) of each as well as the reasons for decline and inevitable fall (loss of the Mandate of Heaven). What I found most interesting was the intersection of the Confucian ideal of the sage-ruler and the evolution of rather autocratic rulers (almost as if they knew they didn't have what was needed and through increasing paranoia harshly suppressed any criticism). Criticism and/or failure of any kind seems detrimental to life (not just your own, but your entire family to the 9th degree). This all has something of a discordant feel to people raised within a modern western culture (aka me). For pivotal events ... such as Mao's revolution ... the author tries to show multiple viewpoints (from traditional history to how it played in the rural areas with the common man).

Over all I found this book to be significantly helpful in understanding the differences between the east and west world views and I highly recommend it.

I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
#TheStoryofChina #NetGalley

A side effect of watching the TV series Vikings is that I became aware how little I knew about British history, expecially the early leaders and their provenance. I saw this book online and thought it looked like a good primer on the dark ages so picked it up. What I wasn't aware of at the time is that it was written as an accompaniment to a BBC TV series from the late 70's, early 80's. The people the book picks out to explore are Boadicea, King Arthur, Sutton-Hoo man, Offa, Alfred the Great, Athelstan, Eric Bloodaxe, Ethelred the Unready, and William the Conqueror. All of these are covered in an introductory level of detail and provides good information backed up with sources. The writing is engaging and I found this to be a great toe dip into the huge subject of the dark ages.

Great. Immediately going to read it again. Too much to digest at one go.
...and now I have skimmed through it again it's going with the reference books on the shelf. It gives a persuasive view of a great sweep of English history, connecting the detail of written records, place names and archaeology with his ideas.

A brilliantly told story of a spectacular nation and civilization. The author, who has produced documentaries and books on many major civilizations, including India's, has the rare ability of getting under the skin of his subjects,, and presenting them as an insider, almost. He is at his evocative best when he talks of the tragedy of loss in the collapse of successive regimes in China - especially the demise of the Han, the Tang, the Song, and the Ming, for instance. The sweeping survey of China's history reveals starkly this tragic quirk in this great civilization, that it destroys the best repeatedly even as it goes on to fashion itself anew. The question is, will this happen again in the current expression of its national genius.

historical-figures, historical-places-events, historical-research, cultural-heritage, cultural-exploration, illustrations*****

I've read the Charles River Editors segments of the history of China, but most of them are so obviously Publish or Perish that it becomes hard to remember what I learned. This tome is so very different, even if a few of the illustrations appear to be the same. This one is eminently understandable and the retention should be much better. I actually enjoyed it! But it does require reading it in segments to avoid being overwhelmed.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

This is an incredible, epic read of Chinese history. Covering 4000 years of history is a daunting task, however the author does an excellent job of it. Breaking down the history into specific dynasties, Wood's makes you feel like you are there as history is being made. He manages to accomplish this not by reciting boring facts and dates, but by telling a story in each section.
This is not a book that you can plow through in one sitting. It requires your attention, and the reading of one chapter at a time, then taking time to digest it. But....you will come away with a much greater appreciation of China and it's people.
On a different note, as I read this, I was discussing the chapters with a Chinese student that we have hosted. She was very surprised, stating several times that she "did not know that"!
I highly recommend this book!

A history of England through the lens of a Leicestershire village.

Not too bad, but could get very detailed. That said the TV series was excellent and this book fllls in the gaps left by that as it could not cover everything in the eight one hour shows.

Vague. Lacks focus. I preferred Ancient World by Richard Mills but that book doesn't cover any of the non-Western civilizations such as China, India or the America's.

5659. In Search of the Trojan War, by Michael Wood (read 12 Nov 2019) This book, published in 1986, assiduously details the study of the site of Troy in Turkey, telling of Schliemann's archaeological work on the site beginning in the 1870's and reminding me of the great work, Gods, Graves, and Scholars, by C. W. Ceram, which I read on 27 Jan 1953 as I was cruising around in the Mediterranean and have never forgotten. But this book by Michael Wood is written for the serious student and is often very dry. So for me the book was not attention-holding. The author concludes if there was a Trojan War it was in about 1270 B.C. and Homer, if he existed, did the Iliad in about 800 B,C, And Helen? And Achilles? And Hector? I think the author feels that those people are fictional and he may be right--but it takes a lot of interesting things out of the story, and while this book is carefully researched it was a drag to read, for me..

Well done information on England in the Dark Ages. He goes over what we know and what is only speculation. He explains why he puts more faith in some accounts over others.

Author attempts to trace earlier social organization connections from the Domesday Book data. For example, Domesday shows a certain area was organized a certain way ... was it reorganized by the Normans or a carry over of an earlier (Roman, Angle, Saxon, Danelaw, etc.) era? The author presents his interpretation for each of the different eras in an informative and entertaining way, supplemented with aerial pictures of manor field layouts, etc. A decent reference source.

A great read, an enlightening perspective into the temple of southern India.

For a complete review please click on the link below:

https://onerightword.blogspot.co.uk/2017/08/the-smile-of-murugan-michael-wood.ht...

A well written and superbly illustrated book covering the major Spanish players in the conquering and imposition upon the natives of the American continents. One of the more amazing episodes in world history these fearless men who ruthlessly exploited both the people and the land.

Michael Wood vividly covers the characters and actions on both side that led to the Spanish culture that to this day dominates. It leaves in ones mind what would have become of these conquered people had they not been imposed upon.

Along with the more known conquistadors Cortes and Pizarro we get coverage of probably the lesser known Orellano and Cabeza De Vaca who were more explorers than conquistadors.

This was a good and informative read. It was not afraid to say "we don't know what happened here" and didn't try and fill in all of the gaps with unfounded speculation.
It takes some of his writing and tries to show how what is known features in his writing. It's not too far fetched, it stays grounded in evidence. The only possible criticism would be that it ends quite abruptly, with the end of his life and his retirement to Stratford being dealt with quite swiftly.
As ever, there are as many questions as answers, but at least this gives some solid ground to ask the questions.