I have just finished listening to the audiobook of the first volume of A History of Britain by Simon Schama.

In this eight-disc set, an abridgement of the book of the same name and the first of three volumes, Simon Schama retells the creation of modern Britain. Ostensibly the tale of the monarchy, it takes in the lives of the dispensable (and often brutally dispensed with) aides that surround them.

By necessity, the general population is treated as little more than a sideline, brought into the tale only when its feelings en masse have bearing on the actions of the reigning monarch. It is difficult to see how he could have done any differently, given the constraints of running time, or indeed words in the original books, aside from the lack of source material on which to draw, yet one can’t help but feel, by the six or seventh disc, that the story has been somewhat one-dimensional, and highly linear.

At the same time, though, it is also the story of the external forces that tried to exercise their influence over the country, whether through the threat of execution by betrayal, excommunication in the case of the church, or marriage as in the case of Mary and the king of Spain.

The real strength of Schama’s achievement, though, is the way in which he is able to bring his own expertise to the fore. A well-written history hangs off the back of the analysis the author is able to impart, and here he excels. It is a shame, then, that the most disappointing part of the whole is that which he narrates himself. His lengthy introduction is an ominous, unworthy and unrepresentative opening to an impressive body of work. Even the broad strokes that he uses as a device to transport us from one monarch or battle to the next are full of colour, and there is little cause for drifting off or losing concentration as there may be with lesser works.

Narrated with assured confidence by Timothy West, it reads like a pacy thriller, taking the listener from the earliest days of Roman conquest, through the Danelaw, to the peasants’ revolt and, eventually, Elizabethan England and the execution of Mary Queen of Scots.

In a short space, and with a commendable economy of well-chosen words, Schama effectively realises the impossible predicaments of those sent to the axe or pyre in a bloody retelling of British history. Whether this is a revision aid, a means to satisfying your curiosity, or a way of passing your leisure time, you’ll find it difficult to source a better written, or more perfectly paced introduction to the formative years of British society.

His achievement is all the more impressive given the in limitations of the chosen media. There is little scope for skipping backwards and forwards, or referencing particular sections of the work when using an audiobook. This, therefore, is a reading that should be listened to in its entirety from end to end, and treated as a single, unified work. If you are looking for a general reference work to British history, then the printed edition would be far more appropriate.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 17th, 2005 at 2:42 pm and is filed under Media. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.