history books for schools: xvi

H I S T O R Y B O O K S F O R S C H O O L S : X V I

P E T E R B R O O K S st. Paul’s School

JUDGING FROM THE SPATE of publications that has appeared in recent months, authors and publishers are not only as eager as ever to capture the school market for their wares, but, by and large, increasingly deserve a full measure of success in undertakings that have much pioneering spirit about them. For if traditional textbook cxpositions of periods popularly approved by the various examining boards continue to con- front teachers and students, there k also much manceuvring of the kind that would break through the examination barrier and speed progress towards historical education at all levels for its own sake. On the whole, orthodoxy in volume format and literary technique still prevails, but there is nevertheless something of a new look in the offerings submitted by several publishers, and, more exciting, instead of the customary emphasis on insular topics, a considerably extended scope for those concerned to find for their pupils books conveying a world picture.

I t is rare that publishers themselves make history, but with their new educational series Jackdaws, Jonathan Cape have launched out in superb style. Ingeniously imitating the collective instinct of that covet- ous crow, elaborate editorial plans have been laid by Mr. John Langdon-Davies for a series of folders containing carefully selected fac- simile material designed to provide the profession with contemporary documents and portraits that will greatly assist teaching the lower age range. Hitherto history at this level has frequently been smothered in chalk dust or submerged in the boredom of unrelieved magisterial monotone. The appearance of the first three titles, Trafulgar, The Plugue and Fire of London, and Columbus, by supplying what the editor terms ‘the background fabric of great events and insight into the life and customs of the time’, thus constitutes something of a welcome revolution in visual aids.’ Certainly the overall accuracy and painstaking preparation of the accompanying explanatory broadsheets is worthy of wide commendation. Young children enjoy period detail, and by a skilful use of the spotlight, these folders not only accurately describe the maps known to mariners at the time of Columbus and the kind of vessels in action at Trafalgar, but include samples of period handwriting and exact transcriptions that must soon prompt classroom paleography and the

1 Jackdaws, a collection of contemporary documents compiled and edited by John Langdon- Davia: No. I 7ib B& of Trajnlar; No. 2 7ib Phgw and Fire of London; and No. 4 Glumbus and the DLcovay of America (Jonathan Cape, 1963). 9.m.

189

I 90 HISTORY BOOKS FOR SCHOOLS: XVI

inculcation of a basic skill that will eventually bring young recruits to a study of local history in their own right.

Cambridge educational books can look back on a long and distinguished record of service to schools, and with the issue of Foundations o f t h Modem World, they are departing from their traditional publication style to assume something of a new look with a magnificently printed and profusely illustrated volume. a Although Professor Ferguson has selected a large canvas on which to depict the origins of Western civilization, his focus is sharp throughout and the young reader will have no difficulty in discerning the salient features of prehistory and ancient culture. Later chapters on Christianity, Byzantium and Islam contain refreshingly succinct discussion, whilst the author’s precise yet readily understandable expositions of the Jewish and Christian reli- gions will prove especially valuable at a time when teachers cannot any longer assume that their pupils gain background of this kind now that attendance at Church or Sunday School is so infrequent. The medieval heritage and the age of Renaissance and Reformation are likewise afforded admirably simple treatment, even if on grounds of accuracy there ought, perhaps, to be some indication first that the famous phrase ‘Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise’, albeit truly capturing the spirit of a great occasion, is nevertheless apocryphal and not Luther’s ‘own’; and secondly, that there is much more to John Calvin than the doctrine of predestination.

Conceived on very similar lines, The World Story, a massive American textbook by Geoffrey Bruun and Millicent Haines, includes all the detail necessary to such an ambitious theme and by no means excludes the eastern dimension.* The narrative is rcmarkably alivc, providing con- vincing proof of ‘why it is important to learn world history’, and the work includes a wealth of illustrative material, much of it in fine colour. Yet although clearly based on years of catechism in the classroom, the book has been priced beyond the reach of those Secondary Schools where teachers might otherwise have used it to advantage. In this country, therefore, it would seem to be an appropriate volume for library reference sections where, let it be stressed, it certainly deserves a place.

Although the inculcation of a world view is vital nowadays, the young can rarely gain full profit from such a wide perspective until they have gained basic grounding in their own national history. In the past this has presented real problems for the African teacher because of the scarcity of suitable school books concerned to etch in the origins and continuous development of civilization in a land mass that archaeologists and anthropologists are generally agreed is ‘the father and mother of humanity’. Proceeding from this kind of assumption, two recent sym- pathetic studies are likely to have a wide appeal in African Secondary

1 9 8 ~ . r q s . ~ S c h o o l edition) and 255. (Library edition). ‘John Fe n, FoMdotionr of the Modmr World (Cambridge University Press, 1963).

. B N U ~ and M. Haina, 77u World Shy D. C. Heath and Co., Boston, 1963; dis- tributed in the U.K. by Harrap). 707 pp. 52s. 66 .

PETER BROOKS 19’ Schools. First, Mr. Basil Davidson’s Guide, a slim paperback pleasingly illustrated with woodcuts and some useful maps, provides a simple survey of the continent from prehistory to the moment of contemporary challenge and advance towards African Unity.4 A skilful exercise in compression, the book inevitably contains some weak chapters. For example, the author’s discussion of the slave trade and the colonial system are hardly the balanced assessments of an historian, whilst the missionary impact of the Christian Church surely merits more than a passing reference that fails to provide the reader with the name of a single educational or medical pioneer. Secondly, and in marked contrast, the concluding volume of Mr. W. F. Conton’s study of West Afiica is a most workmanlike effort furnishing the basic narrative of these regions from the fifteenth century to thc present day.6 Primarily aimed at the recently approved School Certificate syllabus for the His- tory of West Africa, the book deserves to find a ready sale abroad, although the author’s careful outline will also recommend his work in this country and the Commonwealth, and indeed wherever there is interest in Africa. Chapter headings like ‘Rosaries and Sea-Dogs’ or ‘Bibles and Spine Pads’ are a commendation in themselves, whilst an extensive Time Chart, some good plates and a number of careful maps likewise characterize a notable production in a pioneer field.

If the spotlight is turned next on Australia, schools can be grateful for a collection of previously published essays now bound together in book form as Six Great The pundits may condemn history through biography, but this particular volume should have a wide enough appeal not simply because this approach always has a peculiar mag- netism for the young, but also for the fact that the publishers have taken care to choose prominent figures who made really important contribu- tions to varied fields of Australian development. Dealing with the nineteenth century, Professor La Name’s study of Alfred Deakin treats of the continent’s constitutional development; Mr. David S. Macmillan assesses the r61e of the Church as personified by John Dunmore Lang, a zealous Presbyterian pastor and social reformcr; and Dr. Alan Barnard contributes an imaginative portrait of Thomas Sutcliffe Mort, a most successful pioneer figure in business enterprise and commerce. The three remaining essays provide brief lives of significant twentieth- century figures: Dr. Francis West focuses a discussion of colonial administration in Papua on the remarkable Hubert Murray; Mr. John Hetherington writes about that military genius of the First World War, General Sir John Monash; and Mr. Frederick Howard affords the reader a lively sketch of that pioneer of civil aviation, Charles Kings- ford Smith.

1963). gs PP. 9. ‘ h i 1 Davibon, Cuih to Africon History, An African Elephant Book (Allen and Unwin,

‘W. F. Conton, Wed A f k in History: vol. ii, Sovereignty La; and Regained (Men and

‘Sir Great Austrolionr, Fint &ria (Oxford University P m , 1963). 180 pp. Z I S . UnWin, I 963). I 74 pp. 8s.

‘92 HISTORY BOOKS FOR SCHOOLS: XVI

There is no longer any need to stress the need for school histories of the Soviet Union, for such books are in constant demand by teachers at all levels. The latest study of this kind is a simple piece of writing, lavishly illustrated with press agency photographs.’ With an evident warmth of sympathy for his subject, Mr. Louis L. Snyder is at pains to commend to his young reader a Russia victorious in the first round of the sputnik race, before proceeding to outline the milestones of that nation’s progress to a level of pre-eminence from which such successful competition with America has proved possible.

In the world at large, the United States and the Soviet Union con- front each other as leaders of rival governrncntal systems and symbols of widely differing philosophies of life. Both sides have long sought closer ties with like-minded satellites with the result that, independent Africa and Asia apart, mankind has been effectively split into two huge power blocs. Against such a contemporary backcloth, Mr. Solomon F. Bloom argues convincingly in favour of studying ‘the history of Europe and America as a single whole’ and, with the publication of his Europe and America, puts potent theory into extremely plausible practice.8 The book is a self-confessed drama in three acts. First, in the mid-eighteenth century, the Atlantic world revealed a measure of unity and common purpose in an age of enlightenment and revolution; secondly, it is argued that reaction set in as ‘America became more broadly demo- cratic and Europe more traditionalist’; and thirdly, the common struggle against Nazi Germany and the Cold War against ‘dictatorial Communism’ resulted in the formation of a definite North Atlantic community. I t is true that a certain Charles de Gaulle receives passing mention in the text and has even three references to his credit in the ample index, but his precise rBle remains a mystery and certainly lacks historical reality. Nevertheless, this is a surprisingly stimulating study full of ingenious notions superbly backed up by the careful diagrams, photographic illustrations and maps English readers have come to expect in massive textbooks printed on the other side of what, in this particular context, is for once properly termed ‘the pond’.

Old style overseas Empires first colonized by daring sea-dogs in the service of a great Queen have long since faded before new notions of a unique Commonwealth of free nations, but both are likely to enjoy a lengthy popularity as special subjects of study for the first public examination. Many schools will therefore welcome Mr. W. D. Hussey’s comprehensive work on T+e British Empire and Commonwealth, 1500-1961, a volume well suited both to pupils at this level and to the general rcader, as well as providing an ideal apkritiffor more advanced students.O

10s. 6d.

Davis, 1961 .761 pp. 70s.

7 L u i s L. Snyder, 7hc First B m k of the Soviet Union (Fdmund Ward, London, 1963). 72 pp.

* Solomon F. Bloom, Ewopu mrd Amrrico, 77u Wesfem World in Modrm T i s (Rupert Hart-

* W. D. A usscy, ?he British Empire and Commonwealth, 1500-1561 (Cambridge UniVmity -, 1963). 363 PP- 155-

PETER BROOKS 193 Chapters are suitably succinct with helpful sub-headings breaking up the narrative, whilst other useful features of the book include an excellent list of maps, a glossary of technical terms and an up to date select bibliography.

Despite the novel appearance and scope of some recent publications, by far the majority of new school books submitted for review retain both traditional form and retrace well-known ground. This is natural enough just as long as schools are submitted to the kind of strait jacket often imposed by the examination syllabus. Within such limits, however, it is always interesting to note the authors who are satisfied with a kind of old-fashioned revivalism-it is not history that repcats itself but historians who repeat one another!-and those concerned to furnish the latest fruits of archaeological and historical research in their writings, or at the simplest level of teaching at least to make some attempt at the kind of contemporary presentation that will attract and even enliven the minds of the young.

The publication of Mr. Peter Hunter Blair's Roman Britain and Early England has made available another excellent volume in the Nelson Hhtory of England series so superbly conceived and edited by Professor Christopher Brooke and Mr. Denis Mack Smith.'o Aimed directly at the Sixth Former, and thus providing invaluable introductory material for the undergraduate and more general reader, these books seek to present in the light of modem research a concise survey of all aspects of the periods under consideration. As the intcrpreter of something only slightly less than a millennium, and an incredibly crowded time-span at that, the Senior Tutor of Emmanuel College faced a formidable task, but the result is a masterpiece ofselection, synthesis and careful arrange- ment completed in often moving and always most readable style. Strongly bound and really well illustrated-there are some aerial photographs and carellly drawn maps, not to mention ground plans of a Roman villa, the Carrawburgh mithraeum and the Church of SS. Peter and Paul at Canterbury-the book is not only in a class by itself from the standpoint of scholarship, but something of a bargain by the standards of present-day prices.

By way of contrast, on a level of book production, the third edition of Mr. A. Petrie's otherwise successful Introduction to Roman History, Litera- ture and Antiquities is hardly a credit to the Oxford University Press." A useful enough survcy by the standards of 1918 when it first appeared, the crowded presentation of the text is in no way worthy of advancing standards in publishing and for that reason alone unlikely to impress the many contemporary students who are in dire need of the kind of in- spiration that will fire them with a new zeal for the Classics. Some of the illustration blocks are so well worn that they clamour for replacement

lo Pctcr Hunter Blair, Roman Brifain Md Earb England, 3 BE.-A.D. 41 (Nelson, 1963).

I' A. Pctrie, An Inbodumo ' n to Roman Hirkny, Litcrohrra and Antiquifiu, 3rd edition (Oxford 292 pp. 18s. (School edition).

University Press, 1963). 160 pp. gs. 6d.

194 HISTORY BOOKS FOR SCHOOLS: XVI

or omission, and the volume lacks both index and the kind of select bibliography so useful to schools.

The fact that Oxford are well able to take real trouble over school books is abundantly testified by the vast range of their output, and, for t h i s present purpose, especially by four more titles to join the rapidly growing ranks of People ofthe Past. Studies of period men and women at work in society, these delightful cameos are well suited to the bright- eyed little people who populate the Junior Schools. Cheaply produced, admirably illustratcd with life-like drawings that parade the past before the mind of a child, and published in a sensible size that makes for ease of handling, such booklets deserve the highest praise. Furthermore, be it noted, these little studies include a selcct bibliography, or in terms understanded of the young, an appendix headed ‘How we know and how you can find out more’! By cleverly constructing the godly life of an imaginary monk, Aldfrith, Mr. Frederick Grice’s florfhmbriun Mis- ~ i o n u ~ provides a superb sketch of Celtic Christianity immediately prior to the Synod of Whitby.la Hazel Richardson invents the Lady Alice Ashworth of Storbeck Hall to focus her thoughts on the life of the Eliza- bethan squirarchy. The vignette is penetrating in many respects but, apart from a passing allusion to the subject of some imported tapestry, sadly lacks any kind of religious dimen~i0n.l~ This is by no means the case with the dispossessed Puritan pastor Joshua Moyle, whose patient endurance and zealous faith at a time of adversity most accurately por- tray the kind of wilderness sojourn expericnced by those who failed to conform to the requirements of the establishment in Restoration Eng- land, so that Mr. J. R. Batten’s little study deserves proper commcnda- ti0n.1~ But of all the recent additions to this superb series, Mr. John Hawke-Genn’s dramatic discussion of Dr. Joseph Harrington at the time of London’s great Plague is likely to have the widest appeal.16 I t is a remarkably rich social study and conveys much of the atmosphere of the stricken city carefully culled from Pepys.

At a slightly more advanced level, Alice Dickinson’s Stone Age Man ought to have a wide appeal among children of the lower age range in Secondary Schools.16 Very much a book about beginnings, the narrative is always clear and the author painstaking in her determination to communicate much of the basic vocabulary of the prehistorian from horninid to <injunthroptLs in readily understandable terms. By itself, this is something of an achievcment’ and together with the careful dis- cussions of Peking man, the Neanderthal people and early Homo sapinrr

Press, 1963). 32 pp. 2s.

Univenity Press, 1963). 32 pp. za.

1’ Frederick Grice, A Nw- Missio11o1), Peoplc of the Past, B 3 (Oxford Univmity

Hazel Richardson, An Elizabethan kury of rlrc Manor, People of the Past, D 5 (Oxford

J. R. Batten, A PCrritM Pruuhcr, People of the Past, E 5 (Oxford University P r a , rg63). 32 pp. 2s.

Univenity Prcss, 1963). 32 pp. 2s.

10s. a.

‘‘John HawkoGenn, A Doc& at rlrc Tim of tlrr Plnguc, People of the Paat, E 4 (Oxford

*Alice Dickinson, The Firsf Book of Stow Age Man (Edmund Ward, London, 1963). 81 pp.

PETER BROOKS ‘95 that follow, constitutes a considerable achievement in this kind of book. Primitive hunting and farming, pottery and weaving are likewise accurately treated, whilst the text is extremely well illustrated With sensitive drawings by Lorence Bjorklund on every page.

Once sadly neglected in schools, medieval European history is now increasingly realizing its inheritance, and three recent volumes, two of them about the Crusades, merit honourable mention in these columns. At picture-book level, Mr. Treece’s labours have resulted in a useful addition to the Blackie Know About series.” Lucidly written despite a number of faintly oifensive clicM type phrases-the removal at source of hackneyed references like ‘Columbus sailed the ocean blue’ and ‘the bad old feudal days’ would at least do something to prevent tiresome schoolboy repetition and much professional frustration later-this little work provides a remarkably good discussion of both the causes and results of the various Crusades, and, for full measure, likewise furnishes an agreeable account of the major events, With more advanced students in mind, albeit expressly intending his work as a general introduction to the subject, the well-known novelist Alfired Duggan has once again proved himself to be a competent historian by affording young readers The Story of the Crusudes.18 A straightforward description of campaigning in and out of the Holy Land that is firmly founded in Sir Steven Runciman’s magnum opus, this useful volume provides accurate and vivid narrative in manageable compass. At first sight, the third title, Europe in tht Middle Ages, an extensive survey by Dr. Robert S. Hoyt, promised to be the important advanced textbook so badly needed to stimulate schoolboy interest and introductory study. l9 Possessing a proper humility, and in evident sympathy with Bernard of Chartres’ apt allusion to past giants and present pigmies, the author readily acknow- ledges his debt to others and declares his special interest in ‘medieval civilization and culture’. And as good as his word, Dr. Hoyt provides useful accounts of the Carolingian Renaissance and the so-called re- vival of the twelfth century, together with a careful discussion of Romanesque and Gothic Art. Nevertheless, if simple clarity of exposi- tion can result in a treatment of Universals that will surely inform even the bewildered about this basic medieval philosophical problem, when applied to the all-important regnum versus sacerdotium conflict, the author’s surface treatment omits a vital consideration. Thus if many explana- tions of the coronation of Charlemagne are painstakingly forwarded, Dr. Hoyt’s failure to grasp papal ideology misses the whole point of that solemn ritual of Christmas Day, 800, when Leo 111’s calculated action publicly symbolized papal emancipation from the constitutional framework of the Eastern Empirc. For much the same reason, the author’s treatment of the Ottos, Cluny, Gregory VII and the investiture issue,

IT Henry Tmce, KMW About llra Cnrradrs (Blackie, 1963). 62 pp. 108. 6d. l8 Alfred Duggan. 7h S&ny of the Cnrradcs, rog7-1zgi (Faber and Faber, 1963). 263 pp. PIS.

Rokrt S. Hoyt, Eun~pr in &Jn Middlc Ages (Rupert HartDavir, 1963). 653 pp. 603.

HISTORY B O O K S FOR SCHOOLS: XVI 196 not to mention Innocent 111, is decidedly weak. Indeed, although hidden reserves of strength may be found in straightforward descrip- tions of the medieval manor and feudal organization rather than in the book’s contribution to long-range cultural assessment, the final impres- sion is one of disappointment and promise unfulfilled. There are a number of useful plates-including a valuable drawing of Cluny Abbey reproduced from S’eculum-some good maps, and a select bibliography.

If, in theory, few historians would wish to justify dividing the past into periods, in practice it is nevertheless important to secure some sort of manageable unit that will assist basic study. For some time now, 1485 has been accepted as a significant milestone in English history, and although against the background of the latest research there are supremely important reasons for rcvising such a dateline, this most recent spate of writing for schools shows no desire among authors to blaze a new trail. Indeed, an increasing concern to include the magic year in the titles of many textbooks suggests that perceptive publishers rate the mere mention of 1485 and All That as tantamount to a volume’s commercial success. Despite this kind of cautious conservatism, Dr. T. K. Derry’s determined bid to revise his British History from 1485 should re-establish a useful ‘0’ Level stand-by.20 His aim is to meet ‘the need of the modern teacher for a clear, orderly, and accurate narrative of events’ thus ‘leaving him free to interpret, to illustrate, and [surprisingly?] to generalize’. The result is sadly sparse for the standard envisaged, and the cramping effect of the printed page curiousIy re- miniscent of old-style typography. By the standards of those ‘changes of emphasis which result from reccnt research’, some parts of the book are disappointing. For cxample, it is high time some of Professor Knowles’ findings were incorporated to produce a more balanced discussion of monastic dissolution under Henry V I I I ; whilst it is likewise incorrect to IabeI a second generation Reformer like Thomas Cranmer as a fol- lower of Zwingli, when Reformation theory and practice had considerably advanced since the Zuricher’s death in I 53 I. Again, the section on ‘The Elizabethan Religious Settlement’ is particularly weak: neither bishop Jewcl nor Richard Hooker are discussed, although that judicious divine and author of the Laws of the Ecclesiastical Polity is later accorded honourable mention in a literary context. In marked contrast, let it be stressed, the economic sections of the book are carefully compiled and the treatment afforded the Georgian period likely to prove the soundest part of Dr. T. K. Derry’s revision, a formidable enough task at any time.

I t would appear from the title of Miss Mary Akeroyd’s revision course for ‘0’ Level students that 1485 is similarly meaningful in European history, although the content of this ingenious volume nowhere attempts to justify the division. However much it is deplored, the promise of a ready sale continues to prompt some authors and publishers to provide and print books of notes and ‘model’ examination

*’ T. K. Derry, Brifirh H i r r ~ r y j i 1185 b 1782 (Bell, 1963). 4sS pp. 1zs.6d.

PETER BROOKS ‘97 answers the misuse of which is as dangerous a threat to the school historian’s true r61e as the clandestine circulation of coveted schoolboy cribs has long proved a menace to his classical colleague. As a whole, the profession stands steadfastly opposed to this short circuit approach to the teaching of history, recognizing it as a dubious technique that can easily amount to the very abnegation of properly educational pro- cesses. For it is one thing for the schoolmaster to distribute duplicated broadsheets to his own pupils-a laudable practice that dispels the classroom drudgery of note-taking-but a very different matter for these notes, many of which are so condensed as to be misleading and even meaningless, to gain a wider circulation in the absence of their authentic interpreter. Despite such prefatory comment on what many rightly revere as an important principle--and, let it be emphasized, due acknowledgement of the commendable support afforded the profession by the vast majority of commercial publishing houses which frown on most underworld literature submitted-it must be added that, of its kind, Miss Akeroyd’s English and European History, 1485-1939, is an in- triguing compilation.21 Although writing in what can only be termed thc ‘Edwardian tradition’ of those notorious Nofes, the author adopts a reasonably modem approach to her narrative, not only advancing by topics but also including a certain amount of introductory comment that provides some prose background for the sections of English or European period summaries that follow. This is no place to list the numerous inaccuracies that, against the severe background of note form, stand naked in stark relief, and a random sample taken from the start of the book must suffice: by the standards of modern scholarship, ‘royal despotism’ is no description of the Tudor dynasty; the legendary Dr. John London did not take part in Thomas Cromwell’s cruel cam- paign against the monasteries in 1535-he was first employed in 1538; Lambert, whose name was John, not William, was hardly ‘pro- Lutheran’ in the matter of the sacramental presence (if he had in fact chosen to accept the Real Presence he would not have been burnt!); whilst the Book of Cotnmon Prayer, I 549, was hardly based on ‘the writings of the Reformer, Zwingli’!

A final focus on the early modern period is provided in How 739 Lived, I&”-qo, an absorbing social study of the English people under- taken by Mrs. Molly Harrison and Miss 0. M. Royston.*l By skilfdly selecting a wide variety of primary source material, most of it from lesser known documents, the authors have provided a veritable kaleido- scope of enjoyment for those who would glimpse genuinely historic scenes in the human predicament. Well arranged in topical sections, all

‘1 Mary Akcroyd, A Reoisi4n Course in EngIuh and Eurof~an History for ‘0’ LmrI Sludmlr: vol. i, 145-1789; vol. ii, r 7 e 1 9 3 9 (Allman, 1963). Each 12s. 6d. The h s e is also obtainable in six smaller vohncs: i, 1485-16b3; ii, r6opr7r5; iii, 1715-1789; iv, r7@-1840; v, r8@-x&o; and vi, 1867-19.3. Each 6s.

I* Molly Harrison and 0. M. Royston, How 7iuy Liud vol. i i , r d 5 - 1 7 ~ ( B a d Blackwell, oxford, 1963). 324 PP. 35s.

198 of them illustrated with contemporary drawings and woodcuts, this fascinating anthology ranges widely over the pastimes and professions of both prominent and ordinary folk. For here, side by side with information about ‘absurd fashions’ in dress or serious reference to scientific advance like William Harvey’s discovery of blood circulation, may be found apt allusion to the period housebreaker or ‘hoker’ viewed as dispassionately as a valuable slant on preparations for electing a mayor of Norwich. The sparkling collection of carefully edited eye-witness accounts that has resulted should have a wide appeal; it certainly merits the strongest recommendation alike to specialist and non-specialist classes intent on seeking out something of that elusive will-o’-the-wisp, the spirit of an age.

The search for period colour-perhaps even the glorious technicolour of Hollywood rather than history-would seem to be the goal of Leonard Gribble’s ‘True Book’ about 77u Spankh Muin.z* A ‘fantastic story’ about ‘Spanish dons and Devon seadogs’ ranging over five hundred breathtaking years, this work of high drama could well find a place on the shelves of Junior libraries where, even in an age of science fiction, pirates doubtless retain their appeal.

There appears to be no end to the long list of books dealing with nineteenth- and twentieth-century English history and designed to appeal to the lower forms of the Secondary School. First, with John Piper’s striking window at Coventry cathedral reproduced on the cloth cover, Mr. R. J. Unstead’s Century of Chunge is a genuine eye-catcher.*‘ Superbly printed, this profusely illustrated work describes the Victorian Era in some detail and sustains a competent account of events up to 1961. Although at times comment is too generalized and the facts fall away from the narrative, such lapses must occasionally be expected in a work of this kind, and are more than compensated for by the fact that the author’s undoubted gift for story-telling in a readable style full of interest for the young is certainly never in jeopardy. Yet if useful chapters on ‘The Great Exhibition’ and ‘Queen Victoria’s England’ highlight his account, some of the author’s sins of omission are sur- prising and the work well-nigh silent on both education and religion in the great age that produced an Arnold, a Newman and a Manning. Comparisons are odious, but there can be no doubting the superior quality of Mr. E. K. Milliken’s Victorian Era, the latest and, regrettably, it seems the last in a whole series of outstanding Lower School textbooks.25 A work of ideal proportions, concisely written and yet properly documented with carefully selected quotations from original sources framed as illustrations in the text, this is an impressive little study that deserves to prosper for many years ahead. If there is a criticism, the

HISTORY BOOKS FOR SCHOOLS: XVI

“Leonard Gribble, lln True Bwk obod ilu Sponih Moin (Frederick Muller, London, 142 pp. 9s. 6d. . J. Unstead, England, A Histog in Four Books: book 4, A Century of Change’ 1837 b TO&J

19f&

(A. and C. Black, 1963). 232 pp. I IS. 6d. 1‘ E. K. Milliken, 271~ Viccmion Ero, r 8 e r g o r (Harrap, 1963). 263 pp. 10s. 6d.

PETER BROOKS ‘99 publishers might include an index at a second printing, although they have already placed teachers in their debt for the comprehensive reference list of books, galleries, films, film strips, gramophone records, historical plays, and societies already present among the notes at the end of this excellent book. The third of these ninetecnth-century studies seeks to describe history as ‘the record of man’s struggle to obtain the Four Freedoms which alone make life worth living’. A revised edition of the original Four Freedom Histories first published by Mr. S. A. and Mr. R. C. Williams in 1949, this volume treats of the years 1870-1963 as ‘a period marked by the grcatest scientific and industrial progress and the defcat of the greatest attack on the Four Freedoms in human history’ and is perhaps more suited to the study of current affairs than a properly academic approach to the past.z6

In contrast to a vast amount of ninetcenth-century literature, there is definitely room for a good volume dealing with more recent English history at ‘0’ Level standard, and it is a work of this scope that Mr. Peter Teed seeks to provide in Brifuin, Q Welfare State.27 Clearly printed in agreeable Times New Roman type, the book has the great merit of affording both a careful discussion of the basic social forces at work in the first half of the twentieth century and a properly balanced narrative that, steering well clear of old-fashioned insular assessments, views national progress from the widest international standpoint. Despite such a preconceived framework, the volume is a minc of information on every conceivable subject from the wretched state of the roads when Lloyd George first introduced automobile licences to the cultural impact of the B.B.C. Promenadc Concerts. An admirable survey with carefully planned chapters grouped logically into five main sections treating of very different pre- and post-war worlds, the book also contains a valuable Brief LiJe appendix of statesmen ranging from Ramsay Mac- Donald to Ernest Bevin and Neville Chamberlain to Sir Winston Churchill. In a second edition this group of potted portraits might use- fully be expanded to include other significant period figures who made real impact on society. William Temple, for instance, should receive far more attention than can at present be gleaned from two cnpas~~nf com- ments, and the inclusion of a biography of such a distinguished church- man might help to redress a balance that is otherwise somewhat weightcd against religion.

Despite what could with accuracy be termed a modern craving for treatises of this kind, modern economic and social studies are also surprisingly thin on the ground, and the appearance of Dr. Michael Flinn’s History of Brihin since 1700 accordingly most welcome.28 Most of the

sa S. A. and R. C. William, Ihe F m Freedom Hirlmus 01 Ihe Pe@lc We Are: vol. iv, Great Britain and the World: 1@i0-1@3 The Age of Gmpetitwn, 3rd edition revised (Harrap, 1963). 258 pp. 10s. 6d. *’ Peter Teed, Britain, r@i-rggr, A Werfarr State (Hutchinson Educational, 1963). 383 pp.

M. W. Flinn, An Eanomu and Social His&ry of Britain sincr 17m (Macmillan, 1963). ‘4s. a. 318 pp. 12s. 6d.

200 HISTORY BOOKS FOR SCHOOLS: XVI

work has been printed before, but the addition of new introductory and concluding chapters both brings the narrative up to date and takes account of the latest research in a way that makes the volume indispen- sable to economic history specialists at Advanced Level. A striking production in green fabroleen boards overprinted with a typical industrial vista, this reasonably priced book is a great credit to the House of Macmillan, a company whose recent lists are most heartening for the evidence they provide of increasingly studied service to historians at all levels. Dr. Flinn's text is Iikely to remain a standard work, and could be improved still further by the addition at the earliest opportunity of a select bibliography or note to guide the Sixth Former's further reading.

Specialist and more general studies of government are always important in schools, but of particular value in an election year. At a time, moreover, when interest in the constitution is widespread, Mr. R. H. Evans' Government, the latest volume in a Vzjuul History of Modern Britain planned by Professor Jack Simmons, should stem the tide of ignorance among the young and stimulate the general reader into the bargain.2e On a literary level, the author traces, in readily intelligible style, Eng- lish constitutional evolution from medieval foundations through revolution and compromise to the final and lasting establishment of parlia- mentary democracy. Accomplished in only seventy pages, this scholarly survey is no mean feat in itself, but taken together with the two hundred carefully selected plates that follow and comprise the visual approach to his theme, the end-product is one of the most impressive of its kind and the book deserves to be widely known.

To turn now to modem European history, three final titles must be noted. First, Mr. R. R. Sellman's Historical Atlas, 178p1962, a careful collection of maps, graphs and battle plans, will prove of considerable use to candidates approaching the First Public E~amination.~o Then too, Mr. Cowie's Eighteenth Century Europe, the latest title in the Bell Modern Histories, provides a comprehensive textbook for use in a period widely read for 'A' Level.31 In form and presentation, the volume is surprisingly old-fashioned, but nevertheless has the solid merit of affording a reasonably sound factual narrative for the more plodding student, a youngster who would in any case be bewildered if confronted with any blinding flashes of perception. Thirdly, Mr. Chambers' Age of Cogkt has reappeared in a completely revised edition.a2 A massive study of the Western World from the end of the First World War to about 1961, this able and often dramatic account of relations between , America, Europe and the Commonwealth deserves to be widely known in schools even though price may restrict its use to libraries. The narrative never palls and is particularly lucid in the treatment accorded

** R. H. Evans, Go- (Vista Books, London, 1964). 192 p .3m.

'I L. W. Cowie, Eis&mth Cmtury Europe (Bell, 1963). 397 pp. Z Z S . ' ~ . (School edition) and

I* Frank P. Chambers, ?-his Age oJGqYid (Rupert Hart-Davis, 1963). 880 pp. 65.3.

R. R. Scllman, A Historical A h , 17&1g5z (Edward Amolb: 3). 68 pp. y.

305. (Library edition).

PETER BROOKS 201

international diplomacy between 1918 and 1939 and in the period of the so-called Cold War. The author's use of primary source material- much of it aptly quoted in the text-is likewise commendable, whilst a large number of carefully prepared maps guide the student through the complex wilderness of military campaigning and those shifting state boundaries so characteristic of the age. A single feature really irritates- the positioning of the notes as an appendix. But when compared with the overall achievement and typographical accuracy, even this criticism, albeit a genuine publishing fault for it is extremely difficult to turn over anything from three to eight hundred pages at a time, savours too much of the tyranny of the trivial.

Lastly, two newly published filmstrips provide valuable visual aid material for those skilled in the use of the projector. First, Mr. C. L. Hammer's Romans in Britain covers the whole occupation period and includes the kind of really instructive frames on road building and villa design that will guarantee popularity with Middle and Lower School age groups.ss And secondly, in an isotype strip superbly produced by Common Ground and aimed at slightly more advanced pupils, Pro- fessor J. A. Hawgood surveys the Histoly of Justice from tribal society to the present day when the United Nations Charter of Human Rights is gradually gaining global recognition.*'

** C. L. Hammer, Tk Romans in Brihi (Educational Productions Filmstrip C 6562, 1963).

*' J. A. Hawgood, A HUby of Justice (Common Ground Isotype Strip IB 862, 1963). 37 l i a m a (colour). 3m.

31 framcs (colour). 34s.

history books for schools: xvi

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