Job & Edu

The History of the Kings of Britain (Penguin Classics)

From Penguin Books

Author : Geoffrey of Monmouth
Binding : Paperback
DeweyDecimalNumber : 941.01
EAN : 9780140441703
Edition : 1st
ISBN : 0140441700
Label : Penguin Books
Manufacturer : Penguin Books
NumberOfPages : 384
ProductTypeName : ABIS_BOOK
PublicationDate : 1977-01-27
Publisher : Penguin Books
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Customer Reviews

Rating:
Summary: The History of the Kings of Britain
Comment: I haven't had a chance to read this yet, but it arrived in good shape and on time.
Rating:
Summary: Medieval books and technology
Comment: Although I was told I would receive my books between 28th October and 13th November, they arrived at my door on 14th October...Wonderful! Thank you Amazon.
As you can see it's been about two weeks since I received my books, nevertheless I immediately started to read "The History of the Kings of Britain" to begin with, the cover is absolutely beautiful; the translation and introduction by Lewis Thorpe, poetic as well as accurate and I'm enjoying every single line of every page of this new old book...
Rating:
Summary: A MUST READ!!
Comment: This is one of the most fascinating books I have ever read. Anyone with an interest in Arthurian legend or just a love of the dark ages should definately get a copy of this book. One of the first works of historical fiction, Manmouth's tales of Vortigern or the great Uther Pendragon will keep you thinking about the book long after you set it down. A must read!!
Rating:
Summary: Kings indeed
Comment: With details of troop deployments and excerpts from speeches kings deliver to their men before battle, it becomes obvious it is unlikely that the details are historically accurate. Little time is spent discussing personal relationships; most of the stories revolve around battle. The book is easy reading for the most part. Some of the details offered before any given battle are hard to understand, but they rarely have a significant impact on the course of the plot. The price is more than fair, considering the volume of the book itself and the multitude of fantastic stories. Despite the fact that the work cannot be considered a true source of history, there is still a great deal of educational value.
Rating:
Summary: Kind of weird, kind of long, kind of boring but still...
Comment: I had to read some parts of this book for class and there were times when I was so confused by the writing that I had to reread parts three or four times. At other times I had no problem understanding what was going on. Overall, it is an enjoyable read if you are interested in how biographies were written in the middle ages and if you don't take every word seriously since the author wasn't very faithful to history.