bookswelike

Books by Norman Davies

Vanished Kingdoms:

Do you like travelling across Europe? Do you wish sometimes to be able to look a bit deeper into the history of the place where you find yourself? To be able to understand the often complex course of the boundaries between countries? This book is very entertaining and full of astonishing facts which lay beneath the commonly known European history. An eye opener to our so interesting continent! It is very readable and written with great empathy. To recommend!
(Dorothee Dietrich - bwl 119 Winter 2024)

Vanished Kingdoms: The History of Half-forgotten Europe

Europe was littered with kingdoms, empires, duchies and republics many of which have now disappeared. Most are forgotten: some may linger on in distant memories of, say, pre-Bismarck 'Germania' or pre-Roman Italy. But who remembers Tolosa, Alt Clud, Sabaudia and Tsernagora? Eminent historian, Norman Davies, reminds us that our understanding of European history in terms of present-day countries can only be imperfect if we forget their fissiparous past existences. Altogether, an enchanting and romantic read.
(Jeremy Miller - bwl 92 Spring 2019)