A History of Histories Epics, Chronicles, Romances and Inquiries from Herodotus and Thucydides to the Twentieth Century

'BRILLIANT . . . A MASTERLY OVERVIEW. HIS BOOK ABOUNDS IN CHARACTER, CONTEXT, SENSE AND WIT' DOMINIC SANDBROOK, EVENING STANDARD This is the extraordinary story of how we have understood and interpreted the past over the last 2,500 years. From the 'father of history' Herodotus to Medieval chroniclers, and from Gibbon's epic depiction of the Roman Empire to today's TV dons, this unique and gripping book explores the defining accounts of the great and terrible events in history, showing what they tell us about their times, and ours . 'A TOUR DE FORCE OF ELEGANT, WITTY AND READABLE EXPOSITION . . . JOHN BURROW MORE THAN STANDS COMPARISON WITH ANY NUMBER OF HIS SUBJECTS' PAUL CARTLEDGE, INDEPENDENT 'HIGHLY ENJOYABLE . . . BRIMMING WITH ACUTE OBSERVATIONS, AND OFTEN VERY WITTY. ANYONE WHO WANTS TO KNOW WHAT HISTORICAL WRITING HAS CONTRIBUTED TO OUR CULTURE SHOULD START HERE' KEITH THOMAS, GUARDIAN 'AN EXEMPLAR OF HOW HISTORY SHOULD BE WRITTEN . . . BURROW'S NARRATIVE FLOWS LIKE THE HISTORY THAT HE ADMIRES' MICHAEL BINYON, THE TIMES 'AWE-INSPIRINGLY ABITIOUS' TOM HOLLAND, DAILY TELEGRAPH 'ENTERTAINING AND INSIRATIONAL . . . CONVERSATIONAL, DISCURSIVE, WITTY AND PENETRATING' BRAIN YOUNG, LITERARY REVIEW