http://www.archive.org/details/short_history_england_rc

Gilbert Keith Chesterton was a prolific writer on many topics. His views of history were always from the standpoint of men and their interactions, and it may fairly be said he saw all of history as a battle between civilization and barbarism. So it has always been, and that remains true even today. "But it is especially in the matter of the Middle Ages that the popular histories trample upon the popular traditions. In this respect there is an almost comic contrast between the general information provided about England in the last two or three centuries, in which its present industrial system was being built up, and the general information given about the preceding centuries, which we call broadly medieval." As this quotation taken from the Introduction clearly shows, he is no mere pedant reciting dry dates and locations, but a profound thinker flooding new light onto those modern "myths" that have filled our historys. He is a master of paradox, and the techique of reducing his opponents arguments to the logical absurdity they have inherent in them. He often turns them upside down. All of which makes his work both a sound subject for reflection and highly entertaining all the while it remains permanently timely. (Summary by Ray Clare)

M4B audiobook of complete book

This audio is part of the collection: The LibriVox Free Audiobook Collection It also belongs to collections: Audio Books & Poetry; Community Audio

Artist/Composer: G. K. Chesterton
Date: 2008-03-09
Source: Librivox recording of a public-domain text
Keywords: LibriVox; audio books; history; England; essays;< Chesterton; G. K. Chesterton

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

01 - Introduction                       8:18
02 - The Province of Britain           22:11
03 - The Age of Legends                18:04
04 - The Defeat of the Barbarians      21:31
05 - St. Edward and the Norman Kings   25:30
06 - The Age of the Crusades           23:03
07 - The Problem of the Plantagenets   25:27
08 - The Meaning of Merry England      32:05
09 - Nationality and the French Wars   25:05
10 - The War of the Usurpers           23:20
11 - The Rebellion of the Rich         30:00
12 - Spain and the Schism of Nations   20:14
13 - The Age of the Puritans           27:16
14 - The Triumph of the Whigs          26:47
15 - The War with the Great Republics  23:42
16 - Aristocracy and the Discontents   24:21
17 - The Return of the Barbarian       26:32
18 - Conclusion                         7:23