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