New Releases by John Julius Norwich

這是一本關於法國的古今全史，也是一紙寫給法蘭西的情書 英國大眾歷史作家界的祖師爺諾里奇爵士，以幽默風趣、引人入勝的筆調， 引領讀者走進「高盧雄雞」兩千年的迷人歷史 *** Amazon 4.2分、Goodreads 4.0分 讀者好評 *** 《牛雜》《泰晤士報文學增刊》《旁觀者》《星期天獨立報》《鄉村生活》《今日歷史》《每日電訊報》《泰晤士報》《歷史揭密雜誌》一致盛讚！ 提到法國的歷史，勾起讀者的第一印象通常是聖女貞德、路易十四世、戴高樂等歷史著名人物，又或者是英法百年戰爭、法國大革命、拿破崙戰爭等重要事件，但作者認為大多數人對法國的認識也就僅止於此，我們需要一則動聽的故事把諸多法蘭西的歷史人、事、時、地、物串聯起來，填補人們心中法國史的空白，約翰．朱利葉斯．諾里奇爵士的《法蘭西全史》就因此而生。 從高盧部落領袖抵抗羅馬將軍凱撒入侵的故事開始，講述查理大帝如何巧妙地奪取教宗的帝冠。緊接著細述描寫法國大量人員參與東方的十字軍東征，以及聖殿騎士團如何一夜之間消失在歷史的長河中。從太陽王路易十四的驚世功績，到法國人民攻占巴士底監獄的革命風潮，再到法軍如大軍壓境般奔赴戰場的劇烈場景，還有二戰中，諾曼底登陸如何改變了世界的命運。《法蘭西全史》將帶你穿越兩千年，揭開法國歷史的多彩面貌，呈現極為豐富且扣人心弦的歷史敘事。 約翰·朱利葉斯·諾里奇爵士作為英國著名的歷史學者，他的作品涵蓋了西西里、威尼斯共和國、拜占庭帝國、教宗以及地中海等歷史領域，長期以來深受讀者推崇。《法蘭西全史》是諾里奇爵士歷史寫作生涯中的巔峰之作，也是他獻給法國的深情之作。猶如一封獻給法國的深情書信，這本書是對所有熱愛法國、對這片土地懷有深厚情感的讀者的致敬。 【國際書評】 滿腔熱情之作……可嘆諾里奇在不久前去世，他最為平易近人的學究氣息貫穿全書，這位如長輩般的導師邀請各位一邊喝著葡萄酒，一邊聽他娓娓道來兩千年法國史。從高盧人講到查理曼，從凱撒講到戴高樂。他以熟練但溫和的筆調描述性、死亡和網球。閱讀本書可以搭配一次暑假的法國之旅，或讓你突然想造訪法國。──《牛雜》 諾里奇這本法國政治史從維欽托利談起，到一九四五年的戴高樂結束，它邀請我們一起對歷史上的偉人肅然起敬，甚至使我們對這些人的勝利感同身受……極具啟發性。──《泰晤士報文學增刊》 這是一本有溫度又宜人的法國簡史，它以歡快的筆調鎖定一般讀者，這是諾里奇所寫的情書，獻給他熟悉的法國。──《旁觀者》 一本以英文寫成的簡明法國史絕對有其必要，而且在許多方面來說，諾里奇都是寫作本書的最佳人選……他對法國的熱愛可以追溯到童年時期，這份愛意顯然也處處出現在這本易讀又具娛樂性的歷史書中。──《星期天泰晤士報》 諾里奇處理歷史事件的方式，就像是和讀者在火爐邊親切地閒聊。──《星期天獨立報》 作者以十足的魅力和對法國顯而易見的熱情訴說這則故事……我的孩子時常問我，英國中等教育普通證書（GCSE）的教學大綱為什麼不是介紹英國歷史，而是神祕兮兮地探究威瑪共和國、納粹德國與俄國。他們想要的是以全面、易讀和令人享受的故事檢視我們島嶼──這正是諾里奇書寫法國的方式……這本值得推薦的簡明歷史書籍，最吸引人的就是它娛樂性高，同時見聞廣博，筆調流暢，機智又帶著一抹幽默感：閱讀這本法國史是一大樂事，它令人愛不釋手。──《鄉村生活》 作者簡短的結語「法國的精髓」，幾乎可說是本書最精采的部分。他列出這個令人陶醉但偶爾也令人惱怒的國家裡他最喜愛的事物，包括建築、繪畫與音樂，他對這些文化懷抱最大的熱情，並且自始至終都以忠實可信、迷人與機智的方式加以描述。──戴斯蒙．蘇爾德（Desmond Seward），《今日歷史》 不久前過世的諾里奇在他最後一本書中，以令人欽佩的輕快氣氛與都市風格著手處理兩千年法國史這令人望之卻步的龐大主題。它的語氣裡帶著那麼點（或許是刻意的）幽默作家塞拉爾（W. C. Sellar）《一○六六年之種種》（1066 and All That）的味道──「卡佩王朝的國王們逐步打造法國，把如同卡士達醬糊成一團的卡洛林王朝轉變為一個統一的國家」──此外他逗趣的注解值得讀者單獨重溫其內容。──《每日電訊報》夏日選書 諾里奇以大量精采故事，不費吹灰之力講述法國歷史：風流倜儻的國王、可怕的瘟疫和傳說中的晚餐。──《泰晤士報》 諾里奇以他一貫溫暖而愉快的引導，帶領讀者踏上一場從歷史之初到二十一世紀的法國史之旅……他以高度的娛樂性介紹這迷人的國家。──《歷史揭密雜誌》

Il secondo volume dell’appassionante saga dei normanni in Italia, l’età d’oro della Sicilia di Ruggero e Federico II, le meraviglie architettoniche, l’inconfutabile testimonianza di un’epoca di illuminata tolleranza, in una narrazione divertita e coinvolgente. «Norwich ha la capacità di trasformare il racconto storico in un romanzo d’avventura» (Alessandro Barbero).

In 1969, John Julius Norwich, the legendary popular historian, gathered together the favourite things he''d come across in the last 365 days into one short charming pamphlet. Initially just a treat for his friends, it rapidly turned into a huge word-of-mouth success. And soon the arrival of John Julius Norwich''s latest ''Christmas Cracker'' became as essential a part of the English Christmas experience as holly and mistletoe. Norwich had a brilliant eye for a story and telling detail, and his Crackers are full of jokes, warmth and wit. Here in one bumper book is his final and 50th Christmas Cracker, alongside all the very best bits as picked out by his daughter Artemis Cooper. This is the perfect Christmas gift.

Con una scrittura elegante e agilissima e un lampante amore per i luoghi e le testimonianze artistiche, un viaggio affascinante nel bacino culla e incrocio di civiltà millenarie che insegue le tracce dei principali destini politici delle terre del Mare di Mezzo.

"Bad behavior makes for entertaining history" in this bold history of Europe, the Middle East, and the men who ruled them in the early sixteenth century ( Kirkus Reviews). John Julius Norwich—"the very model of a popular historian"—is acclaimed for his distinctive ability to weave together a fascinating narrative through vivid detail, colorful anecdotes, and captivating characters. Here, he explores four leaders—Henry VIII, Francis I, Charles V, and Suleiman—who led their countries during the Renaissance ( The Wall Street Journal). Francis I of France was the personification of the Renaissance, and a highly influential patron of the arts and education. Henry VIII, who was not expected to inherit the throne but embraced the role with gusto, broke with the Roman Catholic Church and appointed himself head of the Church of England. Charles V was the most powerful man of the time, and unanimously elected Holy Roman Emperor. And Suleiman the Magnificent—who stood apart as a Muslim—brought the Ottoman Empire to its apogee of political, military, and economic power. These men collectively shaped the culture, religion, and politics of their respective domains. With remarkable erudition, John Julius Norwich offers "an important history, masterfully written," indelibly depicting four dynamic characters and how their incredible achievements—and obsessions with one another—changed Europe forever ( The Washington Times).

Un documentato e incuriosito viaggio dai Fenici e dai Greci agli anni di mezzo del Novecento in terra di Sicilia. Racconti, notizie, miti, personaggi in una narrazione che ripercorre la storia dell’isola, ponte tra Europa e Africa, porta tra Oriente e Occidente, e la arricchisce con la sorpresa per la straordinaria varietà, la meraviglia per la bellezza, la desolazione per un destino testardo, e una quieta disperazione.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

An “engaging, enthusiastic, sympathetic, funny” journey through French history from the New York Times–bestselling author of Absolute Monarchs (The Wall Street Journal). Beginning with Julius Caesar’s conquest of Gaul in the first century BC, this study of French history comprises a cast of legendary characters―Charlemagne, Louis XIV, Napoleon, Joan of Arc, and Marie Antoinette, to name a few―as John Julius Norwich chronicles France’s often violent, always fascinating history. From the French Revolution―after which neither France nor the world would be the same again―to the storming of the Bastille, from the Vichy regime and the Resistance to the end of the Second World War, A History of France is packed with heroes and villains, battles and rebellion—written with both an expert command of detail and a lively appreciation for the subject matter by this “true master of narrative history” (Simon Sebag Montefiore).

La Sicile est au carrefour de l''histoire du monde. Dans un récit vivant et érudit, John Julius Norwich narre le tumultueux destin de cette île fascinante, et des tyrans, des monarques et des reines remarquables qui ont combattu pour la dominer. La Sicile est la plus grande île de la Méditerranée, le relais entre l''Europe et l''Afrique, le lien entre l''Occident latin et l''Orient grec. Sa situation stratégique a tenté les empereurs romains, les princes français et les rois espagnols. Les luttes qui s''en sont suivies pour la conquérir et la garder ont joué un rôle crucial dans l''essor et le déclin des dynasties les plus puissantes du monde. Le récit palpitant de John Julius Norwich est le premier à nouer ensemble les fils de l''histoire sicilienne dans une seule étude globale. De ses débuts comme cité-Etat grecque à son émergence comme carrefour commercial multiculturel pendant les croisades, et de la rébellion contre l''unification italienne à l''essor de la mafia, l''histoire de la Sicile est riche de moments extraordinaires et de personnages spectaculaires.

" ... This book is written in the belief that the average English-speaking man or woman has remarkably little knowledge of French history. We may know a bit about Napoleon or Joan of Arc or Louis XIV, but for most of us that''s about it. In my own three schools we were taught only about the battles we won: Crécy and Poitiers, Agincourt and Waterloo. The rest was silence. So here is my attempt to fill in the blanks ... John Julius Norwich (at 88) has finally written the book he always wanted to write, the extremely colourful story of the country he loves best. From frowning Roman generals and belligerent Gallic chieftains, to Charlemagne (hated by generations of French children taught that he invented schools) through Marie Antoinette and the storming of the Bastille to Vichy, the Resistance and beyond, FRANCE is packed with heroes and villains, adventures and battles, romance and revolution. Full of memorable stories and racy anecdotes, this is the perfect introduction to the country that has inspired the rest of the world to live, dress, eat -- and love better."--Publisher''s description.

''If I could work my will,'' said Scrooge indignantly, ''Every idiot who goes about with "Merry Christmas" on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart.'' This year go carol-singing in the Cotswolds with Laurie Lee or attend church with a grumpy Samuel Pepys. Make plum puddings for bemused French villagers with Elizabeth David; go present shopping with Virginia Woolf or eat far too much with Agatha Christie. Celebrate Christmas at Chatsworth, in the workhouse or marooned in the ice with Shackleton ... For forty-five years, the arrival of John Julius Norwich''s latest Christmas Cracker became as essential a part of the Christmas experience as holly and mistletoe. In An English Christmas the late legendary popular historian gathered all the best writing about this strangest and most memorable time of year into one book and his brilliant eye for a story is evident on every page. Vividly evoking all the good things about the festive season, this unexpected anthology is just as entertaining about its darker aspects. Eight-year-old Princess Margaret''s thank-you list jostles with moving letters home from the trenches. Sherlock Holmes solves his trickiest case. George Orwell writes about indigestion; Jane Austen about reluctant socialising and Thomas Hardy about the old folk belief that all animals kneel at midnight on 24 December. There are ghost stories, games and bizarre recipes. Diary-entries, recipes and letters sit alongside poems and short stories. An English Christmas could convert any Scrooge into an instant enthusiast.

Views of the city of lagoons and gondolas; Henry James was passionate: ''You desire to embrace it, to caress it, to possess it...'', whereas Mark Twain found St Mark''s ''so ugly...Propped on its long row of thick-legged columns, its back knobbed with domes, it seems like a vast, warty bug taking a mediaeval walk.'' Reactions to Venice have been, throughout the ages, astonishingly different. John Julius Norwich has produced a dazzling anthology from the writings of Byron, Goethe, Wagner, Casanova, Jan Morris, Robert Browning, and Horace Walpole, among many others. From the days of the sixth century, when lagoon-dwellers lived ''like sea-birds'' in huts built on heaps of osiers, to the Venice of eighteenth-century revellers and nineteenth-century art lovers - the city''s many different guises are all portrayed as its inhabitants and visitors saw them.

Mitreißend und elegant erzählt John Julius Norwich die turbulente Geschichte der »Königin der Inseln«, die ein einzigartiges Kaleidoskop der Völker und Kulturen war und ist. Unterhaltsam führt er uns durch die Jahrtausende, in denen Sizilien im Brennpunkt der Weltgeschichte stand. Sizilien: die größte Insel des Mittelmeers, die Schwelle zwischen Europa und Afrika, Bindeglied zwischen dem lateinischen Westen und dem griechischen Osten. Ihre einzigartige strategische Lage lockte Phönizier, Griechen, Römer, Araber und Normannen, französische Fürsten und spanische Könige. Die Kämpfe um die Insel spielten für den Aufstieg und Fall der mächtigsten Dynastien der Welt eine Schlüsselrolle. Erstmals verknüpft John Julius Norwich all die bunten Fäden der sizilianischen Geschichte zu einer umfassenden Darstellung und führt die Leser durch die Jahrtausende. Von ihren Anfängen in der Antike bis zu ihrem Aufstieg zur multikulturellen Drehscheibe des Handels während der Kreuzzüge, vom Widerstand gegen die Vereinigung mit Italien bis zum Aufkommen der Mafia ist die Insel reich an weltgeschichtlichen Ereignissen und dramatischen Persönlichkeiten. Wie die Insel selbst, ist dies ein Buch voller kräftiger Farben und Aromen, das man immer wieder zur Hand nehmen möchte.

A work of history, but also about art and architecture, trade and commerce, travel and exploration, economics and politics, this is above all a book about people and how, over the millennia, they have managed to live closely together. From the origins of urbanization in Mesopotamia to the global metropolises of today, great cities have marked the development of humankind Babylon and Nineveh, Athens and Rome, Istanbul and Venice, Timbuktu and Samarkand, their very names are redolent both of history and romance. The Great Cities in History tells their story from early Uruk and Thebes to Jerusalem and Alexandria. Then the fabulous cities of the first millennium: Damascus and Baghdad in the days of the Caliphates, Teotihuacan and Maya Tikal in Central America, and Changan, capital of Tang Dynasty China. The medieval world saw the rise of powerful cities: Palermo and Paris in Europe, Benin in Africa and Angkor of the Khmer. In the early modern world, we journey to Islamic Isfahan and Agra, and Prague and Amsterdam in their heyday, before arriving at the phenomenon of the contemporary mega-city: London and New York, Tokyo and Barcelona, Los Angeles and São Paulo. A galaxy of more than fifty distinguished authors, including Jan Morris, Colin Thubron, Simon Schama, Orlando Figes, Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, Misha Glenny, Adam Zamoyski and A. N. Wilson, evoke the character of each place and explain the reasons for its success, seeing what each city would have been like during its golden age.

Critically acclaimed author John Julius Norwich weaves the turbulent story of Sicily into a spellbinding narrative that places the island at the crossroads of world history. “Sicily,” said Goethe, “is the key to everything.” It is the largest island in the Mediterranean, the stepping-stone between Europe and Africa, the link between the Latin West and the Greek East. Sicily’s strategic location has tempted Roman emperors, French princes, and Spanish kings. The subsequent struggles to conquer and keep it have played crucial roles in the rise and fall of the world’s most powerful dynasties. Yet Sicily has often been little more than a footnote in books about other empires. John Julius Norwich’s engrossing narrative is the first to knit together all of the colorful strands of Sicilian history into a single comprehensive study. Here is a vivid, erudite, page-turning chronicle of an island and the remarkable kings, queens, and tyrants who fought to rule it. From its beginnings as a Greek city-state to its emergence as a multicultural trading hub during the Crusades, from the rebellion against Italian unification to the rise of the Mafia, the story of Sicily is rich with extraordinary moments and dramatic characters. Writing with his customary deftness and humor, Norwich outlines the surprising influence Sicily has had on world history—the Romans’ fascination with Greek civilization dates back to their sack of Sicily—and tells the story of one of the world’s most kaleidoscopic cultures in a galvanizing, contemporary way. This volume has been a long time coming—Norwich began to explore Sicily’s colorful history during his first visit to the island in the early 1960s. The dean of popular historians leads his readers through the millennia with the steady narrative hand of a master teacher or the world’s most learned tour guide. Like the island itself, Sicily is a book brimming with bold flavors that begs to be revisited again and again. Praise for Sicily “Suavely readable . . . The very model of a popular historian, [Norwich] writes to give pleasure to the common reader. And what pleasure it is.”—The Wall Street Journal “Entertaining on every page . . . There is something ancient and sorrowful in Sicily, ‘some dark, brooding quality,’ just as captivating as its spellbinding history or its beautiful and varied landscapes, from beaches to lemon groves, pine forests to volcanoes. . . . The most amiable and freewheeling of guides, Norwich will always find time for the amusing anecdote.”—The Sunday Times “Utterly engrossing . . . written with passion about the art and architecture of this magical island, filled with gossipy tidbits and sweeping historical theories.”—The Daily Beast “Dazzling . . . Norwich is an elegantly graceful and entertaining storyteller.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch “Charming . . . richly nuanced history relayed with enormous fondness.”—Kirkus Reviews “A brisk and always-lively tour.”—Open Letters Monthly “Norwich is deeply in love with Sicily. [His] boundless affection has inspired a determined effort to understand its painful past. The result is impressionistic, as love often is.”—The Times “Norwich sketches personalities vividly. . . . He does the island and the reader a generous service in providing such an amiable introduction.”—The Sunday Telegraph “Norwich tells [Sicily’s] long, sad but fascinating story with sympathy and brio.”—Literary Review

When did humans first come together in cities and what were they like to live in? Illustrated with spectacular photographs of the sites of ancient cities today, as well as fabulous objects and works of art, this book provides a fascinating exploration of cities that shaped the ancient world. From the world''s first cities, in Mesopotamia, to the spectacular urban monuments of the Maya in Central America, the cities described here represent almost three millennia of human history and development. Under John Julius Norwich''s expert editorship, eminent historians and archaeologists with first-hand knowledge of each site bring these silent ruins to life as the teeming metropolises they once were.

The long awaited and highly revealing diaries of the politician, diplomat, and socialite (married to Lady Diana Cooper) ''This is a fabulous, jaw-dropping read'' SUNDAY TIMES ''Duff Cooper was as close to the action as anyone during the dramatic events of the mid-20th century. He was also comically priapic, committing enough sexual indiscretions to fill a dozen diaries'' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH ''Fascinating for two things: their testament to an exhilarating century and their witness to a vanished age of power and privilege ... What a man'' OBSERVER Duff Cooper was a first-rate witness of just about every significant event from 1914 to 1950. His diary includes some magnificent set pieces - as a young soldier at the end of WWI, as a politician during the General Strike of 1926, as King Edward VIII''s friend at the time of the Abdication, and from Paris after the liberation in 1944, when he became British ambassador. If Duff Cooper''s name has dimmed in the 50 years since his death, publication of these diaries will bring him to the fore once again. His family have long resisted publication - indeed Duff Cooper''s nephew, the publisher Rupert Hart-Davis, was so shocked by the sexual revelations that he suggested to John Julius Norwich that it might be best for all concerned if they were burnt. Now, superbly edited by John Julius Norwich, who familial link ensures all kinds of additional information as footnotes, these diaries join the ranks.

A classic Christmas gift book, reissued with new cover artwork by Quentin Blake For more than 40 years, John Julius Norwich has been sending out his Christmas Crackers—a personal collection of quirky quotes and literary odds and ends—to his friends instead of a Christmas card. Here, Quentin Blake has made his own selection of favorite pieces and has illustrated them in his own trademark style. From curious dictionary definitions ("Carphology. Delirious fumbling with the bedclothes," Concise Oxford Dictionary) and tortuous palindromes ("Live dirt up a side-track carted is a putrid evil") to 18th-century accounts of drunken pigs and Benjamin Franklin''s account of inventing bifocals, this cracker is stuffed with surprising, offbeat, often hilarious gems. Enlivened by Quentin Blake''s witty illustrations, this book is a perfect stocking-stuffer.

John Julius Norwich examines the oldest continuing institution in the world, tracing the papal line down the centuries from St Peter (traditionally - but by no means historically - the first Pope) to the present. Of the 280-odd holders of the supreme office, some have unquestionably been saints; others have wallowed in unspeakable iniquity. One was said to have been a woman, her sex being revealed only when she improvidently gave birth to a baby during a papal procession. Almost as shocking was Formosus whose murdered corpse was exhumed, clothed in pontifical vestments, propped up on a throne and subjected to trial; or John XII, of whom Gibbon wrote ''his rapes of virgins and widows had deterred the female pilgrims from visiting the shrine of St Peter''. John Julius Norwich brings the story up to date with lively investigations into the anti-semitism of the contemptible Pius XII, the possible murder of John Paul I and the phenomenon of the Polish John Paul II. From the glories of Byzantium to the decay of Rome, from the Albigensian Heresy to controversy within the Church today, "The Popes" is superbly written, witty and revealing.

Bizans otokrasiyle idare ediliyordu, baştaki imparator Havarilere eş, Tanrı’nın yeryüzündeki temsilcisi, tüm tebaasının hayatını avucunda tutan yarı ilahi bir varlıktı. Bu imparatorlardan bazıları kahramandı, bazıları da canavar; fakat asla silik değillerdi. Sadece bundan ötürü bile bu kitabı yazmak sürekli bir zevkti, fakat mütevazı anlamda, bir borcun ödenmesiydi aynı zamanda. Bizim medeniyetimiz Doğu İmparatorluğu’na ne kadar çok şey borçlu olduğunu asla yeterince değerlendiremedi. Hıristiyanlığın bu Doğu Kalesi olmasaydı, Avrupa’nın VII. yüzyılda Sasani ordularına, VIII. yüzyılda Bağdat Halifesi’nin ordusuna karşı şansı olur muydu? Bugün hangi dili konuşuyor ve hangi tanrıya tapıyor olurduk? Kültürel alandaki borcumuz da çok büyüktür. Barbar istilaları ve Roma’daki imparatorun düşüşünden sonra, Batı Avrupa’daki öğrenme ışığı, tek tük manastırdaki titrek alevler dışında, sönmüştü. Alev alev yanmayı sürdürdüğü ve klasik mirası koruduğu yer Bosphoros kıyılarıydı. Antik Çağ hakkındaki bilgilerimizin çoğu -özellikle Yunan ve Latin edebiyatı ve Roma hukuku- Constantinopolis’in âlimleri ve yazmanları olmasaydı sonsuza değin kaybolacaktı. JOHN JULIUS NORWICH

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In a chronicle that captures nearly two thousand years of inspiration and intrigue, John Julius Norwich recounts in riveting detail the histories of the most significant popes and what they meant politically, culturally, and socially to Rome and to the world. Norwich presents such popes as Innocent I, who in the fifth century successfully negotiated with Alaric the Goth, an invader civil authorities could not defeat; Leo I, who two decades later tamed (and perhaps paid off) Attila the Hun; the infamous “pornocracy”—the five libertines who were descendants or lovers of Marozia, debauched daughter of one of Rome’s most powerful families; Pope Paul III, “the greatest pontiff of the sixteenth century,” who reinterpreted the Church’s teaching and discipline; John XXIII, who in five short years starting in 1958 instituted reforms that led to Vatican II; and Benedict XVI, who is coping with today’s global priest sex scandal. Epic and compelling, Absolute Monarchs is an enthralling history from “an enchanting and satisfying raconteur” (The Washington Post).

From battlefield to sacred building, from castle to cottage, from the Bridgwater Canal to Blackpool Pier, historian John Julius Norwich tells the political, cultural, social, religious and economic story of England through one hundred key places you can still visit today. Part narrative history, part exploration of our national heritage, his wide-ranging selection of sites will stimulate, entertain, inform - and certainly provoke - a debate about the most significant moments in English history.