The Oxford Illustrated History of Ireland - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0192893238 ISBN 13: 9780192893239

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2001

Synopsis

Few countries have such a compelling and stirring history as Ireland. This sumptuously illustrated volume captures all the color of the Emerald Isle, from the earliest prehistoric communities, through centuries of turbulent change and creativity, to the present day. Written by an expert team of scholars--all of whom are Native to Ireland--this book offers the most authoritative account of Irish history yet published for the general reader.
Unlike most single-volume histories, this book emphasizes the paradoxes and ambiguities of Irish history, presenting a more realistic picture. It also examines more familiar themes, such as the shifting patterns of settlement and colonization, the recurrent religious strife, and the establishment of new political entities. And in a special section, it investigates the interaction between Irish history and literature, demonstrating how the importance of language to everyday Irish life has engendered a body of fiction that is virtually a history of Ireland itself.
With over two hundred photographs, a variety of helpful maps, and many beautiful color plates, this history brings to life the conflicts, settlements, and traditions that constitute Irish history, making it wide-ranging and highly readable for anyone fascinated by this colorful island nation.

About this title

About the Author:

Roy Foster was born in Waterford, Ireland, in 1949 and educated in Ireland and in the United States. A graduate of Trinity College, Dublin, where he was a Foundation Scholar in History, he subsequently became Professor of Modern British History at Birkbeck College, University of London, as well as holding visiting fellowships at St Anthony's College, Oxford, the Institute of Advanced Study, Princeton, and Princeton University. In 1991 he became the first Carroll Professor of Irish History at the University of Oxford and was elected a Fellow of the British Academy since 1989. His previous books include Charles Stewart Parnell: The Man and His Family (1976), Lord Randolph Churchill: A Political Life (1981), Modern Ireland 1600-1972 (1988), The Sub-Prefect Should Have Held His Tongue: Selected Essays of Hubert Butler (1990), Paddy and Mr Punch: Connections in Irish and English History (1993), and W. B. Yeats: The Apprentice Mage Vol. I (1997).

Review:

`This volume is lavishly and often beautifully illustrated with pages from monastic manuscripts, paintings or, more recently photographs. For the general reader whose knowledge of Irish history is patchy, it provides an admirable introduction.'
Tribune

`Lavishly illustratedr'l Oxford Times

`a comprehensive and authoritative account from prehistoric times to the present, well suited to the general reader, and profusely illustrated`
British Book News

`This handsome volume will make an impressive gift...an interesting, revisionist read.' Phoenix

`[a] very real achievement...generously illustrated and authoritative' Sunday Tribune

'The book, glossy and very readable ranges widely; social, cultural and economic aspects receive as much attention as politics.'
Causeway

'Well illustrated ... Remarkable value.'
Books Ireland

'admirably edited by Professor Roy Foster ... stimulating, engrossing and objective account of Irish history from earliest times to 1987 ... the contributors write with individuality, freshness and authority ... It is well researched, lively and most readable.'
Day by Day

'A wealth of information in its 381 pages.'
John Cokley, The Sunday Mail (Brisbane)

'very attractively presented, and each section is easy to read'
Farmers Journal

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0192893238
• ISBN 13: 9780192893239
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 400
• Editor: Foster R. F.