Tag: english history
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Once a King by Jane Tippett
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Once a King: Lots of drama with little accountability. Quick synopsis: A look at the unpublished memoir of Edward VIII of England. You know, the one who quit. Fact for Non-History People: Edward was paid $75,000 in 1947 to write 3 articles on his childhood. In today’s dollars, that’s… a lot.…
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Battle for the Island Kingdom by Don Hollway
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Battle for the Island Kingdom: It’s good to be king. Until you get killed, probably by a family member. Quick synopsis: A look at England and its rulers from 1000-1066. Fact for Non-History People: A mail hauberk (shirt made of metal links) could take a thousand-man hours to create. Fact for…
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There Will Be Fire by Rory Carroll
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for There Will Be Fire: They didn’t get lucky even once. Quick synopsis: The story of the near miss assassination attempt on Margaret Thatcher by the Irish Republican Army in 1984. Fact for Non-History People: The tagline refers to the message from the IRA after the bombing: “Today we were unlucky, but…
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The Bounty by Caroline Alexander
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Bounty: All of this over a plant. Quick synopsis: The story of the mutiny on the Bounty in 1789 in the middle of the South Pacific. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: The mutineers who ended up at Pitcairn Island created a society that today comes from only 4 family…
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A Great and Terrible King by Marc Morris
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for A Great and Terrible King: Braveheart was such a stupid movie. Quick synopsis: A complete biography of Edward I of England. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Other than the fact Edward I and William Wallace existed, Braveheart got everything else wrong. Fun Fact for History Nerds: Edward I effectively took…
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Battle of the Books on Alfred the Great
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for This Book Battle: He did more than just whoop the Vikings. Quick synopsis: Biography of Alfred the Great, England’s first king (well, kinda. It is a super long story about who the first “king” is and well, let’s just assume he is.) Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Alfred the Great…