I was checking on some of the old family books to see that they are well cared for when I remembered HISTORY OF ENGLAND published in 1783. This book has been in our family from the time of its publication, I suppose. My grandfather used to have it on his desk and would roar with laughter as he read certain portions which amused him. The language sounded almost Biblical to him, and he never quite got over the details of the “American Rebellion” from the British point-of-view. Like most of my ancestors, he was a great fan of King George III whose tortuous health could have been so easily restored in these modern times. So almost all my life, I heard how the British history book talked about it. Benjamin Franklin has good coverage, and the peace treaty with the colonies after the AMERICAN REBELLION was lengthily reported. I think Parliament was so stunned that the Colonies had been lost that they debated ad infinitum as if they could still do something about it. The history is reported in sections–each sovereign having his fair share of space. Cromwell gets good coverage with lengthy coverage about his body being dug up and “dealt with.” Sometimes it is hard for me to realize that this old HISTORY OF ENGLAND has been sitting on my family’s shelves for over 230 years; but what I can realize is that it is still interesting to read and still has merit because of its perspective on events which seem almost ancient to us now. Henry VIII appears as the king who solidified the Tudor Dynasty, and Anne Boleyn is a deceiving trollop. Some things don’t change. When I get a moment, I want to see how the Georgians report Richard III. I love these old smelly books, hand pressed paper, and marvelous engravings. Sometimes, I can still hear my grandfather chuckling about this or that. He was a brilliant historian, so he spontaneously enjoyed every morsel of the dusty old book. Have a look.
Thomas Moore email: TMooreSr@me.com Telephone: 801.791.9918
