The Battlefields of England (Penguin Classic Military History)

By Alfred H. Burne and A.H. Burne

Book Overview

England's battlefields bear witness to dramatic turning-points in the country's history. At Hastings, Bosworth Field, Flodden and Naseby, the battles fought were to have an enormous effect on English... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0141390778
• ISBN13: 9780141390772
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: Penguin Group (Canada)
• Length: 529 Pages
• Weight: 2.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 1.5" x 5.3"

Customer Reviews

Steady Ye Stout Lads of Albion!

This classic study of English battlefields deserves to be in print again. The reader may find this study is curious in its coverage. The author provides a subjective look at battlefields in England from Roman times to the final push of pikes at Sedgemoor in 1685. It does not cover any of the Jacobite battles that followed. The book might therefor be considered to be incomplete, unless one pays special attention to the fact that its title denotes "English" battlefields, not "British." There is a subtle distinction here. This means none of the Scottish or Welsh battlefields are examined during this period. First published around 1950, this book has gone through several editions since that time. Still, one might consider that some of the information contained within might be a wee bit dated. Brigadier Peter Young was brought in as an historical consultant at some point which adds creditability to the book for sure. One might descirbe this work as a travelogue for military history. The author is mainly concerned with providing an impression of what the battleifleds in England looked like in the 20th century for the casual historian to stroll upon. There is considerable emphasis on where certain trees or hedges actually were in order to determine what troop deployments might have been. The reader will therefor not get a lot of info. on names of regiments or combat formations. Rather, the author seems more concerend with the movements of leaders on the battlefield and where the action centered around them. At times he dismisses details that might be of interest to the modern reader. There is always more concern on what terrian features remain today to show where the action might have been. Thats what makes this more of a travel history than a pure military study. The author provides a few simple maps with each battle. Again these are rather crude affairs by current standards, but they are better than nothing. The narrative flow is lively at times, and if the reader is planning any kind of battlefield tour of England this book certainly should be included in ones baggage. My final summation would be this is a dated classic, which is still worthwhile, and good to see in print again.