Book Description
Unforgettable stories from the England of Chaucer, Shakespeare, and beyond-the rich second volume of great tales by a master of British popular history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

The Second in the Great English History storybooks
The second of three volumes, this narrative continues the history of the British Isles.The tales begin with the story of Geoffrey Chaucer and end with the story of Isaac Newton, spanning the years of 1387 to 1687.This history begins with stories of England and ends with the unification of Scotland, England, Wales and part of Ireland.

Lacey intersperses stories of famous royals with little known people, which makes this a truly unique book.I really like learning stories that explain various parts of the English culture.

I highly recommend this series!

A real treat as an audiobook (a history teacher's review)
Robert Lacey has done something that many writers have failed to do (unfortunately) - he has written history in a fun, accessible, easy to grasp manner. After all, as Lacey points out in his introduction to Volume 1, the "history" and "story" come from the same Latin root word. Essentially, history should be the simple story of how things happened, to the best of the teller's knowledge.

Lacey's power as a storyteller is highlighted here in spades. He narrates his audiobook as well so there is the added bonus of hearing the author add nuance to the reading - essentially reading it the way he meant it to be heard.

The stories are short and entertaining. Only a couple of times in nearly six hours of listening did I find my attention wandering. This is a terrificly fun experience for any history lover. Full of interesting tidbits but not lacking in the larger themes or commentaries.

I am going to look for volume 3 and hopefully he has written or is writing his promised volumes on Scotland and Ireland as well.

Bravo!

I give this one an enthusiastic A+.

volume 2 as fun as volume 1.
i read the first volume of "great tales from english history," and had to immediately dive into the 2nd volume. this book covers the years 1387 to 1689, and is every bit as fun as its predecessor. these books are completely addicting. I just got the 3rd volume and having it here in the house waiting to be read has made life seem worth living a bit longer. buy all 3 of them and read them. you really should.

History in Shorts
Great Tales from English History Volume II, written by Robert Lacey, covers a wide section of history.Starting in the year 1387 with Geoffry Chaucer and the Canterbury Tales, Lacey continues until the year 1687.He includes smaller stories about various topics such as the first children's book.In Great Tales, Lacey also writes about the Plague, the London Fire, beheading, and burning traders.

Great Tales from English History Volume II covers all of the Kings ranging from Richard to James.It includes their multiple wives (especially in King Henry VIII) and children (King Charles II's 14 illegitimate children) who fought over the chance to become the next king or queen.Lacey also writes about the number of wars, both with other countries and the civil war.Religion also plays a big role in the book.

Robert Lacey's Great Tales from English History Volume II isdefinitely a nonfiction history book but he keeps a cheerful story telling prospective.Lacey manages to keep interest by including several smaller sections in between wars and kings.He includes smaller incidents and people to add to a person's understanding of history.Not a history person, I learned plenty about the history, most which is not taught in school.

Accessible history
I first discovered Robert Lacey as an author from his book 'The Year 1000'.Interesting, accessible, easy to follow, with a good balance of detail and breadth (always a tricky task when writing a popular history), that book was one of my favourites around the turn of the second millennium.I discovered this book on the shelves of my local library, and have found it equally worthwhile and fun to read.

This book concentrates on the late Middle Ages to the post-Reformation era in English history - in royal terms, the times of the end of the Plantagenets, the Tudors, the Stuarts, the Interregnum and Glorious Revolution (which a history professor of mine once intoned dramatically, 'was neither glorious nor a revolution').In years, this goes from the late 1300s to the late 1600s.

One of the things that I like a lot about this particular history is that the stories are brief and self-contained while being part of the overall flow of the history of England.They make for good bed-time reading (the longest of the stories is barely seven pages long, in easy print and easy, storytelling language).Many of the characters are already familiar figures even to those who aren't Anglophiles - Joan of Arc, Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth the First, Shakespeare, King James and the English Bible.Then there will be figures that are lesser known but just as interesting - the Roundheads and Cavaliers, Rabbi Manasseh, Titus Oates, the Bloody Assizes.These are tales told in a simplified but memorable manner, and could serve for younger and older readers as a stimulus for further reading and investigation about topics brought up in the text.

There are a few maps, royal lineage charts, and woodcut/line art drawings throughout the text.Lacey includes a bibliography for further reading (this contains a good number of website addresses for making further research very easy).There is also an index, which many popular histories forget, but Lacey is to be highly praised for including one here, making looking up particular names, places and events very easy.

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Book Description

Book Description
Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel and the Apocalypse of St. John is a popular religious work written by Sir Isaac Newton, who was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer and philosopher. Originally published in 1733, this publication is one of two religious tracts by Newton which deal with literal interpretation of the Bible. Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel and the Apocalypse of St. John is highly recommended for those who enjoy the writings of Sir Isaac Newton and also for those who are discovering his works for the first time. ... Read more

Book Description
The Chronology of Ancient Kingdoms Amended is a popular religious work written by Sir Isaac Newton, who was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer and philosopher. Originally published in 1728, this publication is one of two religious tracts by Newton which deal with literal interpretation of the Bible. The Chronology of Ancient Kingdoms Amended is highly recommended for those who enjoy the writings of Sir Isaac Newton and also for those who are discovering his works for the first time. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Hard pressed for praise
I ordered this edition from Hard Press by accident, after looking at the facsimile edition with the yellow cover from Kessinger, which is what comes up when you "search inside". The Hard Press edition transliterates (but does not translate) all the Ancient Greek text included in the original, which is deeply annoying, and in no way helpful to those who couldn't read it in the first place -- since I could, this is a step backward. This edition omits all Newton's marginalia. There is no front or back matter, so the editor is anonymous. The beautiful illustrations of the Temple of Solomon that are so crucial to the original are missing without explanation in the Hard Press edition. Its just not good for scholars, and I am really wondering who its intended audience might be. Certainly, it's not me. ... Read more

Product Description
This book is the revised translations that were done in 1729 by Andrew Mott. Cajori has also added an historical and explanatory appendix. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Quality biography written for young people
In order to be better able to understand and interact with the technical aspects of our modern world, young people need to learn about the scientists whose work made it all possible. Sir Isaac Newton is generally acclaimed as the greatest scientist who ever lived, and this is his biography written at the level of the late middle school student.
While Newton's scientific accomplishments are covered in detail, the authors quite correctly also cover the major events of the time, such as the great plague that swept through England. It is ironic that such a tragic event helped push Newton out to a location where he could do his incredible work without distraction. Newton's battles with his colleagues over priority of discovery are also covered in detail. Scientists are often portrayed as unemotional, yet here you read about some of the petty battles that go on in the profession. Rather than distracting from the story, it makes Newton appear more human.
I found the book to be an excellent biography of Newton and his times. The writing is clear, sequential and it imparts the essence of Newton's discoveries without using mathematical explanations. I strongly recommend that it be included in all middle school libraries. ... Read more

Product Description
This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1855 edition by Thomas Constable and Co., Edinburgh. ... Read more

Book Description
Translated into English by Andrew Motte in 1729, this book is a complete volume of Newton's mathematical principles relating to natural philosophy and his system of the world.Newton, one of the most brilliant scientists and thinkers of all time, presents his theories, formulas and thoughts. Included are chapters relative to the motion of bodies; motion of bodies in resisting mediums; and system of the world in mathematical treatment; a section on axioms or laws of motion, and definitions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

An awe-insipring work, but not a useful source of information
A few years ago I was bored with most of what was available in book stores, and it seemed as though I had read through everything interesting (a few things that were not).My desire to be intellectually wowed lead me to purchase this book, and it served its purpose.Newton's ideas are not that difficult to follow if you take time to think about them, but Newton did not simply have to follow these principles; he had to derive them himself, and within a single lifetime I might add.This work allowed me to appreciate the brilliance of Newton in a similar manner as one appreciates an impresseive work of art, and like many fine works of art, its ability to display the impressive magnitude of its creator's abilities far outshines its ability to teach the observer something new.In a world void of any other books on physics or mathematics I suppose The Principia would be adequate as an educational resource, but in a world where far better textbooks exist, this book no longer retains much pedagogical value.

Poor Quality Rendition of Newton's Masterpiece
I can hardly believe Hawking lent his credibility to this edition. Although his motivation of getting people to read classics is great, this edition barely contains any Hawking commentary, is riddled with errors and omissions, and fell apart after just a couple of months of use. Buy the Green Lion or the big Blue edition instead!

This is a key masterpiece in the history of Science.
I bought this book not for the purpose of learning Classical Mechanics from it, but for the scientific curiosity of learning how the great Isaac Newton presented his revolutionary scientific ideas to the world. Of course, it is difficult to read. This is an old translation of a book written in Latin more than 300 years ago!

This book is a jewel. Just like the original works of Einstein, Maxwell, Heisenberg, Schroedinger and all those giants. The person buying this book should not expect to find a clear didactic textbook when originally it was not written for the layman, but for the expert scientific community of its time. Buy this book, sit back, scan through it, and enjoy a true piece of history.

Difficult.I am not in a position to comment.
I read up to Prop 6 and could not quite carry on. His language is not easy to understand.I hope someone will publish a Dictionary of it. Anyway, his proof of Kepler's 2nd theorem is clever, and he is very rigorousmathematically for his time. ...
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