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  • A Brief History of British Kings and Queens

  • Brief Histories
  • By: Mike Ashley
  • Narrated by: Roger Davis
  • Length: 14 hrs and 41 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (164 ratings)
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A Brief History of British Kings and Queens cover art

A Brief History of British Kings and Queens

By: Mike Ashley
Narrated by: Roger Davis
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Summary

Here is the whole of recorded British royal history, from the legendary King Alfred the Great onwards, including the monarchies of England, Scotland, Wales and the United Kingdom for over a thousand years. Fascinating portraits are expertly woven into a history of division and eventual union of the British Isles - even royals we think most familiar are revealed in a new and sometimes surprising light.

This edition includes biographies of the royals of recorded British history, plus an overview of the semi-legendary figures of pre-history and the Dark Ages - an easliy understandable overview for history buffs.

Mike Ashley is the author and editor of over sixty books including Mammoth Book of Locked Room Mysteries, The Mammoth Book of Roman Whodunnits, The Mammoth Book of Historical Whodunnits and unabridged audio of The Brief History of King Arthur.

©2013 Mike Ashley (P)2013 Audible Ltd

Critic reviews

"Everything its title promises. The pages are filled with ... everything anyone might ever want to know about the royals." ( Publishers Weekly)
"Highly recommended." ( Choice)

What listeners say about A Brief History of British Kings and Queens

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Jam packed full.

A very quick whizz through British history. To mangle a phrase from the great Churchill " Never has so much been squeezed into so smaller space". The narration was well paced and the text its self was well written and, to myself, well researched.. A book that I'll definitely read again.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Easy to digest

Where does A Brief History of British Kings and Queens rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Very well when compared to other historic books. Intentionally not too detailed for those wanting a more general history of the monarchy.

If you’ve listened to books by Mike Ashley before, how does this one compare?

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Any additional comments?

A nice easy listen for those wanting a general view of the British monarchy

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Very informative

It's a book of facts and dates so it was never going to get 5 stars. There is quite a lot of repetition if you listen from start to finish due to the overlap of monarchs. But that's not all bad as it's a lot of information to take in. A very concise but detailed history that will tell you all you really need to know.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Exactly what I was looking for

Really enjoyed listening to this. So much so that I decided to buy a hard copy version that I can more easily dip into. There is enough information on each character to be interesting. I say character because it is not just about those who reigned but also about those who could or should have reigned but didn't for various reasons. This is a great introduction to the history of the British Isles through the monarchy, and I was very pleased that it really does cover all of Britain, particularly Scotland and also, though not in as much detail, Wales. Despite the fact that I am British I learned a great deal more than I ever learned at school from this book and will be looking for more books on the periods that particularly interested me.
My only criticism is that there were no pauses between chapters by the narrator which made it feel like a bit of a race.

Definitely recommend.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

great kings & queen listen

if you are into your history, this is a great listen. just enough detail to keep you interested.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

History made interesting

Enjoyed the organised potted historys of each king and queen and the context of each successor.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book for anyone interested in our Monarchy

Great book with a host of interesting stories that add to the overall history of our monarchy with personal and unique content previously unknown.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A perfect listen

Just the right amount of detail for each monarch. A perfect listen. Recommended listen

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

apt time to brush up

learned more here than I ever did in school. very consise and informative too

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A Canter thru the Centuries

Well constructed series of cameos that gave a flavour of the history of the British monarchy. I enjoyed the book. Some of the early stories left me confused and underlined the limitations of audiobooks. It is not easy to turn back the pages and establish a sense of understanding.

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