EUROPE: A HISTORY
A not-quite-comprehensive, but impressive history of a continent
Author Norman Davies Publisher The Folio Society Price £150 Released Out now
When Norman Davies took on the daunting task of writing a comprehensive history of Europe in the late 1980s he likely couldn’t foresee just how important his particular contribution to that well-trodden plain was going to be. Commissioned as the USSR was falling and finished as it had finally collapse and the European Union was being ratified, Europe: A History was a rare title that looked to bridge the gap between Western and Eastern European history.
The books cover topics from the earliest prehistory of Europe all the way through to 1991 and the fall of the Iron Curtain. Along the way we get chapters devoted to the Greeks, Romans and the Middle Ages in volume one alone. As must be expected from such a collection, each subject must be given only the broadest of considerations, but given the length of there books there is much that is included.
Of particular note structurally is what Davies calls his “snapshots” and “capsules” that break up the connected narrative with more in-depth looks at particular events of interest. The snapshots act as mini essays on topics that Davies finds particularly interesting about the chapter that precedes them, while the capsules offer a quick insight into a core concept. The book is peppered with them, helping to both break up the text and shine a spotlight on a subject or idea that might otherwise have been glossed over.
Davies’ writing is highly accessible and not without flourishes of humour and enthusiasm, making this rather daunting box set quite an easy read. The prose is nowhere near as imposing as the rugged Folio binding might suggest.
While spread over three volumes, Europe is also a uniquely personal journey through history. Despite its length, it’s nowhere near comprehensive enough to be used as a reliable reference book, but it’s packed with intriguing insights and connective threads that paint a picture of history through the author’s eye. As Davies himself writes in his original preface: “It is the view of one pair of eyes, filtered by one brain, and translated by one pen.”
Even so, the book was not without its controversies upon its original release back in 1996 and it received some degree of criticism from other historians upon its debut (while also not holding back criticising others, it should be added). Lines of connection, which according to its author were intended only to instigate conversation, were interpreted by others as diminishing or suggesting equivalency between events. In the case of the bombing of Dresden and the Holocaust, this was particularly concerning. However, we’re inclined to take the author at his word.
Ultimately, this is another gorgeous piece of printing from The Folio Society, featuring wonderful images and infographics for the reader to enjoy, plus a brand new preface and timeline that fills in the gap between 1991 and 2019, including topics such as Brexit and the rise of popularism. This is a robust and intriguing look at Europe as a historic, connected region.