I was interested in reading this book because the subtitle is ‘And Why We Speak English’ and I was fascinated to discover the answer to that question. As well as an interest in language, I also love history and archaeology, so this book ticked lots of boxes for me!
Being from Lincoln, I have always been aware of Roman history and how it has made our city into what it is. We see Newport Arch regularly, for example and drive past the Roman remains in the grounds of the Lincoln Hotel.
The Fall of Roman Britain is quite a short book of around 160 pages, but there is a lot in there! Almost from the first page, I was learning new things. I mean, did you know that there was a land bridge connecting England to the continent until around 8000 years ago? No, me neither. Just think how different our country would be if that still existed.
It is an academic text, well-researched, all sources quoted and an extensive bibliography. It isn’t a book you can read quickly, because there is a lot of information to process. Obviously, different chapters will be of more interest to different readers. For example, I am not particularly interested in reading about boats used to attempt to invade Britain (Chapter One) but am completely fascinated by what can be gleaned from studying bones (Chapter Two) and the Impact of Climate Change (Chapter Six).
I appreciate John Lambshead’s writing style and his little witty asides, which break up the subject matter, which is often quite “heavy” by its nature. The chapters are of a good size – not too long – and the conclusions at the end of each one are a well thought out feature. The sub-headings in each chapter are also handy for looking up a particular topic.
A book I would definitely recommend if you are interested in this subject.
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