The Story of Wales

Disgrifiad Cymraeg / Welsh Description

Cyfrol gynhwysfawr, uchelgeisiol, yn nodi'r prif gerrig milltir yn hanes Cymru - gan gynnwys Llywelyn ein Llyw Olaf, y Pla Du, a'r Chwyldro Diwydiannol. Mae'r gyfrol hon yn cyd-fynd â chyfres BBC a gyflwynir gan y newyddiadurwr Huw Edwards.

Disgrifiad Saesneg / English Description

An ambitious one-volume history, to accompany a BBC series presented by Huw Edwards. Revisiting the major turning points in Welsh history - from the fledgling Welsh state under Llywelyn the Last and the ravages of the Black Death, through transformation into an economic power with the Industrial Revolution, this title re-examines many of the myths and misconceptions about Wales.

Dosbarthu

Byddwn yn dosbarthu eitemau sydd mewn stoc o fewn 3 diwrnod gwaith, fel arfer drwy Royal Mail Tracked 48. Ar gyfer archebion o flaen llaw, byddwn yn dosbarthu’r eitem o fewn 3 diwrnod gwaith ar ôl ei derbyn gan ein cyflenwr.

Dispatch

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Adolygiad y Cyhoeddwr / Publisher Review

Though one might justifiably question the need for yet another outline of the whole of Welsh history (there are several already!), the present text has an especial charm and status as it has been published to coincide with the broadcasting of a new, dynamic television series on the course of Welsh history, introduced by eminent broadcaster and newsreader Huw Edwards and broadcast in a prime time slot on BBC1 each week. The structure of the book follows quite closely the themes covered in the television programmes, ranging from the Red Lady of Paviland and the prehistoric period to the recent March 2011 referendum on awarding new law-making powers to the National Assembly for Wales. Both the volume and the television series are also remarkably successful in linking the course of Welsh history to actual relics and historical remains still in existence. The volume throughout shows evidence of wide, thoughtful and up-to-date reading, and is penned in a lively, accessible style certain to appeal to a wide cross-section of readers. It is embellished further by well-chosen, sometimes arresting quotations carefully selected from original or primary source materials, including some literary sources. The section on mediaeval Wales, covering the Welsh princes and Owain Glyndŵr, seems especially accomplished and thoroughly researched. Obviously, it is a singular accomplishment to cover so much ground in so circumscribed a space. The need to do so has, inevitably, led to the inclusion of some misjudgements and odd comments. The Great War, we are told, simply ‘precipitated the departure of David Lloyd George’. To claim that the Plaid Cymru candidates in the general election of 1945 ‘might as well have stayed at home since all eight of them lost their deposits’ is surely a great exaggeration and rather foolish. Gwynfor Evans’s dramatic victory in the July 1966 by-election at Carmarthenshire is attributed solely to his ‘indefatigable campaigning over Tryweryn’ several years earlier. This is certainly well wide of the mark given the complex interplay of inter-related factors which brought about the electoral sensation. But such comments are only to be expected in an outline history of this kind, given the limited amount of space at the disposal of the author. They do not detract from much fine writing and accomplished historical analysis in many places throughout the text. The text is complemented by some attractive, well-chosen photographs (again covering a wide time-span), a timeline of key dates in the history of Wales, helpful footnote references and bibliography, and a detailed index. It is certain to appeal to a large number of different kinds of readers and will serve its purpose well for many, many years.