The Oxford Illustrated History Of Ireland

Cover Type: Hardcover
Book Condition: Very Good
Jacket Condition: Very Good
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publisher Place: New York
Publisher Year: 1992
Edition: Reprint

Description: 382 pages. Book and Jacket are both in Very good condition throughout.

Publishers Description: Few countries in the world have such a compelling, individual, and stirring history as Ireland. This new volume, the latest in the widely acclaimed Oxford Illustrated Histories series, offers the most authoritative account of Irish history yet published for the general reader. Written by anexpert team of scholars--all of whom are native to Ireland--this richly illustrated work takes us from the very earliest prehistoric communities and first Christian settlements, through centuries of turbulent change and creativity, to the present day.Unlike earlier one-volume histories, which have tended toward oversimplification, this book emphasizes the paradoxes and ambiguities of Irish history, presenting a much more realistic picture. Why, for instance, are there such intense variations in agriculture, prosperity, and politicalaffiliation in an island that compasses such a small area And why do Victorian norms prevail in certain areas of 20th-century Irish life In each chapter, the author marks new paths, redefining the preoccupations of the Irish and casting a cold eye on their ruling pieties. Overall unifying themesdo, of course, emerge--and provide the familiar ground of Irish the shifting patterns of settlement and colonization, the recurrent religious strife, the establishment of new political entities.The predominance of language in Irish life has led to the creation of a literature that is, in a way, a record of Irish history. A special feature of this book is a chapter that explores the interaction of Irish history and literature, what some have called "a bloody crossroads." Theconflicts, settlements, discontinuities, and unities of Irish history are illustrated with a broad range of visuals covering the landscape, artefacts, architecture, and an enormous variety of contemporary material. There are over 200 photographs, including 24 full-color plates, and the volume iscompleted with reference material, maps, a chronology, lists of further reading, and a full index.Wide-ranging, challenging, and highly readable, this vivid view of Irish history will instruct and entertain students, scholars, and general readers alike.

ISBN: 9780198229704