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The Magnificent Century

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The Magnificent Century

By: Thomas B. Costain
Narrated by: David Case
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About this listen

 The Magnificent Century, the second volume of Costain's A History of the Plantagenets, covers Henry III's long and turbulent reign, from 1216 to 1272.
During his lifetime Henry was frequently unpopular, unreliable and inconsistent. Yet his reign saw spectacular advancement in the arts, sciences and theology, as well as in government. Despite all, it was truly a magnificent century.
"Combines a love of the subject with factual history. . .a great story." (San Francisco Chronicle)©1993 Thomas Costain; (P)2008 Random House Audio Europe Great Britain Horror Medieval Politics & Activism Royalty
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This is an enjoyable survey of the reigns of Henry II and the three Edwards. It is somewhat dated both in content (written very much by someone who grew up in the days of the British Empire) and in style (quite a lot of imaginative semi-dramatisation of historic events and scenes, to give them colour and interest) but it addresses the main events and many of the characters and helps bring the people to life. The descriptions of battles (although not at all overdone) are especially clear and vivid. The narrator reads with the clipped, slightly supercilious voice that I associate with the 1950's and 60's, but the pacing and expression are good and his voice is pleasant. This is by no means the last word on the period, but it's a very accessible way to get oriented.

A good first view of the period

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