"Thanks Mr Harris for all your history lectures. They're really good" (Anonymous review)
I have made no secret of the fact that part of the point of this blog has been to publicise my pieces that are for sale on Amazon Kindle. So this post will be nothing else; it is a list of all my Kindle pieces with a few words about each one. I fancy you may learn a fair bit of history if you just read this blog and don't buy anything – but I'll be pleased if you do buy some, of course.
I have made no secret of the fact that part of the point of this blog has been to publicise my pieces that are for sale on Amazon Kindle. So this post will be nothing else; it is a list of all my Kindle pieces with a few words about each one. I fancy you may learn a fair bit of history if you just read this blog and don't buy anything – but I'll be pleased if you do buy some, of course.
When I started, my
target readership was the most ambitious and enthusiastic AS or Higher
(Scotland) pupils. That is to say 16+. They typically follow a course based on
text-books that are ruthlessly exam-focused and incline to the “Worthy but
dull” end of historical writing. A lot of this material – and a lot of the
revision material available – is aimed at candidates who are hoping to pass,
rather than those who plan to get good A grades and then go on to study history
at a higher level. My “A grade history lectures” were intended to plug this
gap.
Older pupils,
studying for A-level or Advanced Higher, ought, as much as possible, to be
using real history books, written for adults. It is by reading the best history
that they learn to write the best history. Besides, the ability to work with
long books is essential training for university. But – and it is a big but –
many history books are far too long for most readers most of the time. It is
said that when George III visited Edward Gibbon he exclaimed: “Scribble,
scribble, scribble Mr Gibbon. Another damn great thick book!” My stuff at least
is short. You can read it on the train to work. There are frequent references
to longer and better books by great historians, for those who have the time to
read them.
I call my pieces
“Lectures” because, in my experience as a listener and as a talker, the lecture
format allows great freedom to challenge, to cross reference, to entertain. I
believe there are readers who find the word “Lecture” a turn off; they have
experienced monotone droning accompanied by photocopied notes or, more
recently, death by power-point. That is not what I do.
When the first set
of Kindle “Lectures” came out I was flattered to find that various friends and
relations who fit into the category of “general readers” viewed them very
favourably. This led me to bear them in mind when I was writing some of the
later pieces. I no longer concentrated on mainstream exam topics. Obviously,
the more people read them the better I am pleased.
Then in 2014 I finished a rather different piece. It's a lot longer (40,000 words) and is about Edinburgh. It has been written as nine walks about the city and will show visitors all sorts of things. It is also good for Edinburgh people who have had to move away; it is a cheerful reminder of home. in fact even if you live in Edinburgh you will learn somethings from it, unless you are a real expert. It is not a work of reference; it doesn't have everything. It deals with the things I like - history and art and with a few references to Henry Cockburn, Robert Fergusson and Walter Scott. being much longer, it costs a bit more than the lectures, but is still much cheaper than any book I have seen on sale.
I often wrote a play for my junior pupils. I am gradually getting them all typed up here. They were supposed to be enjoyable - sometimes very funny - but they always had a deeper historical theme behind the jokes.
Then in 2014 I finished a rather different piece. It's a lot longer (40,000 words) and is about Edinburgh. It has been written as nine walks about the city and will show visitors all sorts of things. It is also good for Edinburgh people who have had to move away; it is a cheerful reminder of home. in fact even if you live in Edinburgh you will learn somethings from it, unless you are a real expert. It is not a work of reference; it doesn't have everything. It deals with the things I like - history and art and with a few references to Henry Cockburn, Robert Fergusson and Walter Scott. being much longer, it costs a bit more than the lectures, but is still much cheaper than any book I have seen on sale.
I often wrote a play for my junior pupils. I am gradually getting them all typed up here. They were supposed to be enjoyable - sometimes very funny - but they always had a deeper historical theme behind the jokes.
Anyhow, here's the
list, roughly in chronological order.
Getting to know Edinburgh
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Getting-Know-Edinburgh-George-Harris-ebook/dp/B00PH9NW0E/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_img_1
In nine walks this book takes you to museums and galleries, up Calton Hill, along the Water of Leith, through the Old Town and the New Town and so on. Packed with history and commentary.
During the Edinburgh Festival 2015 the following tweet turned up: "Am fan of the book; have used on last 3 trips to Edinburgh, always new things to learn about"
The Place-names
of Scotland
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Place-names-Scotland-Introduction-ebook/dp/B0097UGWRY/ref=pd_sim_kinc_15
This lecture makes no
pretensions to scholarship, but it will tell the visitor to Scotland a good
deal about the early history of the country. Towns on the East coast include
Inverness (Gaelic), Aberdeen (Welsh), Pittenwheem (Pictish), Coldingham
(Anglo-Saxon) and Berwick (Norse). Add the Normans to this (the original Robert
de Brus came from Picardy) and you have a fine mix of genes, languages and
cultures.
This is NOT, by the
way a gazetteer of names with definitions. Do not be disappointed to find that
it is not this. Whang any name into a search-engine to discover its meaning and
origin.
The Curse of Donald Bane
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08BQ5RLQT/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=The+Curse+of+Donald+bane&qid=1592995372&sr=8-1
This was written as part of teaching a Primary 7 class about the Middle Ages. It is set in the reign of David I of Scotland. Although it has an exciting little story, of a boy caught up in massive social change, it is also a vehicle for information about the feudal system, Scottish power politics, Magnus Barelegs of Norway, monastic reform, trial by ordeal and the founding of the Royal Burgh of Edinburgh. I suppose the target readership is ages 9-12, but unless you are reasonably familiar with Scottish history it will contain new information for you. David I, son of Saint Margaret, was a very important king of Scotland who ought to be better known.
The Curse of Donald Bane
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08BQ5RLQT/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=The+Curse+of+Donald+bane&qid=1592995372&sr=8-1
This was written as part of teaching a Primary 7 class about the Middle Ages. It is set in the reign of David I of Scotland. Although it has an exciting little story, of a boy caught up in massive social change, it is also a vehicle for information about the feudal system, Scottish power politics, Magnus Barelegs of Norway, monastic reform, trial by ordeal and the founding of the Royal Burgh of Edinburgh. I suppose the target readership is ages 9-12, but unless you are reasonably familiar with Scottish history it will contain new information for you. David I, son of Saint Margaret, was a very important king of Scotland who ought to be better known.
An Introduction
to the Renaissance
I can remember when
I first became aware of the Renaissance. It was in 1960 and we were being shown
round the Chateaux of the Loire by a French guide. I was only ten, but it was a
formative experience. I have been looking at Renaissance paintings, sculpture
and architecture ever since. I've read a fair amount about it too. This lecture
tries to summarise the main points of the artistic revolution of the fifteenth
century. It also – and this was harder – tries to explain the meaning of that
elusive concept “Renaissance humanism”. This is a lecture to take with you on
holiday in Italy.
I do not pretend to
any original insights, but I do think the quotations from primary sources are
particularly interesting. My text is based on numerous holidays in Tuscany,
Umbria, London, Amsterdam, Venice and Rome. I am aware of four authors as
particularly influential: E H Gombrich, Michael Baxandall, Giorgio Vasari and
Desiderius Erasmus.
James IV: Scotland's Renaissance King
http://www.amazon.co.uk/James-IV-Scotlands-Renaissance-ebook/dp/B00EUAEVCO/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_t_2_5R7C
I've had this in mind for a while, but I was reminded of the need to get on and write it by a visit to the site of the Battle of Flodden. The fields below Branxton Edge, where the battle took place on September 9th 1513 have been very well laid out with paths and sign boards, and a visit is highly recommended. However, this lecture is mostly about James' reign before his disastrous last campaign. He was a contemporary of Henry VIII, Louis XII of France, Pope Julius II and Ferdinand of Aragon, amongst others. I would argue that his approach to kingship, and his achievements, mean that he should be listed with them as a Renaissance Prince. He is too little known. These 6,000 words will rapidly show you why he should be remembered, and also recommend further reading so that you can get to know him better.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/James-IV-Scotlands-Renaissance-ebook/dp/B00EUAEVCO/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_t_2_5R7C
I've had this in mind for a while, but I was reminded of the need to get on and write it by a visit to the site of the Battle of Flodden. The fields below Branxton Edge, where the battle took place on September 9th 1513 have been very well laid out with paths and sign boards, and a visit is highly recommended. However, this lecture is mostly about James' reign before his disastrous last campaign. He was a contemporary of Henry VIII, Louis XII of France, Pope Julius II and Ferdinand of Aragon, amongst others. I would argue that his approach to kingship, and his achievements, mean that he should be listed with them as a Renaissance Prince. He is too little known. These 6,000 words will rapidly show you why he should be remembered, and also recommend further reading so that you can get to know him better.
The Protestant
Reformation briefly explained
Those of us who were
brought up going to church, and then spent a whole life singing in church
music, can hardly help being interested in church history. Those of us who have
ever witnessed an Orange March, or a Catholic cathedral in southern Europe,
cannot help but be interested in what makes Christians so diverse. Besides,
those historians who have no church backgrounds must struggle when they
encounter religion as a major factor in all European history. With luck this
lecture will get the main points clear. What did Luther and Calvin stand for? I
also re-tell the story of Henry VIII’s break with Rome. It is all over the TV
these days, so a clear summary can do no harm.
The "Glorious" Whig Revolution 1670-1720, explained by the Vicar of Bray
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Glorious-Whig-Revolution-1670-1720-ebook/dp/B00FI245V0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380624918&sr=8-1&keywords=The+glorious+whig
One of the questions in my English History A-level in 1968 was "What was the significance of 1688?". Whatever my answer was then, that date remains one of enormous significance in British history - as great as 1066. The old satirical song, "The Vicar of Bray" covers the momentous so-called "Glorious Revolution". The vicar tries to keep his parish despite the changes of political and religious orthodoxy as Charles II, James II, William III, Anne and George I took the throne. This lecture goes through the song verse by verse and explains the many issues involved.
Among other things here are explained the Divine Right of Kings, Whigs and Tories, High and Low church, the Hanoverian succession and much else. It was originally written in response to a lament from English Literature tutors that their students knew no Eighteenth Century history, so I hope it will help plug that gap. If you add in my Bonnie Dundee lecture and my Scottish Enlightenment lecture, that's a fair chunk of Eighteenth Century Britain covered. (This Vicar of Bray piece is definitely about England only).
The "Glorious" Whig Revolution 1670-1720, explained by the Vicar of Bray
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Glorious-Whig-Revolution-1670-1720-ebook/dp/B00FI245V0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380624918&sr=8-1&keywords=The+glorious+whig
One of the questions in my English History A-level in 1968 was "What was the significance of 1688?". Whatever my answer was then, that date remains one of enormous significance in British history - as great as 1066. The old satirical song, "The Vicar of Bray" covers the momentous so-called "Glorious Revolution". The vicar tries to keep his parish despite the changes of political and religious orthodoxy as Charles II, James II, William III, Anne and George I took the throne. This lecture goes through the song verse by verse and explains the many issues involved.
Among other things here are explained the Divine Right of Kings, Whigs and Tories, High and Low church, the Hanoverian succession and much else. It was originally written in response to a lament from English Literature tutors that their students knew no Eighteenth Century history, so I hope it will help plug that gap. If you add in my Bonnie Dundee lecture and my Scottish Enlightenment lecture, that's a fair chunk of Eighteenth Century Britain covered. (This Vicar of Bray piece is definitely about England only).
Bonnie Dundee and
the First Jacobite Rebellion
Those of us who were
at primary school in the 1950s learned lots of traditional songs in music
lessons. “Bonnie Dundee” was one of them. Walter Scott based his rousing ditty
on a real set of events and characters. What I do here is take the song verse
by verse and explain the history that lies behind it. The fact that John Graham
of Claverhouse had three nick-names – “Bonnie Dundee”, “Bluidy Clavers” and
“Black John of the Battles” – surely makes it worth reading about him. The song
– and the lecture – deals with one of the more remarkable episodes in
Edinburgh’s colourful history.
The Jacobites
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jacobites-Lectures-Scottish-History-Book-ebook/dp/B01J62A458/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_img_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=WQ3Y1PZ49HS325FMARMB
This movement began as soon as James II and VII was thrown out in 1688. It lasted until his famous grandson, Bonnie Prince Charlie, was defeated at Culloden in 1746. With over fifty years, and five rebellions, it was a challenge to keep this as a short piece. Fortunately there are many excellent long books already, so I end with a select bibliography. I begin with a simple chronological table to help readers get the main facts sorted out. Then there is an essay on why people became Jacobites, and another on Jacobite warfare. The piece I am especially pleased with is set out as a chat in an Edinburgh pub as three friends chat about the risings, and cover a huge amount of history. There is also a suggested Jacobite tour, through the Highlands.
The Jacobite story has attracted so many myths over the years that many people who think they know the history still have a lot to get straight. This short e-book (18,000 words) will help you put the heroes and villains and battles in context.
An Introduction
to the Scottish Enlightenment
This lecture began
life as an evening talk to a bunch of Scottish teachers, few of whom were
historians. So it has, I hope, a general appeal. The Scottish Enlightenment was
phenomenal – and was recognised during the eighteenth century as something
remarkable. How could such a small country, on the fringes of Europe, suddenly
produce a generation of world-changing thinkers, writers and scientists? It is
a massive and complex subject, but this lecture will start to help you get a
grip of it.
Cockburn's Edinburgh
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cockburns-Edinburgh-Plays-History-Teacher-ebook/dp/B018ODW7QY/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_img_6?ie=UTF8&refRID=1ZBRZ0QH2255TPPN1GGE
I discovered Henry Cockburn's wonderful book "Memorials of My Own Time" when I first moved to Edinburgh. I wrote this play so as to make his Edinburgh readily accessible to non-historians. It is packed with scenes of life in the city during the French Revolution and the Regency. These include: a duel; the funding of "The Edinburgh Review"; a dinner party; the Great Fire of Edinburgh; the Edinburgh Fencibles on parade; the case of Burke and Hare; the City Guard. wherever possible I used Cockburn's own words as he chats to his friend Francis Jeffrey. It is as full of history as an egg is of meat and, thanks to Cockburn's style, full of wit and insight.
The Congress of Vienna
During the first
three decades of my career I taught this topic very often, and it seemed to me
that most text books dealt very poorly with it. Too often it was in a book
about the nineteenth century, and so was related to liberalism, nationalism,
Napoleon III, 1848 and so on. Whereas the men who made the settlement had
hardly heard of any of this. They were eighteenth century statesmen, men of the
Enlightenment, who sought to create a rational, stable Europe. They certainly
did not wish (as one often reads) to put the clock back to 1789. Nor did they.
As well as dealing
with the sorts of issues that come up in exams I also try to set this
settlement in the long context of European settlements, from the death of
Charlemagne to 1945.
Slavery and the
Causes of the American Civil War
This piece is based
on two evening class lectures I gave in support of a course on American
literature. I was alarmed to find that the class included a High Court Judge
and two highly educated Americans. They were kind enough to find what I had to
say interesting, so I hope you will too. I think of this as a useful
introduction for people who have little previous knowledge and who will then
(maybe) go on to read more and more for themselves about these vast areas of
study.
The Unification
of Italy
My career began with
a lucky break. I was, aged 23, given the top O-level set. When we reached the
Unification of Italy I was able to say “On this topic your text book is
completely wrong. Italian historiography has moved on since it was written”
(This was in the days when Denis Mack Smith was writing). This went down very
well with this hard-working, ambitious bunch and I achieved a not-wholly
deserved reputation for scholarship.
Most of my pieces
are analytical, but this one follows the narrative and, I hope, makes sense of
it; and gets Garibaldi, Cavour, Victor Emmanuel and co correctly placed within
the story.
One Amazon reviewer
called my assessment of Bismarck “trite”. All I will reply is that my main
sources have been Golo Mann, Fritz Stern and David Blackbourn. (Not to mention
dozens of others over the years). The key to my assessment is in the title: not
“The Unification of Germany” but “The Making of the German Empire”. Bismarck did not want to unify Germany ,
and did not (he left out Austria
altogether). He was a diplomat of genius, but not even he could manipulate all
events. His trick was to pretend that what happened was what he had planned all
along.
This is a long and
dense lecture, but that is the nature of the topic.
The Development
of Democracy in Britain
There is a very
readable book by Robert Rhodes James called “the British Revolution”, dealing
with the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. And it is remarkable
that this revolution took place so peacefully (with due acknowledgement to
serious violence over the issue of Irish independence). This piece is made of
three lectures. Numbers two and three deal with the various developments –
mostly Acts of Parliament – and explain what they signified and why they were
passed. Part one is an analysis of the meaning of “Democracy” that has found
favour with teachers of Citizenship and of Politics.
The Baker Street Irregulars
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Baker-Street-Irregulars-History-Teacher-ebook/dp/B0861MNNL2/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_img_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=2KQDV2VQ945GE988YYC4
When I was writing plays for my pupils I always had in mind a deeper theme. Even though they were supposed to be entertaining I also wanted them to be educational. I wanted to get some thoughts going about poverty, and a Sherlock Holmes story seemed ideal. London 1892. Since many of the original cast were superb singers I set it in a music hall - copying from "Cabaret" the idea of having the plot and the stage show interacting. With bombs, nihilism, a love story and Professor Moriarty it is good fun. But the poor are always with you.
The Baker Street Irregulars
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Baker-Street-Irregulars-History-Teacher-ebook/dp/B0861MNNL2/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_img_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=2KQDV2VQ945GE988YYC4
When I was writing plays for my pupils I always had in mind a deeper theme. Even though they were supposed to be entertaining I also wanted them to be educational. I wanted to get some thoughts going about poverty, and a Sherlock Holmes story seemed ideal. London 1892. Since many of the original cast were superb singers I set it in a music hall - copying from "Cabaret" the idea of having the plot and the stage show interacting. With bombs, nihilism, a love story and Professor Moriarty it is good fun. But the poor are always with you.
Votes for Women!
If I had to pick a
favourite lecture it might be this one. It separates the social and cultural
question of why women got the vote during the early twentieth century from the
political question of why they got it precisely when and why they did. Both
strike me as fascinating. My argument is that the militant suffragettes were
less significant than mythology has made them. Many remarkable women –
Josephine Butler, Elizabeth Garrett, Beatrix Potter among others – take their
place in the analysis.
The Great Liberal
Social Reforms 1906-1914
A century ago a
government began to deal seriously with the problems of poverty and began to
spend tax-payers money as part of the solution. This was a substantial
revolution in government and we live, of course, with the consequences today.
This lecture covers all the reforms, considers why they were passed and also
why they were like they were, with considerations of the pressure of political
realities on the decision-makers.
The Causes and
the Course of the First World War
This got such a
friendly Amazon review from W Goetsch of Pittsburgh
PA
After
reading book after book on the lead up to WWI, always something of a mystery to
me, it is here in this elegant and concise lecture that I became satisfied that
now I had the matter in hand. It focused like a laser on the underlying issues
which otherwise I had not been able to extract for myself from the plethora of
detail that I had read. The British are clearly better with language, and
nuance, than we Americans.
More generally, I now see a place for what might be called a new genre: brief essays not previously available to a general public, and priced appropriately. The trouble with many recent book length offerings today--not all--is that they have a nugget of an interesting take on some interesting subject, but the author feels compelled to flesh them out to book length with additional matter, presumably to construct a salable "book". I rather like the nugget part straight, like a shot of whiskey, quite unencumbered with the chaff. This saves everyone time. Now we can buy what amounts to an article in a magazine, the tune in an album. I think this notion will take off.
I only wish it had included the bibliography to the lecture. That would have been useful to Amazon as well.
More generally, I now see a place for what might be called a new genre: brief essays not previously available to a general public, and priced appropriately. The trouble with many recent book length offerings today--not all--is that they have a nugget of an interesting take on some interesting subject, but the author feels compelled to flesh them out to book length with additional matter, presumably to construct a salable "book". I rather like the nugget part straight, like a shot of whiskey, quite unencumbered with the chaff. This saves everyone time. Now we can buy what amounts to an article in a magazine, the tune in an album. I think this notion will take off.
I only wish it had included the bibliography to the lecture. That would have been useful to Amazon as well.
I did include more “further reading” in later
lectures. As far as the First World War is concerned, I have read so much over
40 years that it would be hard to single out a small number of books that have
influenced my thinking.
Scotland and the Causes of the Causes of the First World War
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Scotland-Causes-Lectures-Scottish-History-ebook/dp/B0137DAR1I/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_img_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=19DBZVM3XY5CGKXSA8FT
For the centenary year, 2014, I was asked to give this talk three times. The listeners were all very interested and knowledgeable adults, so I was on my mettle. I tackled the controversy about the causes of the War that was exercising historians, journalists and politicians by relating it to the changes and developments in my own thinking. For the Scottish dimension I made use of contemporary newspapers. These primary sources were, as always, most revealing and interesting.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Scotland-Causes-Lectures-Scottish-History-ebook/dp/B0137DAR1I/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_img_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=19DBZVM3XY5CGKXSA8FT
For the centenary year, 2014, I was asked to give this talk three times. The listeners were all very interested and knowledgeable adults, so I was on my mettle. I tackled the controversy about the causes of the War that was exercising historians, journalists and politicians by relating it to the changes and developments in my own thinking. For the Scottish dimension I made use of contemporary newspapers. These primary sources were, as always, most revealing and interesting.
Socialism and the
Early Years of the Labour Party
This is another
two-lecture piece. Part One tries to explain Socialism (before 1914), what it
meant and what some of the main varieties were. I like to think it is clear and
accurate though, being brief, it does not go into all the subtleties and
complex arguments of Jaures, Bernstein, Lenin, Macdonald, Beatrice Webb and co.
Part Two tries to explain the paradox of the British Labour Party in its early
years – the way in which it simultaneously did well and yet did not do all that
well.
The Russian Revolution of 1917
Perhaps this should
be called “The Russian Revolutions”, for February and October are distinct.
Here are two lectures, one on why the tsar fell and the other on why the
Bolsheviks triumphed. In the first one I avoid talking about causes in a
general sort of a way, but try to relate them to precisely what happened, so
that it is possible to form a judgement as to which causes were more important.
Lists of causes in general are the enemy of precise historical thinking.
Hitler’s Rise to
Power
Here is how this
one begins:
The question “Why did Hitler come to power in Germany
There are two parts
to my explanation. One is to explain why a good many Germans (never a majority)
voted Nazi in the crucial elections of 1930-1932. The other is to show how,
step by step, the Nazis converted electoral success into absolute power.
The Causes of the
Second World War and Appeasement
Poor Neville
Chamberlain utterly failed to prevent the Second World War. But does that mean
that he and his associates were “Guilty Men” or merely unlucky? The section on
Appeasement is succinct and clear.
The section on the
causes of the Second World War in general emphasises that we are dealing with
six different wars that all got mixed up together. Their causes are best
considered separately or muddle will undoubtedly ensue.
Why did the
Allies Win the Second World War
I reckon I've been
studying the Second World War for longer than any other topic (since 1955 at
least). This is my attempt to make some sense of what happened, in brief. There
are numerous longer and better books available – see any bookshop – but you can
read my piece in less than an hour. It does owe a good deal to Richard Overy’s
“Why the Allies Won”.
The Cold War
I found it strange,
towards the end of my career, to be a primary source in my own lessons. (Did
you sing carols to Hungarian refugees in 1956?). It was most stimulating to be
forced, by exam options, to do some serious reading on the subject. As with all
these lectures, I am pretty sure this would be a good introduction for an
interested adult and good revision for a sixth-former.
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