History Books Review

By Colin Sanders

What's History Books Review about?

I am a professional scientist, but in my spare time I read history books and I review them. I am mainly working through Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire at the moment, but will slip in a few other titbits from time to time. I normally get a show out every Thursday.

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History Books Review episodes:

10.10.2016
The Holy Roman Empire by Peter Wilson
In this unscripted episode I speculate about why the Holy Roman Empire tends to be written out of European history, and suggest it is time to take it a bit more seriously.
10.03.2016
He Knew He Was Right by Anthony Trollope
In the Victorian world women were subservient to men. It sounds great in thery, but how did it actually work?
09.26.2016
The View From The Foothills by Chris Mullin
A view from inside the Blair government in the years leading up to the war in Iraq.
09.15.2016
The Secret History - Gibbons Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 41 Part 5
The private life of Belisarius is revealed in the Secret History. Or is it?
09.10.2016
SPQR by Mary Beard
Mary Beard sums up the Roman Empire for the general reader.
09.08.2016
HBR The Gothic War Continues - Gibbons Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 41 Part 4
Belisarius is recalled after almost completely defeating the Goths in Italy.
08.23.2016
The Reconquest of Italy Gibbons Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 41 Part 2
Belisarius invades Italy and captures Rome. But the Goths soon regroup and lay siege to him.
03.20.2016
The Reconquest of Africa – Gibbons Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 41 Part 1
Belisarius recaptures Africa from the Vandals in a risky but brilliant campaign.
03.07.2016
The Byzantine Military Revolution
Radical threats led to radical changes to the way the Romans fought.
07.18.2015
The Ministry of Spin by Richard Milton
The basic thesis of the book is that post war governments have used the emergency war powers to issue state funded Propaganda to win support for their political objectives.
07.16.2015
The Suppression of the School Of Athens – Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 40 Part 4
Justinian puts an end to a centuries old ph
07.09.2015
Hagia Sofia - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 40 Part 4
Justinian constructs one of the great buildings of history, the church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. But what did he mean by it?
05.17.2015
Nika Nika - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 40 Part 3
The early reign of Justinian and Theodora was challenged by an outbreak of rioting that nearly led to them fleeing the city. But Theodora was made of sterner stuff.
04.30.2015
Silk - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 40 Part 2
Justinian was responsible for one of the most remarkable bits of economic espionage in history, giving him an edge on his enemies and creating the basis of the lingerie industry at the same time.
04.23.2015
The Rise of Justinian - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 40 Part 1
04.16.2015
The Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of The Roman Empire Chapter 39
Byzantine history starts in earnest with the end of the western Roman Empire, but events in Italy remain important.
04.09.2015
A Hymn To The Enlightenment - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 38 Part 4
The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire is permeated from beginning to end with the atmosphere of the Enlightenment. But at the end of the third volume, he comes out and says directly what he believes in.
04.02.2015
Conquest of Britain - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 38 Part 2
The extent of the continuity of institutions in Roman Gaul during and after the barbarian invasions is something that has been widely debated and will no doubt continue to be debated. But in Britain there is no argument. The Romans...
03.28.2015
Reasons For The Fall Of Rome - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 38 Part 3
Towards the end of volume 3 of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Gibbon speculates about the reasons for its fall. And so do I
03.05.2015
Reign and Conversion of Clovis - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 38 Part 1
The last remnants of Roman authority are swept away by the Visigoths and the Franks, while Clovis the Frankish ruler establishes the basis for the kingdom of France.
02.26.2015
Conversion of the Barbarians - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 37 Part 3
The fall of the empire, perhaps paradoxically led to greater religious uniformity than had ever been achieved before or since. Paganism was eliminated. Heresy was repressed. Before long, the only people left to persecute were the Jews.
02.19.2015
Simeon Styllites - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 37 Part 2
Simeon Styllites was a major celebrity in the fifth century, gathering attention from the public and the court alike. What does Gibbon make of him? I find out in a reading from the book.
02.12.2015
Monks - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 37 Part 1
One of the effects of the growth of Christianity into a mass religion was the development of monasticism. The early monks were rather different to later ones, but even so their fanaticism was evident early on and meets with Gibbon's...
02.05.2015
Extinction of the Western Empire - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 36 Part 3
The collapse of the Western Empire took around 80 years from the invasions at the beginning of the fifth century to the deposition of the last emperor in 476. It was a grim tale of failure and disaster, which got...
01.29.2015
Last Emperors of the West - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 36 Part 2
Even after the sack of Rome by the Vandals, there was still some fight left in the western empire. A series of emperors tried to turn the tide back in favour of the Romans. They largely failed, and are largely...
01.22.2015
The Vandals Sack Rome - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 36 Part 1
Rome had been saved from Attila by luck. Genseric's Vandal kingdom in Africa should have been easy to deal with. In fact, it was the Vandals that did most to destroy the empire in the west.
01.15.2015
Attila Invades and Evacuates Italy - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 35 Part 3
Attila is surrounded and trapped by the Romans, but escapes or rather is allowed to escape. He soon regroups and resumes his persecution of the Western Empire by an invasion of Italy.
01.08.2015
Invasion of Gaul by Attila - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 35 Part 2
The invasion of Gaul by the forces of Attila the Hun is one of the great turning points in history, and although he was repulsed really marks the last major event in the history of the western half of the...
01.01.2015
Attila and Aetius - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 35 Part 1
Faced with the arrogance of Attila, the court at Constantinople found some courage to face down the demands he continued to place on them. But this didn't alter his overwhelming military advantage. They might have found their backbone but still...
12.25.2014
A Visit to Attila - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 34 Part 3
The Romans having failed to beat the Huns on the field, resort to dirty tricks.It didn't work out well for them, but it did give us a superb account of what life was like in the camp of Attila.
12.18.2014
The Huns Invade the Balkans - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 34 Part 2
The Huns swept into the Eastern empire and crushed the Romans, driving them back to their capital.
12.11.2014
Attila the Hun -Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 34 Part 1
The Huns were formidable fighters whose skill and numbers meant they were always a potential threat to the empire. But it took leadership for that threat to manifest itself, and that leadership was provided by the famous Attila.
12.04.2014
Genseric - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 33 Part 2
Genseric was one of the German barbarians who did the most to wreck the Roman Empire. Interestingly, he was very far from having the biggest bunch of barbarians to call on. In many ways his career was one of the...
11.27.2014
Death of Honorius - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 33 Part 1
The death of the hapless Honorius finally allowed some people with genuine talent to reach the top rungs of Roman government. Normally this would have been a good thing, but their internal disputes created even more problems for an empire...
11.20.2014
Theodosius II – Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 32 Part 4
Theodosius II was a hands off emperor leaving the running of the empire to officials and his sister. This was pretty much down to his lack of ability and ambition, but it was also the case that the imperial system...
11.13.2014
St. John Chrysostom – Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 32 Part 3
St John Chrysostom has become an iconic figure in Eastern Christianity, and is very respected in the west as well. His undoubted talents and his perhaps more doubtful sincerity have given his reputation an easy ride, but he had rather...
11.06.2014
Revolt of Gainas – Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 32 Part 2
Germans were good soldiers and many had risen to very high rank in the Roman army. This posed a risk, a big one. The career of Alaric in the west showed just how risky. But Constantinople came close to having...
11.03.2014
100th Episode Question and Answer Session
To mark the 100th Episode I throw the podcast open to questions from listeners.
10.30.2014
Eutropius – Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 32 Part 1
Gibbon is not keen on the Byzantine Empire, although some people have exaggerated how much he disliked it. But it was certainly a very different kind of empire to the one from which it developed. Europe was to draw its...
10.16.2014
The Death of Constantine III – Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 31 Part 6
After the disastrous invasion of Gaul by the barbarians in 405 the Roman Empire hung on in the North largely thanks to the activity of Constantine III. His position was precarious but he survived by quick wits and deft diplomacy....
10.11.2014
Rise and Fall of the Great Powers by Paul Kennedy
Paul Kennedy's Rise and Fall of the Great Powers is a fascinating look under the bonnets at the engines of history since 1500.
10.09.2014
Gaul And Spain Fall To The Barbarians – Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 31 Part 5
Alaric had been joined in his invasion of Italy by his cousin Adolphus. It was he who took over leadership of the Goths. He was not interested in Alaric's African adventure and quickly concluded a peace treaty with the Romans...
10.02.2014
The Death of Alaric – Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 31 Part 4
The death of Alaric prevented him from turning his short term success into something more enduring, but even so he had a remarkable effect on the empire.
09.27.2014
Aerotropolis by John Kasarda and Greg Lindsay
Does the growth of huge airports and their associated infrastructure and hinterland mark a change in the world as profound as that which accompanied the growth of cities?
09.25.2014
The Sack of Rome - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 31 Part 3
The Gothic chieftain Alaric returned to Italy where he undertook three sieges of Rome and his final one led to the sack of the city.
09.18.2014
Manners of the Roman People - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 31 Part 2
The elite Romans of the late empire were a privileged group whose wealth was astonishing. Meanwhile the masses lived off of handouts. None of them knew what was about to hit them.
09.13.2014
Scottish Independence - An Historic Event
Scottish independence is a big deal for me emotionally and for history as a whole. Here are my thoughts on the issue off the top of my head.
09.11.2014
Honorius - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 31 Part 1
Feeble minded Honorius who was most happy feeding his chickens had been under the protection of Stilicho, and was married to his daughter. But he came to hate him and had him killed, just when the empire needed his skills...
09.07.2014
Constantine III - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 30 Part 3
Neglected by the rest of the empire and cut off from it by barbarians, the few remaining troops in Britain select a leader with an impressive name and set about conquering the western empire. By now, there is not much...
12.09.2013
The Germans Invade Gaul - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 30 Part 2
Stilicho holds the Germans back in Italy, but the effort leads to Gaul being depleted of troops. In the winter of 406/407 barbarian tribes pour across the probably frozen Rhine breaching the empire's unmanned defences. The border will never be...

What's History Books Review about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

History Books Review episodes:

The Holy Roman Empire by Peter Wilson

He Knew He Was Right by Anthony Trollope

The View From The Foothills by Chris Mullin

The Secret History - Gibbons Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 41 Part 5

SPQR by Mary Beard

HBR The Gothic War Continues - Gibbons Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 41 Part 4

The Reconquest of Italy Gibbons Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 41 Part 2

The Reconquest of Africa – Gibbons Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 41 Part 1

The Byzantine Military Revolution

The Ministry of Spin by Richard Milton

The Suppression of the School Of Athens – Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 40 Part 4

Hagia Sofia - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 40 Part 4

Nika Nika - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 40 Part 3

Silk - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 40 Part 2

The Rise of Justinian - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 40 Part 1

The Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of The Roman Empire Chapter 39

A Hymn To The Enlightenment - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 38 Part 4

Conquest of Britain - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 38 Part 2

Reasons For The Fall Of Rome - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 38 Part 3

Reign and Conversion of Clovis - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 38 Part 1

Conversion of the Barbarians - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 37 Part 3

Simeon Styllites - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 37 Part 2

Monks - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 37 Part 1

Extinction of the Western Empire - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 36 Part 3

Last Emperors of the West - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 36 Part 2

The Vandals Sack Rome - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 36 Part 1

Attila Invades and Evacuates Italy - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 35 Part 3

Invasion of Gaul by Attila - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 35 Part 2

Attila and Aetius - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 35 Part 1

A Visit to Attila - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 34 Part 3

The Huns Invade the Balkans - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 34 Part 2

Attila the Hun -Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 34 Part 1

Genseric - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 33 Part 2

Death of Honorius - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 33 Part 1

Theodosius II – Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 32 Part 4

St. John Chrysostom – Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 32 Part 3

Revolt of Gainas – Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 32 Part 2

100th Episode Question and Answer Session

Eutropius – Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 32 Part 1

The Death of Constantine III – Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 31 Part 6

Rise and Fall of the Great Powers by Paul Kennedy

Gaul And Spain Fall To The Barbarians – Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 31 Part 5

The Death of Alaric – Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 31 Part 4

Aerotropolis by John Kasarda and Greg Lindsay

The Sack of Rome - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 31 Part 3

Manners of the Roman People - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 31 Part 2

Scottish Independence - An Historic Event

Honorius - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 31 Part 1

Constantine III - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 30 Part 3

The Germans Invade Gaul - Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 30 Part 2