‘ . . . riveting . . . a joy to read . . . a fascinating panorama of our turbulent past.’
Anglesey Antiquarian Society Newsletter
‘ . . . riveting . . . a joy to read . . . a fascinating panorama of our turbulent past.’
Anglesey Antiquarian Society Newsletter
‘The author is not only a native of the island but also one of its most prominent historians and he has published widely on Anglesey’s political, educational and social history . . . I am greatly indebted to him for undertaking this vast task with such enthusiasm, dedication and scholarship.’ Catrin Stevens, Series Editor
‘ . . . a concise and very readable history . . . ’ Cambria
‘This very attractive volume is the first in a series, under the general editorship of Catrin Stevens, which will encompass the history of the regions of Wales. In six chapters and under two hundred pages David Pretty gives a full and scholarly account of a fascinating county. ’ www.gwales.com
This volume traces the island's rich history as the last stronghold of the druids, through its strategic significance during the Edwardian conquest in medieval times, Telford's major achievement in building the Menai Suspension Bridge, to the cultural and linguistic challenges of the late twentieth century.
The concept of ‘love of one’s region’ has always had a special resonance for the people of Wales. It has inspired poets, writers and historians through the centuries and it has enriched our appreciation and understanding of the colourful diversity of our local and regional culture and heritage.
The author has an intimate knowledge of the region and has the ability to interpret and communicate that knowledge in a lively and concise style to students, scholars and tourists alike.
‘In some countries - England in particular - the totality of their history is greater than the totality of the histories of their regions, but in Wales it can appear that the reverse is true.’ John Davies, A History of Wales
The Histories of Wales series focuses on the traditional counties, as well as the valleys and cities of Wales. Each book will be a concise and scholarly history of a particular Welsh region suitable for students and academics yet written in an accessible manner so as to appeal to the general reader.
The authors have been selected both for their undoubted scholarship and intimate knowledge of their own particular regions and for their ability to interpret and communicate that knowledge in a lively and concise style to students, scholars and tourists alike. The one encompassing criterion in the selection of authors, however, has been that they fully identify with and love their native or chosen adoptive regions.
Yet each author is also fully aware that no community or bro leads an independent or isolated existence and that regional histories are firmly grounded within the national Welsh experience. Thus, eventually, when the series is complete, each volume will contribute distinctively and uniquely to the composite and fascinating jigsaw which constitutes the history of Wales.