AudioHome.co.uk

 Location:  Home» History » General » An Utterly Impartial History of Britain: (or 2000 Years of Upper Class Idiots in Charge)  
Main Menu
Audio CDs:
- Authors A-Z
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business, Finance & Law
- Children's Books
- Comedy
- Crime, Thrillers & Mystery
- Fiction
- Health, Family & Lifestyle
- History
- Horror
- Languages
- Music
- Poetry & Drama
- Radio Shows
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports, Hobbies & Games
- Travel
 
Audio Cassettes:
- Authors A-Z
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business, Finance & Law
- Children's Books
- Comedy
- Crime, Thrillers & Mystery
- Fiction
- Health, Family & Lifestyle
- History
- Horror
- Languages
- Music
- Poetry & Drama
- Radio Shows
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Society, Politics & Philosophy
- Sports, Hobbies & Games
- Travel
 
Audio Downloads:
- Audio Books Search & Download
- Authors A-Z
- Action & Adventure
- Arts & Entertainment
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business
- Children & Young Adults
- Classics
- Comedy
- Crime & Thrillers
- Education
- Fantasy
- Fiction
- Film Tie-ins
- Health & Personal Development
- History
- Languages
- Newspapers & Magazines
- Non-fiction
- Radio & TV
- Religion & Spirituality
- Science Fiction
- Sport
- Travel & Adventure
Featured Pages
Audio books download
Alan Bennett
Ladies of Letters
Terry Pratchett
The British Book Awards 2006
Harry Potter
Audio book: CDs, cassettes & downloads
 

checked Over 30,000 audio books, radio shows, language courses, etc.
checked On CDs, cassettes and downloads
checked Quick, easy & safe ordering: Just add the item into cart & check out quickly
checked Despatch within 1 - 2 business days
checked Free UK delivery (read more) available

CTRL+D to bookmark this page to your browser. Online bookmark, del.icio.us.

Click on Title or Image for details and user reviews. Follow such "New(7) Used(2) from £9.99" links right below the shopping cart to see a list of offers from various sellers (example).

An Utterly Impartial History of Britain: (or 2000 Years of Upper Class Idiots in Charge)

An Utterly Impartial History of Britain: (or 2000 Years of Upper Class Idiots in Charge)

enlarge enlarge 
Author: John O'farrell
Publisher: Black Swan
Category: Book

List Price: £7.99
Buy New: £4.17
You Save: £3.82 (48%)



New (25) Used (7) from £2.44

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars 46 reviews
Sales Rank: 320

Media: Paperback
Pages: 592
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5 x 1.6

ISBN: 0552773964
EAN: 9780552773966
ASIN: 0552773964

Publication Date: May 5, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW - ***Delivery usually * 2 - 3 * working days - From Aphrohead of SOUTHPORT, Lancs, UK *** . Priority Airmail used Worldwide on International orders. Thanks from all at Aphrohead.

Also Available In:

  • Audio Cassette - An Utterly Impartial History of Britain: (or 2000 Years of Upper Class Idiots in Charge)

Similar Items:

  • A History of Modern Britain
  • I Used to Know That: Stuff You Forgot from School
  • Shakespeare: The World as a Stage (Eminent Lives)
  • QI: Advanced Banter
  • Pies and Prejudice: In Search of the North

Customer Reviews:   Read 41 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars Not very funny   January 5, 2009
Gary B (U.K.)

I almost gave up reading this book after 50 pages because of the appalling attempts at humour. However, I persevered, and it is a good summary of British history, and in the end I enjoyed it. There are about two terrible jokes per page, but eventually you can see them coming and just skip to the end of the paragraph. The author has created a 95% readable account of the period from 55BC to 1945 AD - worth reading.



1 out of 5 stars Suoperficially humorous; insidiously bilious   December 21, 2008
Britwit (Wales)
1 out of 3 found this review helpful

Initially, in the BC era, I found Mr Farrell's writing quite humorous. Then it became tiresome, as the not very subtle comments started to focus on the author's republican leanings. Then it became downright bilious, as he pursued his Socialist dogma. If you are a Socialist, or Guardian reader, you will love it; attacking everyone from Gladstone to Thatcher. However, please note, although he only covers history to 1945, he still manages snipes at Margaret Thatcher - get a life Mr Farrell! If you are anywhere politically right of Lenin, you will be funding the bile of yet another product of a State Grammar School, of which I am one, who has become wealthy through pretending he has a background steeped in deprivation caused by Conservative misdemeanours throughout history. It is such a shame, because the subject held such great potential.


1 out of 5 stars Felt like an eternity   December 15, 2008
h dalgarno (Aberdeen, UK)
Reading this was a long hard slog. Parts were confused and not explained fully. Not much history of the other 4 countries that make up Great Britain. I had the feeling that much of this was just regurgitated notes with added sarcasm.


5 out of 5 stars Original & captivating   December 15, 2008
David Davenport (Cheshire UK)
I picked this book at the airport for absolutely no reason other than the fact I hadn't looked at anything historical since my high school days. I started it briefly while waiting to depart & instantly it struck me as easy to read & quite comical. I managed to completely read this whole book by the time I had returned home off this holiday as all the way through my holiday I was taking time out to dip into this , it was informative in a fun way, the way you should get taught at school ( in my oppinion ) It's now over 6 months since I finished this book & I can still remember so many facts about the British history & am often pushing this book onto my friends to read who also seem to love his dry humour. Buy this book for your kids if they think history is boring as this got me googling key battles trying to read more into things, or just buy this to entertain yourself as I did on a journey.




4 out of 5 stars Great if you can get past the jokes!   December 3, 2008
J. M. Simpson (Edinburgh)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful

I bought this book assuming that it would be a fairly humorous and fluffy take on history. I almost immediately put it down due to the stupid, obvious, dud jokes that litter every page. I had written it off entirely, but dipped back into it about a week later, and was surprised to find myself really enjoying the historical aspects of the book. There is an unwritten format to the whole thing, in which the author presents received history, then gives his own take on the situation, often with some recent evidence, then tosses in some stale gags.

If you can get past the puns the history is quite interesting, but it was the author's opinions and commentaries that kept me going. Time and again new perspectives caught me unawares. I'm certainly no history buff, so it may be old hat to many of you, but reading comparisons of Julius Caesar's ruthless execution of Germanic civilians to twentieth century war crimes or accounts of viking raids to North Africa really got my imagination going. You'll notice neither of these were in Britain - the author's tendency to deviate out into backstory provides a great deal of interesting material. If only he had left out the jokes!


We display the lowest priced offers from a list of new and used items. It is clearly indicated right before the displayed price on whether the displayed item is new or used, i.e. "Buy Used: £8.00" or "Buy New: £8.00".

For more options to buy new (or used) just follow the link that looks like this "New (7) Used (2) from £9.99" right below the shopping cart. The link will not be displayed if there is no other offer.

Free UK delivery available for offers from Amazon.co.uk (terms & conditions) with indication of "Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping" (example). Offers from other sellers are subjected to delivery charge of £2.75 per book. More about free delivery, click here.

Browse by genre

Audio CDs

Languages: Michel Thomas Language Courses, Rapid Language Courses, Courses For Children,

Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, French, Gaelic, Irish & Welsh, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Vietnamese

Biographies & Memoirs

Business, Finance & Law

Children's Books: Book & CD Gift Packs, Children's Modern, Classics, Education, Harry Potter, Language, Music

Authors: Blyton, Enid, Rowling, JK, Wynne Jones, Diana

Comedy: Comedy Classic, Contemporary Comedy, Bill Bryson, Billy Connolly, Blackadder, Dead Ringers, Fast Show, Hancock, Knowing Me, Knowing You, Monty Python, Rumpole of the Bailey, The Goon Show

Crime, Thrillers & Mystery: Child, Lee, Christie, Agatha, Cornwell, Patricia, Francis, Dick, Grisham, John, Rankin, Ian, Smith, Wilbur

Fiction: Literary Classics, Religious, Unabridged, Western

Health, Family & Lifestyle: Personal Growth, Relaxation & Meditation

History: BC-1500, 1501-1700, 1701-Present, This Sceptered Isle

Horror: Herbert, James, King, Stephen, Koontz, Dean

Music

Poetry & Drama

Radio Shows: Dead Ringers, Hancock, The Goon Show

Religion & Spirituality

Romance: Austen, Jane, Binchy, Maeve, Bingham, Charlotte, Collins, Jackie, Cookson, Catherine, Steel, Danielle

Science Fiction & Fantasy: Fantasy, Science Fiction, DiscWorld, Dr Who, Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy, Star Wars, Tolkien

Sports, Hobbies & Games

Travel

Copyright 2006 © audiohome.co.uk, an audio books store

Privacy Notice | Delivery | Customer Service | Buying Guide | Search Audiobooks Quickly

Add Quick Search
Add search functions to your browser's search bar. (IE7 or Firefox)





Add search functions to your Google Toolbar. (any browser)
To remove. Find out more.
My favourite authors:
In CDs:
Adams, Douglas
Bennett, Alan
Bryson, Bill
Christie, Agatha
Covey, Stephen R.
Cornwell, Patricia
Dahl, Roald
Dickens, Charles
Ludlum, Robert
Rowling, JK
Stevenson, Robert Louis
More authors...
 
In cassettes:
Adams, Douglas
Bennett, Alan
Bryson, Bill
Christie, Agatha
Cornwell, Patricia
Dahl, Roald
Dickens, Charles
Ludlum, Robert
Rice, Anne
Stevenson, Robert Louis
More authors...