History of England, for Schools. By E. Neville Johns. (Isbistor.)
—The nature of this book leads us to suppose that it is intended for National schools, and if so, it should be fairly successful. Its styli) is rather too juvenile to warrant its being placed in the hands of older or better taught scholars ; for each a purpose, it cannot come into competition with Mr. Green's "Short History." But it is a great advance on most former handbooks of the kind. There is a lucid account of that reign of terror to the schoolboys, the Wars of the Roses, and genealogical tables abound. Two or three blots, however, have met our eye. It is hard enough to remember even crucial dates, and few are more crucial than the taking of Constantinople by the Turks. We regret, therefore, to find it here anticipated by two years, and placed in 1451, instead of the familiar 1453. The relations also of the Austrian and Spanish Royal families are not so clear of themselves as to allow of our being misinformed that Ferdinand, King of Spain, was succeeded by his son, Charles V. Each chapter is followed by examination ques- tions. We suppose they may be useful to teachers. We should doubt whether any pupil pat himself through this self-inflicted catechism. One word about the maps. These are more and more becoming attractive to good histories. Their use in illustrating the subdivisions of a country at a particular time is obvious ; but when we have a map of Britain A.D. 449 to 1066, it clearly attempts too much, and leads to its being thought that the political aspect of the island was much the same at the battle of Hatfield (marked here, by the way, at Hatfield, in Hertfordshire, instead of Heathfield, in York- shire), and the battle of Senlao.
Previous page
