Patrick Allitt

Allitt, whom I could listen to even if the series were a thousand lectures long, is a great tour guide to England, Scotland, and Wales. (I can't but help notice that Northern Ireland was left out, so this isn't a tour of the UK....) Each lecture is profusely illustrated, and the countryside looks incredibly inviting and the cities bustling but welcoming. Allitt offers lots of practical advice along the way, such as walking as much as possible and always being prepared for rain. The series covers lots of historic landmarks, but also lots of literary ones, and these lectures are particularly good. There are also lectures on the sporting tradition and the legacy of the British Empire--which Allitt puts a good spin on--no mention of the Opium Wars here. Just tea and an influx of immigrants that has made Britain more diverse and improved its food. These lectures will make you want to visit, and I found the canal system to be very enticing--I can't wait to have my own experience there (see Three Men in a Boat). Highly highly recommended.… (meer)

Very well presented biography of Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria. (This was also a free book from Audible, so even better). Albert is well covered by historians, but I personally wasn't as familiar with 1800s UK history of the monarchy, so I learned a fair bit. Particularly interesting was that there were still issues of monarch vs. parliament even at that date, due to Victoria's preference for certain politicians and parties ("Bedchamber Crisis" of 1839), and how Albert potentially prevented war between the US/Union and Britain during the US Civil War over a naval interdiction (basically, by softening the letter sent to Lincoln after the incident, leaving open the possibility that the US captain had misinterpreted or exceeded Lincoln's orders in violating British sovereignty, rather than directly accusing Lincoln and the US of doing so). Overall, seems like a genuinely great leader, and the Great Courses program presents it well.… (meer)

Overall, this is an excellent, balanced history of the United States. I used it as part of my daughter's home schooling. Up until the lead-in to the Civil War, the course is taught by Allen Guelzo, and this is his best performance in the Great Courses. The material is well organized and he doesn't get too bogged down in religious history as he tends to do. The Civil War years are problematic. Professor Gallagher is nerve-wracking to watch, as he seems to fear getting too far from his lectern. His delivery is also sub-par, although I found I could listen to him much easier if I just didn't watch him. Professor Alitt brings things back up to a high standard for the last part of the course. This is a fairly old course, so there aren't great visuals, just a lot of pictures of the folks being talked about. So it works very well as an audio only course, if you're looking for something educational for a VERY long car trip!… (meer)