Paperback. Cream cover and black title.

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 Please view the blurb within the photographs. National history is a vital part of national self-definition. Most books on the history of the world try to impose a uniform narrative, written usually from a single writer’s point of view. Histories of Nations is different: it presents 28 essays written by a leading historian as a ‘self-portrait’ of his or her native country, defining the characteristics that embody its sense of nationhood. The countries have been selected to represent every continent and every type of state, large and small, and together they make up two-thirds of the world’s population. They range from mature democracies to religious autocracies and one-party states, from countries with a venerable history to those who only came into being in the 20th century. In order to get to grips with the national and cultural differences that both enliven and endanger our world, we need above all to understand different national viewpoints – to read the always engaging and often passionate accounts given in this remarkable and unusual book. Original and thought provoking, this is a crucial primer for the modern age.

Review: I think this book has a unique idea and it works. The idea is that most history books tend to be written by one person and give a very limited perspective on the place concerned. I would add that in my experience in the UK they tend to be fairly biased towards the past relationship with the UK (so our historic foes have tended to get bad press).

The editor of this book went to historians, (natives) in twenty eight countries (representing two thirds of the world’s population) and persuaded them to write short histories of their country. They were each given the same brief which included commenting on what they were most and least proud of. Most addressed the questions although some put more emphasis on certain questions. Of course each section is short (typically ten pages) but they give a very helpful synopsis and I imagine the interested reader could move on to other sources if they wanted to.

What I really liked about this book was the amount I learned about a variety of different countries. Despite the variety of styles it hangs together well and is very readable. The only thing I would like to see is a set of books covering the rest of the world.

Peter Furtado is the former editor of History Today. He is the author of numerous books, including the Sunday Times bestselling Histories of Nations and Great Cities Through Travellers’ Eyes, both published by Thames & Hudson.