Reviews

The Norman Conquest

'Marc Morris’s new book is an exciting arrival... a strong and often gripping story, developed with enormous verve, a clear sense of direction and considerable confidence... carries the reader on a spirited ride across the subject... a stimulating history which has both some new dimensions and internal coherence... an attractive volume which offers a good, detailed introduction to the subject. Morris is committed to teasing out what he thinks the evidence is saying and he writes well.'   BBC History Magazine

‘Grips not only as a work of narrative history but also as a sleuthing exercise... Morris has captured the triumph and tragedy of this tumultuous era with verve, insight and a rollicking narrative.’   Mail on Sunday

'Marc Morris’s lively new book retells the story of the Norman invasion with vim, vigour and narrative urgency... a stirring account of 1066... a firm grip on the thrust and style of a popular history.'   Evening Standard

 

'A lively subject, depicted with dash and colour, brought to bright life with telling detail. Morris gives a compelling account of the invasion by William the Conqueror in 1066 and the violent struggle thereafter... [He] sorts embroidery from evidence and provides a much-needed, modern account of the Normans in England that respects past events more than present ideologies.'   The Times
 

'As every schoolboy knows, or used to, 1066 is the most important date in English history. But as Marc Morris points out in this enormously enjoyable book, the Norman Conquest was much more violent, complicated and ambiguous then we usually think. Carefully steering the reader through the partisan and often contradictory sources, he paints a vivid picture of the collapse of the sophisticated Anglo-Saxon realm, and shows how William the Conqueror relied on sheer terror to establish his reign.'   Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times


A Great and Terrible King

'A splendid example of the genre. Edward's life is in many ways an ideal subject for such an approach, full of incident and action... An excellent, readable account of his reign'   Literary Review

'A gripping account of a fascinating (albeit violent) English king. Edward I, best known for ordering William Wallace's execution, had an action-packed reign that's vividly brought to life.'   Independent

'A highly readable account of an important reign'   Scotsman

'A direct, forthright and welcoming book... Edward I was called a "great and terrible king" and he has been well served by Marc Morris'   Scotland on Sunday

'Uncommonly good ... He was a remarkable man, and a great king. Marc Morris does him justice, brings him clearly before our eyes ... It's compelling stuff'   Daily Telegraph

'The title of Marc Morris' book is apt. No king of England had a greater impact on the peoples of Britain than Edward I... he has succeeded in writing a book for today'   TLS


Castle (series)

‘More effective as an educational resource than anything done by Schama or Starkey... Much learning is lightly worn here.’ Times Educational Supplement

‘Morris’s socio-architectural take on the past is a treat.’   Guardian

‘Marc Morris is a most engaging fellow who is utterly at home in front of the camera... his use of English is plain and unselfconscious. Certain history programmes take one back to the days of the classroom and an overwhelming urge to snooze. Not this one.’   Daily Mail

‘There’s no doubt that Channel 4 has made a real find here. Morris’s style strikes a winning balance between unashamed dissemination of facts and unforced chattiness. Put simply, we learn a lot.’   Daily Telegraph

‘Intelligently researched and matily presented’   The Observer

‘Castle has turned out to be a splendid thing, an outpost of excellence in C4’s schedules.’   Glasgow Herald

‘Sadly, the last in an excellent series. Like all natural performers, the historian Marc Morris makes it look easy: he knows instinctively how to tell a good story and strikes a fine balance between the colloquial and the erudite, the wry and the informative. In a medium dominated by exaggerated personalities spluttering with emphasis, here is a man who is mercifully relaxed.’   The Times

‘One programme I simply have to rave about before it ends is Castle, with its exquisite photography, lush score and marvellous presenter Marc Morris... Why do I like him? Because he manages to be infectiously enthusiastic and supremely personable without ever straying into annoyingness.’   The Spectator

The Bigod Earls of Norfolk

'Admirably thorough and full of new things... a most useful addition to studies of the thirteenth-century English aristocracy'   English Historical Review

'A careful and well-crafted treatment of the meteoric rise and fall of one of England's great baronial families of the thirteenth century'   Speculum

This book is... the product of extremely thorough and painstaking research and makes an illuminating and very important contribution to our understanding of thirteenth-century politics and government.   Reviews in History