[.ca] The Amateur Historians' Guide to Medieval and Tudor ... (ISBN 1892123738)

great as a travel guide:
If you are interested in travel sites in England, than this is the book for you. Not meant as a serious treatise on English history, it is a look at sites south of London and what is worth seeing and what you should skip. These two ladies obviously are having a great deal of fun with their writing, and when you pair this with their earlier book on Medieval and Tudor London, you have a fun, light-hearted look at one of the best places to tour on vacation - merry ol' England!

Nothing But the Highest Praise:
With all due respect to "pink-slipped-arizonian," as far as I'm concerned this guidebook (and the one that preceeded it by the same authors) is a marvelous work -- witty, yes, but I hardly see that as a drawback! I spent quite a bit of time teaching high school history, and believe me, if you can find a high school student who knows 1/3 of what this book imparts, then it is one who has a real fascination with history and has made it a deliberate area of study. This guidebook is intelligent, full of useful practical information, replete with accurate basic knowledge of British history and stuffed with intriguing details and fascinating trivia. I have been studying Tudor history for over 20 years, and this book delves into some of the more obscure bits from that and many other eras. I reviewed this book and its predecessor for Renaissance Magazine (see the upcoming August issue) and stand behind every word I wrote in those reviews. These two books are excellent, and I give them an unalloyed five stars, the highest possible recommendation.

Excellent book!:
I love the style of this book, as well as the first--the anecdotes and wit keep even a non-history-buff like me interested! We're planning a family trip to London later this year, and we're having great fun picking the sites to see and learning all the fun and interesting facts we didn't cover in history class, as well as brushing up on those we did.

Amateur is the keyword here:
Anyone who has graduated from high school will know as much, if not more, about English history as these two authors. If you are a serious student - skip this book. The authors' "witty" asides become tiresome after the first three and they litter the book. You will know more about them than you will about SE England, much less history, after a quick browse. (This is not a book you can actually read.) A real disappointment!

A Day Trip Believer:
What I want in a travel guide is what I want in a good traveling companion: one that is passionate and persuasive about the journey, but not pedantic. I want one that is mindful of the economies of time (history) and distances (geography) and what can be comfortably accomplished in traversing both. Moreover, I want a guide with good cheer and that knows just the right way to pick up the pace and energy at any given moment with a touch of wit and memorable wisdom. Kettler & Trimble deliver all this...again. Their first volume of Medieval & Tudor London firmly established their credentials and "Days Trips South of London" proves they are no one-hit wonders. Even if you prefer solitary travel, I cannot imagine a more fitting duo to accompany you. Their real charm lies in that rare balance of being highly organized and efficient, yet deceptively spontaneous in spirit. What a way to go...and come back.