THE BEAUTY OF writing (and, indeed, reading) a history of this country from Roman times to the present day is that one sees what a seamless garment time is. The right way to regard historical events is in relation to the continuum: for it is impossible to evaluate anything in isolation, or to understand properly how it came about. There are no gaps: one event leads on to another. To cover 2,000 years of what used to be called Our Island Story in fewer than 800 pages is a tall order; and to her credit Rebecca Fraser does it with thoroughness and diligence. And yet, this is a peculiarly reactionary book, and perhaps more superficial than it needed to be, even given the confines of the single volume.

I do not mean, by 'reactionary', to imply any criticism. This is history written abou t kings and queens - the book is divided up into reigns - and, when they cease to be the centre of the nation's affairs, about the politicians tha t replaced them. As a res