The Story of the Jews

Schama at his best, a labour of love, as full of memorable incident as a Bellow novel and wittier than a Woody Allen movie * The Times *Schama has written a proud and personal story of his people, one that will make a good starting point for those interested in one of history’s most fascinating and tragic tales – Josh Glancy * Sunday Times *Inspiring… Schama tells it with panache, weaving facts and anecdotes into a vivid history * Observer *Unforgettable…a delicious cacophony of conversations and clamorous arguments echoing across history * Daily Telegraph *A spirited, immensely enjoyable and wide-ranging account… [expresses] both the triumphs and the tragedies with irrepressible enthusiasm and his customary eloquence * Financial Times *400 pages of hatred and hope. Terrific – William Leith * Evening Standard *Schama is an entertaining and eloquent guide through the triumphs and tragedies – David Bradbury * Daily Mail *Schama at his best – a labour of love, as full of memorable incident as a Bellow novel and wittier than a Woody Allen movie – Daniel Johnson * The Times *A remarkably authoritative and engaging book * Good Book Guide *Few historians write with the energy of Simon Schama. His second volume on the history of the Jews shows that Schama has lost none of his vigour: the mixture of stories about people, ordinary but more extraordinary, witty asides, Schama family reminiscences, schmaltzy views of Jewish life in past times – all this is there – David Abulafia * Standpoint *

Simon Schama is University Professor of Art History and History at Columbia University. His award-winning books, translated into fifteen languages, include Citizens, Landscape and Memory, Rembrandt’s Eyes, A History of Britain, The Power of Art, Rough Crossings, The American Future, The Face of Britain and The Story of the Jews- Finding the Words (1000 BCE - 1492). His art columns for the New Yorker won the National Magazine Award for criticism and his journalism has appeared regularly in the Guardian and the Financial Times where he is Contributing Editor. He has written and presented forty films for BBC2 on subjects as diverse as Tolstoy, American politics and John Donne.