University of Edinburgh An Illustrated History Book

As the title suggests, this is volume five of Hume's six-volume The History of England. This edition is based on the 1778 edition and incorporates the author's last corrections before his death in August 1776. Best I can tell, it was originally written around 1758.

I was an English major in college, not a history major. I enjoy learning about history, but I have a short attention span for nonfiction in general, so it was necessary for me to cast about a bit before I found the right strategy for reading this work of historical (and at times philosophical) nonfiction. I didn't read volumes one through four, and I'm not sure if I'll read six. I did enjoy Hume's style, especially once I figured out how to read him, but while I'm tempted to pick up the other five volumes to learn more about England from Hume's perspective, I think I need a nice long break before I do that.

I started out reading this book word-by-word, underlining and taking notes on practically every page. I do not recommend this strategy to the casual reader, or even the modestly invested reader. It was educational but made for very, very slow reading. When I found myself ready to quit, I shifted gears to focus on more of an overview, having faith that, even without the copious note-taking, I would get a general idea of this era of English history.

I think it pretty much worked. Taking this approach, I was able to enjoy Hume's voice more than I had, and I did gain many insights about the founding of the United States, the evolution of religious and civil liberty, and the advent and nature of civil war in general.

I've posted a more detailed review on my blog at Imperfect Happiness.