Gimson's Heroes is a book of fifty biographies of British heroes. Days of Glory is more expansive and includes incidents as well as biographies. However, in at least five instances the subject is exactly the same, namely
King Alfred the Great
Robert Bruce
Sir Walter Raleigh
Elizabeth Fry
Lord Shaftesbury
Also, Harold, Drake and Nelson are featured in both books, DoG having chapters on Hastings, the Armada and Trafalgar.
It is a surprise, now I reflect, that DofG doesn't have something on Florence Nightingale or David Livingstone or General Wolfe but see Days of Adventure, which also has something on Scott (as opposed to Gimson on Shackleton) nd Boadicea/Boudicca.
Where Purton has Metcalf, Gimson has Telford.
One book is for children in the sixties and the other for adults today but they breathe the same spirit, even where the material does not overlap. Both books are specifically designed for readers who want to quickly grasp the essential, narrative facts of British history either for the first time or because they don't quite remember from their school days. I get the impression that Gimson and Purton were cut from the same cloth.
No comments:
Post a Comment