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A review by daja57
The Edge of the World: How the North Sea Made Us Who We Are by Michael Pye
4.0
This history purports to tell the story of 'how the North Sea made us who we are' (its subtitle) and there are indeed chapters about the Frisians, the Vikings and the Hansa but other chapters, while continuing to focus on the countries bordering the North Sea, are about the development of literacy and lawyering, fashion and nature, and plague. I suppose that the idea is that the communications enabled by travelling across the North Sea shaped these developments, but I felt that the focus was lost.
Having said this, the book was well-written and, as with all well-written histories, I learned not just about the topics being examined but also more, in delightful asides. I certainly learned how ruthless the Hanseatic merchants were in enforcing protectivism for their own trade: they even blockaded Norway till the population started to starve to bring the King of Noway to heel (Dealers rule)
Having said this, the book was well-written and, as with all well-written histories, I learned not just about the topics being examined but also more, in delightful asides. I certainly learned how ruthless the Hanseatic merchants were in enforcing protectivism for their own trade: they even blockaded Norway till the population started to starve to bring the King of Noway to heel (Dealers rule)