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Stephen Clarke
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1000 Years of Annoying the French Paperback – January 1, 2011

by Stephen Clarke (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,836 ratings
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2011 Corgi/Black Swan jumbo trade paperback, British import, Stephen Clarke (A Year in the Merde). hings have been just a little awkward between Britain and France ever since the Norman invasion in 1066. Fortunately—after years of humorously chronicling the vast cultural gap between the two countries—author Stephen Clarke is perfectly positioned to investigate the historical origins of their occasionally hostile and perpetually entertaining pas de deux. Clarke sets the record straight, documenting how French braggarts and cheats have stolen credit rightfully due their neighbors across the Channel while blaming their own numerous gaffes and failures on those same innocent Brits for the past thousand years. Deeply researched and written with the same sly wit that made A Year in the Merde a comic hit, this lighthearted trip through the past millennium debunks the notion that the Battle of Hastings was a French victory (William the Conqueror was really a Norman who hated the French) and pooh-poohs French outrage over Britain’s murder of Joan of Arc (it was the French who executed her for wearing trousers). He also takes the air out of overblown Gallic claims, challenging the provenance of everything from champagne to the guillotine to prove that the French would be nowhere without British ingenuity. - Amazon
Previous page
  1. Language
    English
  2. Publisher
    Black Swan
  3. Publication date
    January 1, 2011
  4. Dimensions
    5 x 1.65 x 7.8 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    0552775746
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0552775748
  7. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Black Swan; First Edition (January 1, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0552775746
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0552775748
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.19 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 1.65 x 7.8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,836 ratings

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Stephen Clarke

Stephen Clarke

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
1,836 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

BGH Kindle
5.0 out of 5 stars Light reading for people who like to read serious stuff.
Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2016
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The book has been edited for Kindle and it is a joy to read on Kindle or paper. It is a deceptively easy to read book that hides the depth of authors knowledge and makes you want to re-read a chapter in your favorite "real" history book.

The book is exactly as advertised: a humorous overview of acrimonious thousand years old relationship between English and French speaking regions all over the globe. It will not help you pass your European History 101 but it may lighten an evening or two. As a side benefit, it may help in dealing with someone who takes his/her academic credentials as a historian a little bit too seriously. It is full of interesting facts and events that "real" historian deem to beneath their statute to cover. Sometimes, when too many of those events group together the book subtly questions if "real" historians are dealing with real events or the history as it should have been had people behaved as they "should"

The book covers most pivotal events that shaped the relationships between France and English speaking world. The book comprises short essays covering an episode or a period in the history of two peoples. The language is light, concise, and, as one can judge by the title, would not let French get too full of themselves (every now and then English partisans will be saying, "Ouch!" as well ).

As I said it's a light reading for people who discovered that life really is stranger than fiction -
12 people found this helpful
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Douglas Kelly
4.0 out of 5 stars A laugh out loud history of the English in France by one of England's great humorists.
Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2018
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A brilliant and hilarious history of the English and the French, and the thousand years from the Battle of Hastings to present day. He confirmed my own attitudes from my experience in France. That is, annoying the French is a lot of fun since it's so easy to annoy them.

As an historian, Mr. Clarke is well-educated and quite good at recounting details of the relationship of the English and the French in the droll humor the English are known for. His history is also quite accurate but more, he tells it a series of laugh out loud anecdotes. I enjoyed this book immensely -- partly because of the usually needless foibles of the monarchs and their minions, but mainly because of the wonderful sense of humor about it all that Mr. Clarke provides.

This is a very accurate history of the English in France, expertly written by one of England's great humorists. I highly recommend it to anyone who reads history. and enjoys history, but also enjoys laughing at the French. They really are quite a silly bunch.
6 people found this helpful
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Frank Brown
5.0 out of 5 stars 1000 years of tolerating the French!
Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2024
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Brilliant book, had to buy a new copy as I keep lending it out to interested friends!
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White Rabbit
5.0 out of 5 stars Delightfully Witty & Erudite
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2020
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This is how history (light) should be written! Reminds me of my beloved Thomas Holt (better known as Tom Holt of absurdist comedies like "Who's Afraid of Beowulf?"), in that he writes hilariously for an audience not entirely unfamiliar with the subject matter. Although no prior knowledge of English or French history is necessary, it helps to know the "received" versions of these historical incidents between the ever-warring neighbors to understand how additional, less publicized details, change the tenor of the "story" entirely. Great fun to see how the same dots can be connected in entirely different ways from the French vs English perspective (the latter of course being the "home" team). I enjoyed it tremendously, especially as light reading IN France, where it gave me some background most tour guides (both human & books) often omit.
7 people found this helpful
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Melinda Maidens
3.0 out of 5 stars History, written with tongue somewhat in cheek
Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2017
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Clarke recounts the history of French-English relations over the last 1,000 years as the two peoples battle for who will rule the other and which nation is really the better one. The title suggests a humorous approach, something on the order of "1066 and All That," but the book isn't sure whether it wants to be funny or serious. It's very informative, though, and a good, easy read.
3 people found this helpful
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Alan Gideon
5.0 out of 5 stars History and Fun in One Package
Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2015
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One of the best books I have read in recent history (pardon the pun). Let's face it - currently American history classes do a seriously lightweight job of teaching European history. For purposes of this review, I will refrain from discussing why this is so. This book provides both humor and enough of the detailed intertwining of all the various parties that the reader can understand the flow of history. As an engineer, I get to point out that there are no independent variables in history. Today is the product of all of yesterday's opportunities (and missed opportunities). I will also confess that I tend to share passages from books I am reading with my wife. She finds this annoying, but I cannot help myself. In this case, sharing the more humorous passages with her was probably not the best idea I ever had, given her French ancestry. But - for the record - this history book is the most amusing thing I've read in the past several years.
9 people found this helpful
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Joseph O. Falkinham
4.0 out of 5 stars Concise History of the French
Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2020
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The author has a great deal of fun with analyzing the French through history and their interaction, in particular, with the English. Rather than reading a stuffy, boring book on French history, I can recommend this book. It is a relaxing, mostly funny, read through a good deal of French history. A great deal of information.
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Book Lover
5.0 out of 5 stars Just two kids fighting
Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2022
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This was an enjoyable book to read. my wife says I read too many history books and she may be right. However this history book was very straight forward in telling the story of two countries that at times acted and still act like two kids fighting over who is the better at everything. From start to finish you are given the facts that have put England and France in opposition to each other. How the events of the past still play a hand in the present. I would highly recommend this book to any history buff out there to read, because I now understand the feelings of both sides in this long running feud between these countries.
4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Tory
5.0 out of 5 stars Book was in perfect condition
Reviewed in Canada on October 23, 2023
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Book arrived within expected timeframe and was in perfect condition. Thank you!
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William Wakely
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant book
Reviewed in Spain on December 23, 2023
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Excellent book full of fun facts and extremely funny
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Walleroonie
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, informative and funny...........
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 18, 2023
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Ze French, our natural enemy on the battlefield for hundreds of years, they then become an ally and still manage to have a go and complain about us.

Filled with a lot of facts that I didn't really know about - although a lot of the De Gaulle stuff I did and it turns out, he was not a very likeable man of whom even a number of his own countrymen think the same.

From William the Conqueror right up to almost the modern day, history appears to be littered with things that the French blame us for when they actually had themselves to blame or, there's been a twisting of the truth.

I like France for a lot of things - Johnny Hallyday, Charles Trenet, the Little Sparrow, they've made some fabulous films over the years, tasty food, beautiful countryside and some tasty alcohol - I'm more of a beer person but they're better than us at making wine by a long shot. I lived in Cherbourg for a short time late 80s too and loved it and they do have a cracking national anthem. Also, they've always been hospitable too when I've socialised with them except maybe in Marseille so I can't berate them for much.

I take exception more to their politics and the massive tonne of French fries that they seemingly carry about their shoulders should anyone even suggest that another country has it better than they do - be more like the Germans, the Italians or the Spanish or dare I say it, like us - after all, there's a big proportion of les Anglais that probably originate from France anyway.............
4 people found this helpful
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louga de montelimar
5.0 out of 5 stars Instructif et drôle
Reviewed in France on January 15, 2021
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Très instructif, pas tellement de mauvaise foi, et très plaisant à lire. Les ajouts finaux ne sont pas les plus palpitants (par contre le chapitre à venir sur le brexit vaudra sans doute le détour) mais l'histoire médiévale notamment est très peu enseignée en France, et fort divertissante narrée par cet auteur..
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SANDEEP P AGNIHOTRI
5.0 out of 5 stars Good
Reviewed in India on August 15, 2019
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Good
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