J. E. Lloyd and the Creation of Welsh History

"In this remarkable book Huw Pryce does for Welsh autobiography what Sir John Lloyd did for Welsh history--establishes it as a subdiscipline of distinction. Lloyd's work is set against earlier Welsh historiography in a manner that could only be achieved by a medievalist as well as being firmly and subtly placed in the context of Victorian intellectual history. This is an unusual, if not unique, combination of skills, and along with its elegant style they make it a landmark in Welsh historical writing. Historiography is a burgeoning field and this fine book cultivates a place for Wales within it. It will undoubtedly become a classic."--Neil Evans, Cardiff University All nations need an awareness of their history. This is even more true of what Marx called the 'unhistoric' nations, like the Slovaks or Slovenes (not to mention the Bretons), and it certainly applies to Wales. Huw Pryce's fascinating and powerfully-researched study of J.E. Lloyd, the great medieval historian, is therefore especially welcome since, before Lloyd's two volumes on the history of Wales from the earliest times down to the conquest by Edward I in 1283 appeared in 1911, the written history of Wales in any serious sense cannot be said to have existed. Professor Lord Kenneth Morgan -Cercles