The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II, Volume 1
Fernand Braudel
Translated from the French by Sian Reynolds
642 pages, including footnotes
published in 1966

It took me the best part of a month to finish The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II, Volume 1, reading or attempting to read during my commute to and from work. This wasn't the easiest book to read, especially not at the end of a busy working day, but it was worth it.

Fernand Braudel was a French historian; one of the greatest 20th century historians in fact. He was one of the French historians who before the war revitalised the science by freeing it from its strait-jacket of pure chronological history, with its dominant focus of politics, diplomacy and war and fusing it with geography and sociology. This wide view approach to history is clearly visibile in this book.

The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II was Braudel's first major work. He started it in 1923, with first publication in 1949. What is astounding is that Braudel basically wrote the first draft of the book from memory while a prisoner of war in germany during World War II!

The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II, Volume 1 is the first of a two part book which attempts to give a complete history of a distinctive era, the second half of the sixteenth century during the reign of the Spanish king Philip II and a distinctive area, the Mediterranean, the meeting point between the great civilisations of Christendom and Islam. Fernand Braudel is not however content with a ordinary, chronological history; instead he wants to give a synthesis of all the threads that make up history, giving as complete as possible a view of his subject.

The way Braudel does this by dividing his hostory into three parts, each dealing with a different timescale as well as a different focus on the area and its history. In the first part, Braudel looks at the geological history and makeup of the Mediterranean area. The second part, which is split up between this and the second volume, looks at the social history of the Mediterranean, the economies and the societies as they existed during the reign of Philip II. The final part, which is located in the second volume, is a more traditional, people and event orientated history. Throughout each part, Braudel refers back and forth to the other two levels of history.

This is an incredible work of history, very rich in meaning and detail. Braudel tells his story not just through broad lines, but by amassing a wealth of detail, either in main text or footnotes to support his narrative, without overwhelming you with them. He, or perhaps his translator, has a nice readable style of writing, being clear and precise, making complex matters as understandable as possible even for me, an interested lay person. One thing that particularly impressed me was Braudel did not hesitate to indicate where exactly this edition, the second edition differs from the original.

This, as well as volume two of The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II is recommended reading not just for anybody interested in this particular era of history, but for anybody interested in history, period.