Gibraltar

Critics Review

• The siege that changed the course of British History . . . Well-researched and briskly written . . . worthy of the most melodramatic Hollywood blockbuster

  Sunday Times

• The Adkins . . . have captured the tortured and contested story of this solitary rock with aplomb . . . The Adkins’s page-turning account makes you feel as if you were there amid the smoke, blood and gunpowder

  Catholic Herald

• A definitive new book . . . it recounts in detail the stirring story of the conflict and Lord Heathfield’s key role in ensuring a momentous British victory

  Sussex Express

• The Adkins bring the siege vividly to life, especially the everyday experiences of all those involved in the struggle . . . An epic page-turner

  Julian Stockwin

• Fascinating and timely

  Daily Mail

• Never loses sight of the human story at the heart of an extraordinary international incident

  History Revealed

• Fascinating . . . an enthralling and colourful history told with human stories at its heart

  Family Tree

• Another epic and illuminating look at Britain’s past from Roy and Lesley Adkins, masters of the historical narrative. Ordinary mortals in extraordinary circumstances leap off the pages

  Quarterdeck

• Highly readable . . . With plenty of drama to draw upon and an impressive commitment to research, this is a book to delight the military history enthusiast

  History of War

• A fascinating, well-crafted account of a siege that defined Britishness

  BBC History Magazine

• Well written history, excitingly told. Why not get yourself a copy?

  Gibraltar Chronicle

• The husband-and-wife historian team once again exhibit their talent for enlivening British history . . . Many readers will wonder why this episode hasn’t been made into a movie, with all the heroics of soldiers, civilians, and, especially, families . . . The story is as compelling as it is fantastic – page-turning history of one of the most important eras of Western civilization

  Kirkus Reviews

• This intense account portrays the heroism and sufferings of the defenders while offering interesting vignettes that cover intriguing personalities on both sides. The Adkinses have created an absorbing examination of an important episode in British and European history

  Booklist

• The authors adeptly place this siege narrative within the larger context of the war [American War of Independence] in its later years . . . Roy and Lesley Adkins have given us a gripping, well-written account . . . It is an excellent reminder to American readers, especially, that the spread of hostilities beyond the geographical limits of the thirteen rebellious colonies was a determining factor in their successful fight for independence

  Jon Ault, H-Net Reviews

• A page-turning tale of one of the era’s longest and most significant sieges, described from the perspective of those who lived through it . . . a well organized, fast-paced book

  Publishers Weekly

• This detailed account of possibly one of the greatest events in British maritime history … as important to Britain as was the Siege of Stalingrad to the USSR in World War Two … The authors … give a superb social history dimension to the official military archives … This book is thoroughly recommended

  South West Soundings

• A page turner that vividly recounts the titanic, but little known, behind-the-scenes struggle between England, France and Spain that so dramatically influenced world events during the American Revolution

  History 500

• Gripping, dramatically paced and thoroughly researched history of the dogged defense of Gibraltar

  Washington Times

• Breaks new ground in almost every page … the book is difficult to put down. It reads like a thriller … This is a book which you will read and read again

  Gibraltar Heritage Journal

• The Adkins have written a very popular history of the siege . . . the book is informative, clear, lucid, undemanding, and attractively written. Readers lacking prior knowledge will learn much

  The Historian

• Thoroughly researched and very readable, it draws on military and social history and explains the background to what was endured at every level of society

  Devon Life

• Splendid . . . As a history of the great siege this work stands out as a major contribution in bringing the atmosphere and challenges of late eighteenth-century warfare to the modern reader, and is highly recommended

  Mariner's Mirror