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Of the three volumes, Blenheim is easily the best.

In four opening chapters reminiscent of Macaulay's famous third chapter, Trevelyan surveys the state of England at the opening of the eighteenth century.

His delightful picture of society and institutions is filled with warm detail that brings the period vividly to life.

He tends to underestimate -- or perhaps to view charitably -- the brutality and the violence of the age, so that there is an idyllic quality in these pages which hazes over some of its sharp reality.

Yet as an evocation of time past, there are few such successful portraits in English historical literature.

Once the scene is set, Trevelyan skilfully builds up the tense story until it reaches its climax in the dramatic victory of Marlborough and Eugene of Savoy at Blenheim.

The account of the battle is, next to his descriptions of Garibaldi's campaigns, Trevelyan's outstanding military narrative.

The scene is etched in sharp detail, the military problems brilliantly explained, and the excitement and importance of the battle made evident.

If only for this modest masterpiece of military history, Blenheim is likely to be read and reread long after newer interpretations have perhaps altered our picture of the Marlborough wars.