Author:Jerry White
Jerry White's London in the Nineteenth Century is the richest and most absorbing account of the city's greatest century by its leading expert.
London in the nineteenth century was the greatest city mankind had ever seen. Its growth was stupendous. Its wealth was dazzling. Its horrors shocked the world. This was the London of Blake, Thackeray and Mayhew, of Nash, Faraday and Disraeli. Most of all it was the London of Dickens. As William Blake put it, London was 'a Human awful wonder of God'.
In Jerry White's dazzling history we witness the city's unparalleled metamorphosis over the course of the century through the daily lives of its inhabitants. We see how Londoners worked, played, and adapted to the demands of the metropolis during this century of dizzying change. The result is a panorama teeming with life.
A dazzling and dramatic narrative of a century of high-speed change ... A must-have for anyone seriously interested in London’s history
—— Evening StandardMagisterial
—— ObserverMagnificent ... Charged with infectious enthusiasm for its subject, this is an unmissable treat which ought to be top of every Londoner’s reading list
—— Time OutA brilliant account of the bursting, overflowing city, with its glittering wealth and harrowing poverty
—— Financial TimesJerry White is to London as Boswell is to Johnson... London in the Nineteenth Century should sit on your shelf alongside Debrett’s, the Oxford dictionary, and your complete set of Dickens
—— Daily TelegraphWhite brings to his book a diligence and contagious zest that may serve to discourage anyone from ever tackling the subject again
—— Sunday TimesFascinating … irresistible
—— Liza Picard , BBC History MagazineAn assured and authoritative survey that spans ancient Greek times to the present day
—— Tony Barber , Financial TimesPlokhy's careful, engaging history is a series of stories about a spectral nation, one that has appeared and disappeared down the ages... If sense ever prevails, Plokhy's fine book should find its way to Vladimir Putin's desk, if only to show the imperialist that Ukraine itself is far from done, and will not be extinguished
—— Ian Bell , Herald ScotlandReaders can find no better place to turn than Plokhy's book... He navigates the subject with grace and aplomb
—— Foreign AffairsA concise, highly readable history of Ukraine... a lively narrative peopled with a colorful cast of Norse and Mongol marauders, free-booting Cossacks, kings, conquerors and dictators, and conflicted 19th century intellectuals who believed fervently in a Ukrainian cultural identity but were fatally divided as to how that cultural identity could evolve into national entity
—— Washington TimesAn exemplary account of Europe's least-known large country... one of the joys of reading it is that what might seem a dense account of distant events involving unfamiliar places and people is leavened by aphorism and anecdote
—— Wall Street JournalComplex and nuanced, refreshingly revisionist and lucid, this is a compelling and outstanding short history of the blood-soaked land that has so often been the battlefield and breadbasket of Europe
—— Simon Sebag MontefioreThis is present-minded history at its most urgent. Anyone wanting to understand why Russia and the West confront each other over the future of Ukraine will want to read Serhii Plokhy's reasoned, measured yet passionate account of Ukraine's historic role at the gates of Europe
—— Michael IgnatieffFor a comprehensive, engaging, and up-to-date history of Ukraine one could do no better than Serhii Plokhy's aptly titled The Gates of Europe. Plokhy's authoritative study will be of great value to scholars, students, policy-makers, and the informed public alike in making sense of the contemporary Ukrainian imbroglio
—— Norman M. NaimarkThere is a lot to like about this book. Energetic [in] tone... Guy is a lively guide ... Guy is especially good when describing the political machinations of Burghley and Walsingham ... [and] Guy gives us a clean sense of a man [the Earl of Essex] who was brilliant, vain, petulant and self-serving in equal measure
—— History TodayEnthralling... the book is also beautifully illustrated
—— Editor's Choice, The BooksellerGuy is exceptionally good on how various myths took root
—— Craig Brown , Mail on SundayOutstanding. This page-turning book is history, biography, scholarship personified, and a crystal-clear look at Elizabeth in the war years that erases the myths and presents the real woman. Absolutely one of the best biographies of Elizabeth ever
—— Kirkus (starred review)With the remarkable advantage of access to long-buried and misfiled primary sources [...] the aging monarch receives a balanced treatment. [Gives] readers a fuller view of the confident, experienced, and adaptable queen
—— Publishers WeeklyThe dean of living Tudor-era historians
—— Christian Science MonitorMeticulously researched and highly readable revisionist biography. Recommended for lovers of British history and feminist biography
—— Library JournalA fresh, thrilling portrait
—— Stacy Schiff , New York TimesOft portrayed as fierce, this reveals an Elizabeth I who is in fact fallible and insecure
—— New DaySignificant, forensic and myth-busting, John Guy inspires total confidence in a narrative which is at once pacy and rich in detail
—— Anna Whitelock , Times Literary SupplementThe brilliance of Elizabeth: The Forgotten Years lies in the energy of its narrative, as well as in Guy's eye and ear for scene and conversation. To interweave all of this with the life of the queen is a formidable achievement. He has captured the complexity of contemporary politics. ... Most striking is Guy's portrait of Elizabeth
—— Stephen Alford , London Review of BooksThis is a helpful and insightful examination of Luther’s attitudes and relationships… Highly recommended.
—— Martin Wellings , Methodist RecorderRoper portrays a deeply flawed but fascinating human being to rival any of the major personalities of Tudor England.
—— Caroline Sanderson , BooksellerI heartily commend Martin Luther… It is simply the best English-language biography of Luther I’ve read and I’d be amazed if its combination of rigorous scholarship and approachable tone is bettered.
—— Francis Philips , Catholic Herald, Book of the Year[A] superb new biography… A challenging and deeply stimulating study of a major historical figure.
—— Elaine Fulton , History TodayThe work of a brilliant scholar, who had devoted years of research to the project, and it repays careful reading… There are rich treasures in the book, without a bout. Roper has a great gift for narrative… Roper’s exploration of the cultural and social world of the Saxon miners is masterly… Fascinating.
—— Euan Cameron , Church TimesA probing psychological account.
—— Very Rev. Professor Iain Torrence , Herald Scotland