Synopses & Reviews
How was Great Britain made? And what does it mean to be British? In this prize-winning book, Linda Colley combines imperial, political, social, and cultural history to analyze the evolution of Britishness, evoking its enduring tensions as well as its powerful characteristics. Hailed at its publication as and#147;the most dazzling and comprehensive study of a national identity yet to appearand#8221; (Tom Nairn), Britons is now reissued with a new Preface by the author commenting on the bookand#8217;s genesis and critical reception and on recent political developments.and#147;A sweeping survey, . . . evocatively illustrated and engagingly written.and#8221;and#151;Harriet Ritvo, New York Times Book Review and#147;Dashingly written and firmly unsentimental.and#8221;and#151;Keith Thomas, New York Review of Booksand#147;Extremely learned and penetrating . . . [and] most entertaining.and#8221;and#151;Conor Cruise Oand#8217;Brien, New Republic and#147;Challenging, fascinating, enormously well informed.and#8221;and#151;John Barrell, London Review of Books and#147;[Colley] has a capacity for historical generalizations that puts her into the front rank among her contemporaries.and#8221;and#151;E. P. Thompson, Dissentand#147;Absolutely magnificent.and#8221;and#151;Jeffrey Hart, National Review
Review
and#8220;A sweeping survey, . . . evocatively illustrated and engagingly written.and#8221;and#8212;Harriet Ritvo,
New York Times Book Review Review
and#8220;Dashingly written and firmly unsentimental.and#8221;and#8212;Keith Thomas,
New York Review of BooksReview
"A forceful and eloquent analysis of the 'subject, no citizen' mind-set which bound the English, Scots and Welsh together.andnbsp; Impressive prose, and sharp interpretation of visual material, compelled assent."and#8212;Christopher Harvie,
Times Literary SupplementReview
“A sweeping survey, . . . evocatively illustrated and engagingly written.”Harriet Ritvo,
New York Times Book Review “Dashingly written and firmly unsentimental.”Keith Thomas, New York Review of Books
“Extremely learned and penetrating . . . [and] most entertaining.”Conor Cruise OBrien, New Republic
Review
and#8220;Extremely learned and penetrating . . . [and] most entertaining.and#8221;and#8212;Conor Cruise Oand#8217;Brien,
New RepublicReview
". . . the most dazzling and comprehensive study of a national identity yet to appear in any language. It ranges as widely as its subject demandsand#8212;taking in things often forgotten by conventional political history. . . . It is a model of its kind."and#8212;Tom Nairn, The Scotsman
Synopsis
How was Great Britain made? And what does it mean to be British? In this prize-winning book, Linda Colley combines imperial, political, social, and cultural history to analyze the evolution of Britishness, evoking its enduring tensions as well as its powerful characteristics. Hailed at its publication as the most dazzling and comprehensive study of a national identity yet to appear (Tom Nairn), Britons is now reissued with a new Preface by the author commenting on the book's genesis and critical reception and on recent political developments.A sweeping survey, . . . evocatively illustrated and engagingly written.--Harriet Ritvo, New York Times Book Review Dashingly written and firmly unsentimental.--Keith Thomas, New York Review of BooksExtremely learned and penetrating . . . and most entertaining.--Conor Cruise O'Brien, New Republic Challenging, fascinating, enormously well informed.--John Barrell, London Review of Books Colley has a capacity for historical generalizations that puts her into the front rank among her contemporaries.--E. P. Thompson, DissentAbsolutely magnificent.--Jeffrey Hart, National Review
About the Author
Born in Britain,
Linda Colley has taught and written on history and current events on both sides of the Atlantic. Previously at Cambridge, Yale, and the London School of Economics, she is now Shelby M.C. Davis 1958 Professor of History at Princeton University.