This prolific English historian is a preeminent scholar of 18th-century British politics and international relations. His extensive body of work, comprising over one hundred books, offers profound insights into historical processes and their consequences. The author's approach is meticulously analytical, enabling readers to fully grasp the complexities of the era's events. His writings serve as an essential resource for anyone interested in this pivotal period of British history.
The book explores the evolution of a unique British monarchy between 1714 and 1830, highlighting how it adapted and thrived amid significant challenges faced by European monarchs. It delves into the complexities of various British kings during this period, illustrating how their reigns contributed to the development of a distinct form of governance that contrasted sharply with the crises affecting their continental counterparts. The narrative provides insights into the interplay of politics, society, and monarchy in shaping modern Britain.
In the second volume of The Weight of Words Series, Jeremy Black continues his efforts to present and preserve Britain's literary genius. Its intelligence and enduring influence is in large part reliant on the underlining conservatism that has motivated authors such as Agatha Christie (Black's earlier subject) and Henry Fielding alike. Fielding's epic comic novel, Tom Jones, is unforgettable for many reasons, but the author must be credited with an aptitude for documenting contemporary cultural history and his contribution to a new species of writing. Black's treatment of Fielding draws to the fore a man who was of his time but not confined to it. "Philosophy in practice encompassed his stance as a man of action as well as a reflective writer of genius." Fielding is shown to provide across the breadth of his work extensive and invaluable commentary on issues as diverse as law and order, marriage, women, and the interplay of urban and rural life. Black, an historian, is here a student of storytelling and recovers Fielding's rich descriptions of the human heart and call to defy the vices with which circumstances might taunt it. Black has done a service along many fronts at once: the science of the novel and genre, the history of a people and the figure of a memorable writer.
Focusing on Daniel Defoe, Jeremy Black explores the late 1600s in Britain, revealing how Defoe's works reflect the nation's struggles and identity. Black portrays Defoe as an outsider and a traveler, whose diverse interests and engagement with various social classes prefigure later literary figures. The narrative emphasizes Defoe's dual role as an observer and storyteller, blending historical reality with imaginative storytelling. Through this lens, Black offers a nuanced understanding of British nationalism and the moral complexities of Defoe's time.
Historian Jeremy Black is comprehensive, as ever, but in his treatment of the British Gothic novel his greatest service is the preservation of the detail--namely, the human impetus behind art that is often undervalued. Gothic novelists were purposeful, thoughtful, and engaged questions and feelings that ultimately shaped a century of culture. Black notes that the Gothic novel is also very much about "morality and deploying history accordingly." The true interest of the Gothic novel is more remarkable than it is grisly: the featured darkness and macabre are not meant to usurp heroism and purity, but will fall hard under the over-ruling hand of Providence and certainty of retribution. Black's understanding of the Gothic writer is a remarkable contribution to the legacy of British literature and the novel at large. Once again, in Black thoroughness meets fidelity and the reader is overcome with his own insights into the period on the merit of Black's efforts. In The Weight of Words Series, Black is devoted to the preservation of the memory of British literary genius, and in so doing he is carving out a niche for himself. As in the Gothic novel where landscapes give quarter to influences that seem to interact with the human fates that freely wander in, reading Black is an experience of suddenly finding oneself in possession of an education, and his allure takes a cue from the horrific Gothic tempt.
Focusing on the global evolution of railways, this volume explores their origins in north-west England and follows their development to modern intercontinental networks. As part of the acclaimed British Library '100 Maps' series, it offers a comprehensive historical perspective, highlighting significant milestones and advancements in railway technology and infrastructure across different regions.
Exploring the evolution of English culture since the eighteenth century, the book examines its reflection of the political and social conditions of the era. Jeremy Black provides a critical analysis that intertwines cultural developments with historical context, offering an original perspective on English history. Through this lens, readers gain insight into how cultural shifts mirror the broader societal changes throughout time.
Focusing on the pivotal ideas presented by Halford Mackinder in 1904, the book explores the shifting geopolitical landscape that emerged from his theories. With Britain facing challenges from rising powers like America, Germany, and Russia, Mackinder identified Eastern Europe's "heartland" as crucial for global dominance. Historian Jeremy Black draws parallels to today's conflicts, such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine and tensions in the Taiwan Strait, urging a reevaluation of geopolitics from Mackinder's time to the current era and beyond.
A global account of histories of war, from Antiquity to the present day, this thoughtful book shows how the varied modes of representation record political, cultural and social developments as well as military events. Covers all forms of discussion and commemoration from statuary to scholarship, films to novels. Important not only to those interested in the history of war but also to those concerned with culture and history in general. This erudite volume on the theory and practice of military history will interest a wide readership including both professional historians of war and those concerned with its broader philosophical dimension. The author - a well established authority in European history - has provided an informed, rigorous analysis of a difficult topic. It will delight those who seek enlightenment of the historian's craft, military or otherwise.
