Gladstone, Volume One: 1809-1865

Gladstone #1

by Richard Shannon

This book is offered on the assumption that a comprehensive new reading of Gladstone is necessary and possible. The quantity of fresh materials made generally accessible since 1968 at St. Deiniol's Library, Hawarden, at the British Library, and in The Gladstone Diaries constitutes something of an invitation in the imperative mood. Such, at least, was my sense when Messrs Hamish Hamilton invited men in 1974 to undertake a biography of Gladstone.

Genres: Biography, History, Politics

580 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

A specialist in 19th century British political history, Richard Thomas Shannon was Professor of Modern History at the University College Swansea, University of Wales. Shannon earned his first degree at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and a PhD at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. He taught modern history at Auckland and then at the University of East Anglia before moving to Swansea.

Reviews

[Armon Fouladi · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book offers a “comprehensive” overview of Gladstone’s life, and it delivers. The author stuffed a serious amount of information into the book. Unfortunately, he fails to weave a narrative or give any points about why anything matters. He expects you to already know what the Corn Law is or what any of the church reforms mentioned mean. This book will probably help some student writing a paper on Gladstone, but it alienates anyone who is curious about him but has no background knowledge.

[Teddy Dodger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Annoyed by the abrupt ending of this volume. To my mind a 2-part biography should, if it's ending early, explain why 1865 is the ending point, as well as summarise the overall argument the author is trying to make about the first half of Gladstone's life

Also a tendency too much to drone dates and events rather than marshalling it to support the author's overall argument, which, even according to scholarly reviews of this book, isn't clear.

Have ordered the second half though so...