The History of England from the Accession of James II — Volume 1 eBook Thomas Babington Macaulay
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The History of England from the Accession of James II — Volume 1 eBook Thomas Babington Macaulay
I've been meaning to read this book for decades. It is out of favor with the politically correct because it doesn't have enough about gays, transgenders, Marxism and patriarchy, but it was written in 1848, so why would it? Unlike most histories written then, it is not just about battles and diplomacy. Macaulay makes a point of discussing art, culture, trade and other subjects that weren't considered to be worthy of a serious historian. The chief pleasure of the work is the writing style, which has seldom been equalled in English. Some Amazon reviewers say that the language is antique and difficult, but I don't think it is. Here's a sample, so you can judge for yourself. Macaulay is discussing Oliver Cromwell--"While he lived his power stood firm, an object of mingled aversion, admiration, and dread to his subjects. Few indeed loved his government; but those who hated it most hated it less than they feared it. Had it been a worse government, it might perhaps have been overthrown in spite of all its strength. Had it been a weaker government, it would certainly have been overthrown in spite of all its merits. But it had moderation enough to abstain from those oppressions which drive men mad; and it had a force and energy which none but men driven mad by oppression would venture to encounter."
That requires that you pay attention, but it is not needlessly complicated. The prose style fits the intricacy of Macaulay's ideas, unlike Gibbon, for example, who always used twice the number of words needed to express even the simplest thought.
The ebook conversion is better than average. I've noticed about one typo every ten pages. And the price is right.
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The History of England from the Accession of James II — Volume 1 eBook Thomas Babington Macaulay Reviews
Want to know how where and how the United States was conceived 88 years before its birth read this detailed account of the Glorious Revolution of 1688, which sparkles with wit and conviction in spite of the author's formal 19th century style. The book reads like Time Magazine before it was dumbed down. It is actually fun to read. If you are kindling it, you can highlight the names of 17th century people and Wiki or google them right from the text.
Macaulay was a lawyer and practicing politician who was on the winning side of the anti slavery faction in parliament, and the reform bill of 1832, which brought the UK close to revolution. (Towns were actually arming themselves.) Experience as one of the junior leaders in the hurly burly of a major constitutional change helped Macaulay to explain the politics of charles, James and William's reigns. And it helped him explain why the test act, which kept Catholics from holding civil or military offices was necessary in the 17th century, and why James was no friend of religious liberty in spite of his wanting to repeal the test act and the strictures against non-conforming sects. (Any denomination except the Church of England.
And more importantly, he was also able to explain why England did not go from medieval parliamentary monarchy to royal despotism as did many European governments. Reading his account, you can figure out why the American Revolution didn't produce coup punctuated oligarchy as did many new world governments..
I gave it five stars in spite of the many typos and the fact that you can't access your highlightings or go to and from the table of contents.
As of mid-2011, this is by far the best Macaulay available on . It's a fine text with next to no typographical errors and complete notes. The notes in the back are not linked, but they can be reached by a number search, and the numbers are given in the main text very clearly. Most of the notes are just references; the few that are discussions can be read in a lump, meaning the reader doesn't have to go back to the notes except at long intervals.
The five-volume format is a little fussy, but it reproduces the way the books originally came out. Meanwhile the competitors are clumsier because of their greater length, and cost a couple bucks instead of nothing. This five-volume version lacks detailed chapter summaries, but those hardly seem necessary (they were added by the etext creators, not Macaulay), especially when the books can be searched.
Macaulay sets up well on because he names so many names. Even in his own time, reviewers sometimes objected to how many named characters he had, but the search capacity tames this difficulty down.
The book itself is magnificent, and there is no better copy even in print nowadays. The Penguin version, for example, is abridged.
All in all, the perfect buy.
OK, history isn't written this way any more and contemporary historians don't read him any more. And, OK, he was lambasted as the proponent of Whig History. Progressive (always progressing) liberal enlightenment Absurdly Anglo Centric.... OK.
But, he was a literary genius. He was also a brilliant and masterful story teller. There are caveats. First if you haven't already studied the period he covers, this is not an introduction. Not should it be accepted as a valid synopsis of the period. Only as a very singular and brilliantly evocative depiction of a particular and compelling perspective. Also, like Gibbon, who was equally, and maybe even more so an absolute master of prose narrative, it can take some initial effort to get with the flow of his writing style. His thoughts and the narrative drive are effortless and pellucid. But the style is from another age and a distinct discipline. No longer taught in modern schools. I believe Churchill thought him a great model of writing concision and clarity.
These caveats aside. Reading him is a joy and a pleasure and deeply instructive. We live, self consciously, in a supposedly "post modern" post deconstructivist age. It is not a bad idea to use our history to appreciate what was of true worth and value in past ages. The now and the then can offer insights, each into the other. So that, maybe, after all, there might be some progress...
There are some garbled sentences or passage due to transcription errors. Just a few.
I've been meaning to read this book for decades. It is out of favor with the politically correct because it doesn't have enough about gays, transgenders, Marxism and patriarchy, but it was written in 1848, so why would it? Unlike most histories written then, it is not just about battles and diplomacy. Macaulay makes a point of discussing art, culture, trade and other subjects that weren't considered to be worthy of a serious historian. The chief pleasure of the work is the writing style, which has seldom been equalled in English. Some reviewers say that the language is antique and difficult, but I don't think it is. Here's a sample, so you can judge for yourself. Macaulay is discussing Oliver Cromwell--
"While he lived his power stood firm, an object of mingled aversion, admiration, and dread to his subjects. Few indeed loved his government; but those who hated it most hated it less than they feared it. Had it been a worse government, it might perhaps have been overthrown in spite of all its strength. Had it been a weaker government, it would certainly have been overthrown in spite of all its merits. But it had moderation enough to abstain from those oppressions which drive men mad; and it had a force and energy which none but men driven mad by oppression would venture to encounter."
That requires that you pay attention, but it is not needlessly complicated. The prose style fits the intricacy of Macaulay's ideas, unlike Gibbon, for example, who always used twice the number of words needed to express even the simplest thought.
The ebook conversion is better than average. I've noticed about one typo every ten pages. And the price is right.
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