H. J. Jackson— Up to 1860, the career paths of Jane Austen and Mary Brunton were strikingly similar. If Brunton had an advantage in the reviews and reference books, Austen—who after all produced more novels—gradually took the lead in numbers of editions and reprints. Almost exact contemporaries, they both started
Robin Prior— The year 1940 could have been disastrous for Britain and for the West. Any number of events that occurred during that year might have seen Germany victorious over Britain. As Churchill said of another series of crises in another war, “The terrible ‘If’s’ accumulate.” If the government of
Robin Prior— I want to highlight the dangers to Western civilization if Britain had succumbed to Nazi Germany in 1940. But to do this, first I’ll make the point, illustrated over the course of history, that the side that wins the war does not necessarily represent all that is best
This morning The Wall Street Journal ran a very positive review of Joel Mokyr’s “The Enlightened Economy”, a wedding of economics and intellectual history that examines the “Industrial Enlightenment” of 17th century Britain. Reviewer Trevor Butterworth applauds Mokyr’s book for its “densely packed but gratifyingly lucid prose” in explaining Britain’s
Peter Stothard, editor of the Times Literary Supplement, recommends Berkshire from the Pevsner Architectural Guides in his weekly column, “The Best of Brit Lit,” for The Daily Beast. Check out the whole series for more books on architecture throughout the British Isles.
The Fourth may be the most celebrated day in July, but we at the Press are fond of a lesser-known summer celebration, “Don’t Step on a Bee Day,” observed annually on the 10th. While watching your step for wayward insects, you might consider how our multi-legged friends played an essential