04 March 2013

Review: England in the Eighteenth Century by J. H. Plumb

Hardcover, 224 pages
Published 1976 (originally 1950)
Borrowed from the library

Read August 2012
The Pelican History of England: 7. England in the Eighteenth Century
by J. H. Plumb

I read this book for a general overview of the eighteenth century before I launched into my reading for my qualifying exams, which spanned 1780 to 1925. Some specific background knowledge on the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries seemed like it would be worthwhile. This book was maybe not all that I hoped; Plumb seemed to assume a level of general knowledge with the era's politics that I simply did not possess, as the whole book was organized around three principal prime ministers who were referred to as though I was already an expert. So it was okay, but I find that I've already forgotten much of the knowledge it contained. (Maybe I should have taken notes as I read?)

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