Revolution: The History of England Volume IV by Peter Ackroyd (PDF)

Description

Revolution, the fourth volume of Peter Ackroyd’s enthralling History of England begins in 1688 with a revolution and ends in 1815 with a famous victory. In it, Ackroyd takes readers from William of Orange’s accession following the Glorious Revolution to the Regency, when the flamboyant Prince of Wales ruled in the stead of his mad father, George III, and England was – again – at war with France, a war that would end with the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo.Late Stuart and Georgian England marked the creation of the great pillars of the English state. The Bank of England was founded, as was the stock exchange, the Church of England was fully established as the guardian of the spiritual life of the nation and parliament became the sovereign body of the nation with responsibilities and duties far beyond those of the monarch. It was a revolutionary era in English letters, too, a time in which newspapers first flourished and the English novel was born. It was an era in which coffee houses and playhouses boomed, gin flowed freely and in which shops, as we know them today, began to proliferate in our towns and villages. But it was also a time of extraordinary and unprecedented technological innovation, which saw England utterly and irrevocably transformed from a country of blue skies and farmland to one of soot and steel and coal.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐“Revolution,” Peter Ackroyd’s fourth book of five in his splendid history of England, brings the reader from the end of the 17th century into the all important 18th century finishing in the Age of Napoleon. As much as the annoying monarchy traditionally defines the periods of English history, Ackroyd’s skill as a historian and his adroitness as a writer and an independent thinker, focuses on the loss of the American colonies, the advent of the mercantile age, the roots of the Industrial Revolution and the reaction of England to the French Revolution and the overriding significance of “precedent and continuity in the life of the nation, a contract between the dead, the living and those yet to be born.” The book ends with Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo and England as “the great moral leader in the struggle for freedom and against tyranny.”

⭐He came from across the sea; speaking Dutch and imbued with the Protestant religion supported by the Whigs. His name was William of Orange. He came to defeat James II’s son the Old Pretender whose victory would have restored the Roman Catholic religion to Albion. Thus begins the fourth volume of Peter Ackroyd’s new multivolume history of Great Britain. The prolific and learned author knows how to write! In these stirring pages we meet authors such as Jonathan Swift, William Congreve, Daniel Defoe and the inimitable Dr. Samuel Johnson of Dictionary renown!We see the many advancements in new machinery and the development of Britain as an urban nation the first to embrace the Industrial Revolution. Parliament grows and Anne and three Hanover kings all named George rule the realm. England, Scotland and Wales are united to become the United Kingdom in 1707. Coffee houses become popular and the island nation grows strong through wars against Napoleonic France. I have read all the Peter Ackroyd history of England books finding them fascinating and fun to read. I recommend them highly for general readers who want their history taken in entertaining and absorbing prose. Excellent. I await volume five!

⭐Book condition, delivery great.

⭐I devoured the first three books of this series, but this book took a long time for me to read since he approached the material topically rather than chronologically. That made a world of difference because we leaped back and forth in time like a jumping bean. I don’t think I’ll buy the last two books of the series. It’s really confusing and not enlightening to me, approaching history this way, and it was a chore to read.

⭐The book itself is nicely rich in detail about the history of the monarchy. This particular volume shows just how messed up the Tudor family was. Oy!That being said, I’m really enjoying Ackroyd’s work. On to Volume III now.

⭐nothing dislike. I will read the book.

⭐Ackroyd is a great writer. The history is entertainingly presented. I appreciate it very much because it has been hard for me to find materials on 18th century England.The proofreading is horrible. The book describes John Adams as writing a letter to “Thomas Edison” when I am pretty sure it meant “Thomas Jefferson.”

⭐Extensively researched and exceptionally well written, volume iv, like it’s predecessors, provides a complete view of 17th century England to include political, military, cultural, and social history. Perfectly sets the stage for the next volume in the series.

⭐Revolution, the fourth volume of Peter Ackroyd’s History of England covers the period 1688 to 1815. From William of Orange’s accession following the Glorious Revolution to the flamboyant Prince of Wales who ruled in place of his mad father, George III and the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo.I was amazed how much actually happened during this period, the start of the Industrial Revolution, the American war of Independence, the French Revolution. Then there was the emergence of newspapers, ‘the first daily newspaper, the Daily Courant, was issued on Wednesday 11 March 1702.’ Samuel Johnson published his dictionary and the Encyclopaedia Brittanica was also published for the first time. There was also a rise of the theatre and music as a form of pleasure.Peter Ackroyd’s easy story telling style and social analysis makes this as accessible to the casual reader as it does to the historian. He brings alive the dawn of the industrial age and squaller of the streets of London and it’s provincial towns, you can almost smell the smog, vomit and urine! From the Gin craze and the problems that caused to ‘the dark satanic mills’. Ackroyd enhances this with quotes from people like Johnathan Swift, Daniel Defoe, Henry Fielding and Tobias Smollet, the 18th century became ‘the age of the novelist.’It reads like a novel and is never dry or boring. It is an entertaining and informative read.

⭐The late Stuart and Georgian Periods were interesting times in England’s history and Peter Ackroyd has made the most of this to produce a very entertaining book. He avoids over-focusing on the kings and their courts and clearly explains the events that impacted the wider society. His explanations of the following particularly stand out:1) The changes to the nation’s institutions, such as constitutional monarchy, the importance of Parliament and the increasing rule of law.2) The interaction between society and English literature.3) American Independence, the French Revolution and their impact on British politics and philosophy.As ever, Peter Ackroyd has produced a very informative and enjoyable book that will interest both students of history and the layman.

⭐Peter Ackroyd is a remarkable author. He brings history to life and writes with insight about people, events and social history across all walks of life. Rather than give account of facts, he draws the reader in to the scene. I often felt as if I were walking through the stinking dirty streets, feeling the squalor, or that I was within the royal court, eavesdropping on conversation and witnessing the opulence.I’ve read and enjoyed every book in this series and learned a great deal along the way. His writing is lively and at times, this reads like a gripping page turning novel. An informed gistorian but what I enjoy most is the social commentary on the times. Brilliant book all round.

⭐I’m really enjoying Ackroyd’s A History of England series. It’s approachable and covers much of what was going on in the times the books cover, unlike other popular history books which seem to cover very specific events and leave you ignorant of what else what going on at the time.This book was particularly informative on the Hanoverians and impact of the American revolution. And you don’t need to have read the other books to read this one.

⭐This is a great read! It provides a detailed history of the monarchy and government of the time, together with the literary, artistic, and theatrical scenes of the time. Enjoying so much I don’t want to finish it, but can’t wait to start the next volume!

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