History in Our Time

Allen D. Boyer

. . .[D]isplays its author's range as a historian and his skills as a working critic. —The New York Times Book Review

Peter Preston

. . . an erudite, vicious, brilliantly instructive bedside book. -- The Observer (U.K)

Publishers Weekly

Cannadine intends this to be a "festive and high-spirited book," and while it may not live up to those particular adjectives, it remains an entertaining read for those interested in the history of Britain over the past 100 years. The 30 essays collected here all began as book reviews written for various periodicals (chiefly the London Review of Books, the New York Review of Books and the New Republic) in the years 1988 through 1997. Taking the book in question as a starting point, Cannadine puts the subject in a larger historical context, from finding parallels between Margaret Thatcher and Florence Nightingale to explaining Britain's rising divorce rate. In the first third of the book, "Royals in Toils," Cannadine (The Decline and Fall of the British Aristocracy) makes a convincing case that although the monarchy may be evolving, in many ways it has remained "remarkably consistent and unchanging" for the past 200 years. For the most part, Cannadine provides enough context to make this book accessible to the general reader, though it's debatable whether many will be as interested in English M.P. Robert Boothby or historian A.J.P. Taylor as in, say, Nightingale, Churchill or Oswald Mosley. Reading these essays in succession, the reader will pick up not only on a certain amount of factual repetition but on a sameness of structure. These essays are better savored "in moderation," as the author himself suggests, in order to appreciate his insights and wit. (Nov.)

Library Journal

"Contemporary history is a notoriously difficult genre to get right or do well," notes Cannadine (history, London Univ.; The Decline and Fall of the British Aristocracy, LJ 12/90) in this engrossing collection of essays on 19th- and 20th-century Britain. Cannadine writes with insight on such subjects as Victorian morality, working-class politics, Florence Nightingale, and the fate of the monarchy. Readers will be particularly interested in his long essay on Diana, Princess of Wales, written shortly after her death in August 1997. "Who can doubt," he writes, "that the events of this week have marked the beginning of the myth of Diana as saint and martyr...we shall always remember the day she died and the day she was buried." Cannadine's 1989 assessment of Margaret Thatcher's political future has not proved nearly as prescient, but on the whole his observations on contemporary history display exceptionally sound judgment. Recommended for larger libraries.--Kent Worcester, Marymount Manhattan Coll., New York

Allen D. Boyer

. . .[D]isplays its author's range as a historian and his skills as a working critic. -- The New York Times Book Review

Kirkus Reviews

Short, occasional pieces that are best ingested in small bites. Cannadine, professor of history and director of the Institute of Historical Research at London University, is one of the foremost historians of modern Britain. His Decline and Fall of the British Monarchy and Aspects of Aristocracy prove him to be a sharp analyst of those anachronistic institutions. Because of his chosen subject matter, his work often has overtones of twilight and nostalgia with just a shadow of decadence (in the British sense) thrown in for good measure. This collection of short pieces is no different, except that it focuses on personalities rather than institutions. It is, in the words of the author, an "unavoidably and unapologetically festive and high-spirited book." The essays, all composed over the last decade, were originally for such publications as The London Review of Books, the New York Review of Books, the New Republic, The New Yorker, and the Times Literary Supplement. They are loosely grouped into three sections, "Royals in Toils," "Hindsight's Insights," and "Persons and Personalities." Their greatest strength lies in Cannadine's insistence that even the most current events (e.g., the death of Princess Diana) must be seen through the prism of history. Far more insightful than the usual essay, yet mercifully brief, they are history lessons with a light touch. From the monarchy to suicide to intellectuals and class, the British sense of style, decorum (or lack thereof), and form constantly remind the reader why the British consider themselves aloof from the "Continent." American readers will be interested in Cannadine's pairing of Thatcher-Majorwith Bush-Clinton, but will perhaps be left a bit adrift on the discussions of the historian A.J.P. Taylor or Lord Beaverbrook. Some attempt at tying these many threads together would have been helpful, and the title is just slightly pretentious, sounding like an echo of Winston Churchill. Entertaining and enlightening.