Old World, New World: Great Britain and America from the Beginning

Hailed by Critics and historical as a landmark work, Old World, New World is the first book to tell the Whole story of the Long and Tumultuous relationship between America and Great Britain. Kathleen Burk, a fourth-generation Californian and a distinguished Professor of history in London, draws on her Unrivaled knowledge of both countries to explore the totality of the relationship, beginning with the first British settlement at Jamestown and Continuing to the Present. Burk tells the Story from both sides, shifting effortlessly from its grandest aspects (war, economics, and statecraft) to its most intimate (religion, culture, and even intercontinental romance). The result is a lively, absorbing, and comprehensive narrative of one the longest and most fascinating international relationships in modern history.

In Old World, New World, recently published to wide acclaim in hardcover, Kathleen Burk sets out to tell the whole story of America and Great Britain for the first time. Burk is a fourth-generation Californian and a distinguished professor of history in London, and in this book she draws on her unrivaled knowledge of both countries to explore the totality of the relationship—the politics, economics, culture, and society—beginning with the first British settlement in the United States, at Jamestown, and continuing through our current alliance in Iraq and Afghanistan. The result is a lively and unprecedented book that is being hailed by critics and historians on both sides of the Atlantic as a landmark work. At once sweeping in scope and meticulous in detail, Old World, New World is a vivid, absorbing, and surprising story of one of the longest and most fascinating international relationships in modern history.

Library Journal

The stories of the United States and Great Britain are inexorably linked beyond the Colonial ties and shared language, a connection and relationship that form the basis of this original book by Burk (history, Univ. Coll. London). While there are numerous books about specific links between the countries (see, for instance, Christopher Hitchens's Blood, Class and Empire: The Enduring Anglo-American Relationship ), Burk's study is vast and complex, assessing the total relationship. She ably addresses the political and diplomatic ties but really shines when discussing the cultural influences between the two countries; a fascinating chapter called "Nineteenth Century Travelers' Tales" explores the writings of British and American voyagers, including Charles Dickens and Mark Twain. The book is well researched-Burk used many archives on both sides of the Atlantic-and, though its heft may be intimidating, it is well written, with a strong narrative that reads like that of a shorter work. Highly recommended for all libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/15/08.]-Mike Miller, Austin P.L., TX