Castlereagh

by JohnBew (Author)

New
Paperback
2014
$20.60

The best political biography of the year' Jonathan Sumption, Spectator
'Wonderful . . . A Life so nearly complete it need never be written again' Ferdinand Mount, Times Literary Supplement
By the author of the Orwell Prize-winning Citizen Clem
Damned in coruscating verse by Shelley and Byron, his coffin hissed at during his funeral, Lord Castlereagh has one of the blackest reputations in British history. But as John Bew shows, this is but a half-drawn portrait. His gripping biography reveals a shy, inarticulate but passionate man; a towering political figure of implacable principles who redrew the map of Europe, fought a duel with a cabinet colleague and would tragically take his own life amid rumours of scandal and madness.

Synopsis

The best political biography of the year' Jonathan Sumption, Spectator
'Wonderful . . . A Life so nearly complete it need never be written again' Ferdinand Mount, Times Literary Supplement
By the author of the Orwell Prize-winning Citizen Clem

Damned in coruscating verse by Shelley and Byron, his coffin hissed at during his funeral, Lord Castlereagh has one of the blackest reputations in British history. But as John Bew shows, this is but a half-drawn portrait. His gripping biography reveals a shy, inarticulate but passionate man; a towering political figure of implacable principles who redrew the map of Europe, fought a duel with a cabinet colleague and would tragically take his own life amid rumours of scandal and madness.

$20.60

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10 in stock

More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 768
Publisher: riverrun
Published: 07 Aug 2014
ISBN 10: 0857388401
ISBN 13: 9780857388407

Media Reviews

John Bew has some heavy lifting to do in this consciously revisionist take. It is a great testament to his skills as a scholar and writer that he manages to do so with such aplomb . . . stellar -- Tristram Hunt * Daily Telegraph *
Wonderful . . . Bew's book is not only unparalleled in its size and sweep; it is also drenched in the Irish dimension, enriched by the author's own Ulster heritage, as well as the sagacity, scholarship and charm that make this a Life so nearly complete that it need never be written again -- Ferdinand Mount * Times Literary Supplement *
In a magisterial political portrait Bew brings Castlereagh and his world sharply back to life, and reassesses one of Britain's great forgotten statesmen -- Dan Jones * Daily Telegraph *
The best political biography of the year -- Jonathan Sumption * Spectator *
In this well-researched and judicious book, John Bew successfully readjusts the picture . . . this excellent biography tells a cautionary tale -- Leslie Mitchell * Literary Review *
This new biography by John Bew is a wonderful book, in its scope, its scholarship and the magisterial sweep of the narrative * Irish Independent *
Vast, well-researched biography . . . as Bew's solid, accomplished book shows, no foreign secretary has worker harder, wielded such influence or inspired such poetic hatreds -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times *
The most brilliant and wise political biography I have read in a long while -- Ferdinand Mount * Wall St Journal *
Bew's achievement is to portray Castlereagh . . . convincingly and without any historical or bibliographical contortion * London Review of Books *
This is an excellent biography which has given us a far more realistic and nuanced view of this much maligned man * Contemporary Review *
A compelling new biography of the Irishman who dominated early 19th century diplomacy -- Hywel Williams * Guardian *
John Bew is the outstanding historian of his generation. His biography of Castlereagh displays a knowledge of character, a grasp of political intrigue and a talent for story-telling any writer would envy. He brings magnificently to life one of the most enigmatic, and influential, statesmen in Britain's history * Michael Gove *
Riveting . . . portrays the glory of perhaps the greatest of Britain's foreign secretaries -- Andrew Roberts * Standpoint *
a magisterial guide to Castlereagh's life that should inform the general understanding of international politics today . . . a masterly account -- Brendan Simms * Foreign Affairs *
A finely etched portrait . . . Bew impressively adds yet new dimensions to the man -- William Hay * Wall St Journal *
Excellent . . . a terrific read * Jack Straw *
In a formidable biography, John Bew has addressed the reputation of Castlereagh, one of the dominant political personalities of Regency Britain -- Keith Simpson * Total Politics *
Monumental -- Mark D'Arcy * BBC Political Books of the Year *
Bew is above all a very fine historian, very thorough and an extremely good writer - he tells a damn good story -- Stephen Pound * BBC Booktalk *
'John Bew has some heavy lifting to do in this consciously revisionist take. It is a great testament to his skills as a scholar and writer that he manages to do so with such aplomb ... stellar' Tristram Hunt. * Tristram Hunt *
'In a magisterial political portrait Bew brings Castlereagh and his world sharply back to life' Daily Telegraph. * Daily Telegraph *
'Wonderful ... A Life so nearly complete that it need never be written again' Ferdinand Mount, Times Literary Supplement. * Times Literary Supplement *

Author Bio

John Bew teaches History and Foreign Policy at the War Studies Department at King's College London. He was the winner of the 2015 Philip Leverhulme Prize for outstanding achievement in Politics and International Studies and previously held the Henry Kissinger Chair in Foreign Policy and International Relations at the Library of Congress in Washington DC. John is a contributing writer at the New Statesman and the author of five books, including the critically-acclaimed Realpolitik: A History and Castlereagh. He was born in Belfast, educated at Cambridge, and lives in Wimbledon, London.