This is a superb reference book on eighteenth century Britain. It will be noted that the dates covered are from 1688 to 1820, so we are talking about life during the reigns of William and Mary, Queen Anne and what Thackeray described as the Four Georges. In fact its coverage starts in 1685 with the Glorious Revolution, 1685‐1689, and then follow 14 sections, each of which gives instant information on such topics as the monarchy, ministries and office‐holders, parliaments and elections, foreign affairs, military and naval events, law, religion, finance, social and cultural matters, and many other aspects of eighteenth century life in Britain.
The last four of these sections are devoted to biographies, a glossary, a select bibliography, and maps. There is no doubt that the eighteenth century was one of real progress in Britain’s history. It witnessed the creation of the UK, the emergence of our first Prime Minister in the person of Sir Robert Walpole, British colonial expansion, a doubling of the population, a gradual growth in religious tolerance, the appearance of the works of Defoe, Swift, Pope, Dr Johnson, Fielding, Richardson, Sterne, Smollett and Fanny Burney, the voyages of Captain Cook, and many other developments. A few random examples culled from its pages will give some idea of the scope of this well‐planned and well‐produced reference book. There is, for instance, a chronology of the principal treaties between 1689 and 1820; statistics are provided of poor relief during those years; parliamentary constituencies, their populations and number of electors are quoted; biographies are provided of noted figures from Robert Adam through David Garrick and Horatio Nelson to artist John Zoffany; there is a glossary; and maps are provided of London in 1714, the English, Scottish and Irish counties, and the east coast of North America, where so much history was being written and so much development was taking place.
The compilers, Jeremy Gregory, Head of History at the University of Northumbria, and John Stevenson, Fellow of Worcester College, Oxford, are to be congratulated on this all‐embracing compendium on eighteenth century Britain. It should also be noticed that Stevenson is a joint general editor of the Longman Companions to History series, of which 18 volumes are now available.
Space on reference shelves is always limited, but for offering multum in parvo, this book is unbeatable, and should be allotted some space.
