This is a superb book!

The author is honest enough to say that a lot of the information in this tome is not new; it is simply put together in one place for the first time. That may be so, but, to me, a lot was new and, that of which I was already aware, was often explained in simple, but not patronising, terms. I understand the links between the UK and the USA in a much deeper way following this work.

If we are honest, this is a subject which could easily be tedious and partisan. I am British so, all that has gone wrong is the Americans fault. Kathleen Burk has a foot in both camps and is scrupulously fair. Most problems between the countries are down to misunderstandings but she is not afraid to hold a mirror to unpleasant actions on both sides.

The book is 650, odd, pages long but Ms. Burk writes in such an entertaining way that it never drags but this light style does not mean a lack of factual information, from the foundation of the United States, to the War of Independence to the World Wars, to modern times, I learned so much. As ever, what one thinks one knows is never that simple: the Pilgrim Fathers were not the first, or indeed the most influential British travellers to the new land. I now understand America's reluctance to become embroiled in the First World War and can. I believe, see the 'special relationship' from the view point of both sides of the pond. ( )

In Old World, New World the author, Kathleen Burk presents a what reads like an unbiased, candid and unflinching discussion of the relationship between Great Britain and America from it's colonial period to the start of 21st centaury.

Professor Burk has written a book that does a wonderful job covering this large time period its complex relations, examining the US relationship not merely on the basis of diplomatic and military history, but also in terms economics, culture, and social development. Though she covers a lot of material that has been written about in depth, I enjoyed the cursory review of the areas of history I had read before and some new material I that I was introduced too, mainly the British point of view and that of the loyalist that included the often neglected 19th century.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and it belongs on the shelf of anyone interested in history. It has open new areas for me to research and read to expand the complex relation between the U.S.A. and Great Britain. ( )