John W. Derry

Biographies of the 18th-century British politician Charles James Fox are somewhat hard to come by (his rivals William Pitt and Edmund Burke are more popular), so I was very excited to pick up this book at a secondhand bookstore. This biography is primarily focused on Fox's political life, leaving his personal (and sometimes scandalous) aspects to be mostly brushed over. The author does quote extensively from Fox's speeches and writings, giving the reader a sense of Fox's own voice. Overall, this is an interesting biography and I hope I can find more to read about Fox.… (altro)

4954. A Short History of Nineteenth-Century England, by John W. Derry (read 9 Sep 2012) This is an excellent and succinct account of English history from 1793 to 1868. It covers the events of those years with a sure touch, expressing opinions which tend to be somewhat conservative but nevertheless showing those events to be full of interest. It shows the powers in England were very wary of democracy but there was progress to democracy, of course. Highlights are the Reform Bill of 1832 and the bill of 1868. The author speaks well of Liverpool and Peel, less admiringly of Canning and Palmeston… (altro)