Rethinking the Age of Reform: Britain 1780-1850

Description

Combining the research of recognized young scholars, this book revisits Britain's much-studied "age of reform", before and after the Great Reform Act of 1832. It demonstrates that "reformers" hoped to reform not only parliament, government, the law and the church, but also medicine and the theater, among other entities. While the study focuses primarily on Britain, it also includes essays on Ireland, the Empire and continental Europe. A substantial introduction provides an overview of the period and its historiography.

Arthur Burns is Senior Lecturer in History, King's College London. Joanna Innes is Fellow and Tutor in Modern History, Somerville College, Oxford, and Lecturer in Modern History, University of Oxford.

'The examination of the contested meanings of the language of reform is productive and, as the editors hope, opens up many lines of enquiry for future work ...' Reviews in History '... this is an essential purchase for any library worth the name. It offers a comprehensive guide to current literature on its chosen subject and period, and raises questions and issues that will set an agenda for further research ... the richness of the introduction and the solid scholarship of all the essays will make an enduring contribution to knowledge.' Peter Jupp, Queen's University Belfast, History 'This volume is eclectic in its range of topics and it certainly succeeds in demonstrating the variety in scope and practice of reform and reformers ... The strength of [the book] lies in its opening up of the often contested concept of reform both from the point of view of contemporaries and historians ... this volume will facilitate a broader range of national and regional studies to feed into the ever-widening debate on the 'Age of Reform'.' Cathy Smith, University of Northampton