Review by Choice Review
The fifth volume (of a projected six) in historian and biographer Peter Ackroyd's "History of England" set (following Foundation, 2013; Tudors, CH, May'14, 51-5226; Rebellion, CH, May'15, 52-4987; and Revolution CH, Apr'18, 55-2950), Dominion addresses English politics, reform, and the problems of empire from the aftermath of Waterloo to the death of Queen Victoria in 1901. During these decades, England was deep in its so-called second industrial revolution, and technological innovation (e.g., railways) proceeded at such a reckless pace that skeptics everywhere warned of the pending collapse, disgrace, or demise of England and all its historical achievements. The pinnacle of accomplishment was the 1851 Great Exhibition, a brilliant display that attracted six million visitors to its thousands of exhibits and showcased all that progress and English ingenuity could produce. Naysayers warned that the crowds of viewers would surely be baked in the greenhouse-like structure, as they admired the displays of "locomotives, microscopes, air pumps, and cameras" (168). Ackroyd breathes life, color, and wry humor into political clashes and social movements, including the 1832 Great Reform Act, Chartism, the further extension of the franchise, the limitation on working hours for women and children in the factories, and the provision for compulsory education for children to 13 years of age. Summing Up: Essential. All readers. --Ellen J. Jenkins, Arkansas Tech University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
Though small-statured, Queen Victoria nevertheless stood large over Great Britain for nearly the entire nineteenth century. In the fifth volume of his comprehensive, masterfully conceived, and evenly written history of England which reaches from the foundation of the English kingdom to, at this point in his survey, the innovations underscoring the dominion of the seas that characterized the Victorian Era Ackroyd sees that change was in the air and, further, that the groundswell urge for change was focused on political reform. The attitude and actions included the call for fairer election of members to Parliament and extended to the nearly overwhelming issue of Irish independence and vital industrial transformations associated primarily with the advent and development of steam power. With a large cast of historic figures, a chronicling of the coalescence of the middle class and changing labor concerns, the rise of secularism, and the expanse of the British empire, Ackroyd's deep and broad canvas is rich in informative details and will appeal to all readers interested in British history while especially pleasing those fascinated by this era.--Brad Hooper Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
This fast-paced fifth volume of a popular history of England by Ackroyd-a novelist, broadcaster, biographer, and poet-covers 1815-1901, a time dominated by the long reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901), characterized by the growth of the British Empire, and marked by such socioeconomically transformative inventions as the steam engine, railroad, and telegraph. The industrial revolution brought to England both economic dominance and brutal factory life-children as young as nine were allowed to work 12 hours a day in cotton factories, for example. The period also saw three reform acts expanding the franchise for British men to about 60% of the male population. Ackroyd devotes much of his best chapter to the one major English war in Europe during this period, that in Crimea against Russia in the 1850s. He sometimes captures the zeitgeist by quoting literary works, as when he notes that Oscar Wilde's 1891 essay "The Soul of Man Under Socialism" railed against what Wilde called the "stupidity, and hypocrisy, and Philistinism" of fin de siA"cle English life. However, with the exception of a passage on the pioneering geologist and paleontologist Mary Anning, Ackroyd largely ignores the lives and achievements of non-royal English women and how the Irish potato famine of the 1840s affected English life. These omissions aside, this is an informative and lively look at early modern England. (Oct.) c Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The fifth volume in the acclaimed author's history of England.Ackroyd's (Revolution: The History of England from the Battle of the Boyne to the Battle of Waterloo, 2017, etc.) observation that nobody can live in an age outside their own because the smells, sights, and reality would be unendurable will awaken many readers to our similarities and differences. The 19th century saw something new springing up nearly every day. From the days of Wellington and Peel, Corn Laws, Catholic crisis, and bad harvests through Gladstone, Disraeli, and the Industrial Revolution, the only thing that was static was the plight of the poor, who never rose like the strengthening middling class. Likewise, the author cleverly points to the Irish problem as an English problem. They owned the land, ruled, administered, and never went away. The century saw few wars from Waterloo until the 1848 revolutions, which were described by Lewis Namier as a "turning point at which history failed to turn." From that time onward, each great power was at war at one time or another. England had fewer wars but was constantly warding off threats to the empire. Happily avoiding quotidian life, military history, or too much economics, Ackroyd describes the character of the age perfectly. England was banker to the world; God and duty were two of the most important elements of the period; prose was the language of power; and politics were not a question of policy but of personality. "Cant was the moral cloud which covered the nineteenth century," writes the author. "It was part of the age of respectability.Cant encompassed the politician who smiled while remaining a villain; cant was the language of the moral reformer who closes public houses on Sunday.Never has a period been so concerned to give the right impression."Though this installment doesn't quite match the first four in capturing our imaginations, Ackroyd, as always, is well worth the read. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
