Burke's Peerage and Baronetage [Hardcover]

Charles Mosley (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1999

Since its first publication in 1826, Burke's Peerage and Baronetage has been rightly regarded as the authoritative reference book on the British aristocracy and, consequently, has become an institution in its own right. The 106th Edition of the original Burke's is the first to be produced for more than 25 years. Appreciative of the tradition and reputation of Burke's , editor Charles Mosley and his team of academic experts and senior genealogists have been engaged in the revision for several years - to ensure that this new edition is both accurate and complete. While adhering to its established format in listing the details of 108,000 living people (numerous of whom live in the United States and in the various countries of the British Commonwealth), the 106th Burke's incorporates some important changes that will make the new edition far easier to use. For the first time it will have a full index (of some 250 pages) for all living persons. A larger typeface with practical use of bold print and a clearer, easy-to-follow layout combine to make it much simpler to read and understand. In addition, valuable new information is included: preliminary essays on the histories of major families and titles; articles on the principal houses and family seats; a thorough revision of all coats of arms (which have been computer enhanced for greater clarity); and details on the correct forms of address for all living individuals. The 106th Edition of Burke's Peerage and Baronetage , with more than 3,400 pages in two volumes, is the most comprehensive study ever produced of the British aristocracy and its ancestry; it now confirms its position as the indispensable source of reference on the subject.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Charles Mosley and his team have succeeded beyond expectation, and these two substantial volumes are a considerable achievement. And at $395 they are by no means unduly expensive: 3,467 pages of densely presented information, and a huge and very useful index of more than 100,000 living persons mentioned in it, all testify to the scale of the work, which makes this 106th edition seem a bargain.
–Times Literary Supplement

Libraries serving genealogists and family researchers will certainly wish to acquire the 106th edition of Burke's Peerage and Baronetage. Libraries with a strong British history collections will find Burke's continued emphasis on lineage invaluable for tracing connections of consanguinity at play in British history. Recommended for research, college and universities libraries.
–Reference & User Services Quarterly

The new issue of Burke's after nearly a 30-year hiatus can only be greeted with enthusiasm. Genealogists (professional and amateur) and historians will find this edition as important to research as the previous 105 editions spanning nearly two centuries.... The extent of the undertaking is amazing.... Burke's remains an important reference for those who study the complexities of British history. Recommended for all libraries.
–Choice

Product Details

• Hardcover: 3400 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 106th Revised edition edition (May 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579580831
• ISBN-13: 978-1579580834
• Product Dimensions: 13 x 10 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 16.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,437,359 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb encyclopedia of snobbery and eccentricity.Enchanting., July 3, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Dublin, Ireland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Burke's Peerage and Baronetage (Hardcover)

This latest edition of the famous bible of the British aristocracy takes a robust attitude to such touchy subjects as money, illegitimacy and snobbery.

Those requiring remotely useful information on the who, what and where of British society will be obliged to update their now dog-eared 1970s vintage editions - this new volume, while bemoaning the vanishing English Country House, has scores of entries for the would-bes, might-bes and has-beens of showbusiness.

No expense has been spared in researching the sons, daughters, lovers and sisters-of-cousins of the rich, the titled and the famous.

For some entries, the claim to fame is merely to have been born of the right seed (with, or without, benefit of clergy). Elsewhere, a meritocratic approach is evident, with the likes of Jamie Lee Curtis and some hundreds of other screen sirens, British and American, finding their way in. However, a Bourke's tradition is maddeningly maintained in appearing to favour some achievers over others, with little apparent regard for talent, longevity or importance. If nothing else, this gives us all a stick with which to beat the book, and adds to the general sense of the surreal and the dotty which characterises this distinctly British, and quite obviously insane work. Read it with relish.

A superb party game involves reading part of an entry, and challenging your guests as to whether the person concerned entered the Peerage on merit or thanks to an accident of birth. Skilled players edit their extracts to gull the susceptible. Enjoy.

17 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars history, October 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Burke's Peerage and Baronetage (Hardcover)

Few books have caused such anxiety as this one. It brands some people as socially unworthy (basically, if you're not in it!), and raises others to great worth. If you read VANITY FAIR (the novel, not the magazine) by William Makepeace Thackery, you'll see the characters rush home after a party to consult BURKE'S PEERAGE to see if those they've just met are of proper lineage. Arianna Huffington (who is Greek) recently said that, when she got to America, she was relieved she could make social progress there. She went there from London, where she said, "You had to be in BURKE'S PEERAGE to make it socially." Imagine a book having such social influence in both the 19th and 20th Centuries!!