Democracy in Britain: A Reader [Paperback]

Jack Lively (Author), Adam Lively (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0631188312 | ISBN-13: 978-0631188315 | Publication Date: June 16, 1994 | Edition: 1

Democracy in Britain includes a rich and varied selection of key writings, from the debates around Britain's representative and democratic institutions, from constitutional commentary and diaries to poetry and fiction; from Locke and Burke to Dryden and Auden; and from Magna Carta to Spycatcher.

• Provides the best resource available for the understanding and study of Britain's system of representative democracy
• The editors have made efforts throughout to make the material selected accessible to non-specialists
• Rather than following one side of the debate on British democracy, this presents the reader with both sides of the argument
• Sponsored by the British Council, the book will receive special advertising and promotion

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An intelligent collection that brings disparate figures and ideas into fruitful dialogue." New Statesman & Society

"This is not an average anthology. At its best, which is much of the time, it is a sustained and marshalled analysis, a wide-ranging dialectical thesis with witnesses for both the prosecution and defence, a historical examination of the continuing, unresolved - and intensely topical - debate about democracy and the nature of the British state." The Guardian

"This collection of essays has something to enrage, inform, and sometimes startle everyone in Britain interested in how we got to here. More fleshed out than a dictionary, it is nevertheless full of succinct definitions." The Observer

From the Back Cover

Democracy in Britain is an indispensable guide to the constitutional and political issues regarding representative and democratic institutions in Britain. As much a literary anthology as a political reader, it includes a rich and varied selection of key writings, from the debates around Britain's representative and democratic institutions, from constitutional commentary and diaries to poetry and fiction; from Locke and Burke to Dryden and Auden; and from Magna Carta to Spycatcher.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 1 edition (June 16, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0631188312
• ISBN-13: 978-0631188315
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,524,022 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars readable, enjoyable, excellent, November 5, 2000

By 

"daniel_sp" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Democracy in Britain: A Reader (Paperback)

Jack and Adam Lively have managed to put together a throughly interesting and at the same time enjoyable reader on Democracy in Britian. The most notable feature is the range of texts included: there are texts by philiosophers (Hobbes, Locke...), Politicians (Disrael, Thatcher...) and from debates in parliament as well as Shakespeare, Auden and even Rushdi. Because the authors have NOT only included specialised texts by experts on the constitutions they manage to convey the picture of a living democracy whith all its problems, issues and controversies. I would argue that many of the questions that are dealt with are also important in other countries. In this sense, the book transgresses its original purpose.