Customer Reviews

Edmund Burke and His World

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I read this book because it was described on National Review Online as the best Burke biography around and I agree. It seems to be one of a series written for young adults but it is excellent and never condescended to the reader. Burke, of course, had a colorful life and is revered as the original conservative, just as Tom Paine may be the first liberal, in the modern American sense. Burke was very concerned with stability and legitimacy in government while Paine seemed to share Jefferson's enthusiasm for revolutions. Burke had a long and active career in Parliament before the French Revolution but he is probably best known for his adamant opposition to it. His life is interesting and the biography is light handed and very well done. I recommend it.

Apparently intended for adolescents, this biography is written on an adult level and is in fact a quite satisfying life of Burke. The author likes her subject while retaining critical objectivity. Burke is generally regarded as the founding father of conservatism as a coherent political philosophy in the English-speaking world; comparing Burke as presented by Alice Miller and what passes for "conservatism" in twenty-first century America should be a fine stimulus to reflection. The book should motivate keen readers to continue to more specialized studies and especially to Burke's own writings.