Land, Politics, and Society in Eighteenth-Century Tipperary [Hardcover]

Thomas P. Power (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0198203160 | ISBN-13: 978-0198203162 | Publication Date: December 16, 1993

This new scholarly study of Ireland during the eighteenth century is the first full-scale examination of an entire Irish county and is based on extensive and meticulous research. In it, Thomas P. Power sets out to reconstruct in detail the economic, social, and political history of Tipperary, Ireland's largest inland county. He examines the growing commercialization of the local economy, the changing composition of landed society, the dynamics of land tenure, and the emergence of long-term rural unrest and sectarian tension. The book makes a valuable contribution to current debates on the nature of Irish social and economic development.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Power's meticulous study is the first full-scale history of an Irish county for this critical and formative period....Power's conclusions regarding the diversification and rapid commercialization of the county's economy, the diversity and change within its landed elite, the strategies by which landowners maintained their positions, and the political and social influence of Tipperary's Catholic families challenge important generalizations about Irish history."--Choice

About the Author

Thomas P. Power is at University of Toronto.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 392 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (December 16, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198203160
• ISBN-13: 978-0198203162
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,785,869 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Best Thing to Say: It's In Print, August 26, 2006

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B. T. Larkin (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Land, Politics, and Society in Eighteenth-Century Tipperary (Hardcover)

A terrible narrative that can best be described as typographical mumbling. Has the literary flair of middle-school book report. Plenty of research went into this very scholarly book but only one map and not a single illustration. If you're looking for a book from which to draw factoids, you might order a copy as any page is likely to have several. An example from page 127:

"The lettings on the Smith estate in and near Tipperary and Cashel (estimated to contain 13,468 acres) between 1729 and 1745 comprised 41 three lives leases, 10 31-year leases (to Catholic farmers) for rural farms, and longer terms (41, 61, 99 years) for town property in Tipperary."

I think this passage is representative of the book as a whole. Unfortunately, even as a scholarly study, the book seems unbalanced with too much focus on southernmost Tipperary and the Suir river valley. For instance, in the book's index, Nenagh gets 29 citations, Carrick 40 citations, and Waterford City (not even in Tipperary) 21 citations.

Because the book is currently in print and does take a comprehensive look at a county and time period not widely documented, I gave the book two stars.