The Pleasures of the Past: Reflections in Modern British History [Paperback]

David Cannadine (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Readers familiar with Cannadine's (history, Columbia) essays and book reviews in the New York Review of Books or the London Review of Books will know what to expect; others may be misled by the title. This book is a collection of reviews and essays of British history, people, life, and attitudes. Most appeared (in the journals mentioned) since 1981. The pieces are of varying interest and intent; their only common theme, Britain. Because they are generally reviews of many different works, the lack of focus is understandable, but not especially commendable. One essay that is not a review, Food , is marred by a reference in the last sentence unintelligible to U.S. readers. Frankly, Cannadine's reviews will appeal to those already interested in the subject at hand; some are pretty tedious. For politically savvy and highly literate British history buffs who like long book reviews on diverse subjects.
- Katharine Galloway Garstka, Intergraph Corp., Huntsville, Ala.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (August 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393307492
• ISBN-13: 978-0393307498
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,494,774 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Slightly outdated, but still some excellent review essays, December 20, 2011

By 

Michael K. Smith (South Louisiana) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Pleasures of the past (Hardcover)

The author, in addition to being an academic historian on both sides of the Atlantic and a Fellow of the British Academy, has reviewed a great many books over the years for the _Times Literary Supplement_, the _New York Review of Books_, and other publications. This volume collects thirty of his review essays from the 1980s, all on British subjects as diverse as the House of Windsor, Sir Edward Elgar, the Dictionary of National Biography, and the BBC. His style in this area of his writing, while informed and judicious, is sprightly rather than scholarly and all of these pieces are enjoyable and informative -- especially to anyone with a pre-existing interest in the history and culture of Britain. However, it's inevitable that some of them haven't worn well over the past quarter-century. For example, the very first one, a review of Pearson's _The Ultimate Family_ (1986), is now badly outdated (as is the book it considers) by subsequent events involving the then recently married Charles and Diana. Cannadine's reviews of books on Lord Mountbatten and Prince Albert, however, are still very useful and have caused me to add a few more titles to my "To Read" list. His considerations of various topics in the history of London and in British urban history generally, as well as the effects of assiduous time-keeping in modern life, the sex lives of the Victorian bourgeoisie, the secrecy of the Secret Service, and nostalgia for the irretrievable past are very good indeed.