Poverty and Compassion: The Moral Imagination of the Late Victorians [Paperback]

Gertrude Himmelfarb (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 27, 1992

In a provocative study that bristles with contemporary relevance, Himmelfarb demonstrates that the material and moral dimensions of poverty were inseparable in the minds of late Victorians, be they radical or conservative.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In a provocative study that bristles with contemporary relevance, Himmelfarb demonstrates that the material and moral dimensions of poverty were inseparable in the minds of late Victorians, be they radical or conservative.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Himmelfarb is the reigning authority on Victorian social thought. This worthy sequel to her widely acclaimed The Idea of Poverty: England in the Early Industrial Age (LJ 12/1/83) studies the late Victorian effort to attack poverty by harnessing scientific methods to achieve social reform. She examines Charles Booth and Beatrice Webb, the Salvation Army and the Fabians, the development of concepts such as unemployment and the poverty line. But she also considers both historians' attitudes toward Victorian thought and its relevance to our present dilemmas. A masterful and incisive study and highly readable; essential for Victorian specialists, those interested in the history of social thought, and collections serving either.
- Nancy C. Cridland, Indiana Univ. Libs., Bloomington
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 492 pages
• Publisher: Vintage (October 27, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679741739
• ISBN-13: 978-0679741732
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.2 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #679,798 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tough Going But Rewarding, December 11, 2004

By 

Lynn Ellingwood "The ESOL Teacher" (Webster, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Poverty and Compassion: The Moral Imagination of the Late Victorians (Paperback)

This is a very scholarly book about the rise of ideas about poverty and charity in Victorian England. The ideas of unemployment, socialism and other movements were created there. Very interesting but dense.