Robert Peel: A Biography [Paperback]

Douglas Hurd (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 12, 2008

Described as one of the 19th century’s most dynamic prime ministers, Robert Peel transformed Great Britain into a modern nation. He invented the police force, steered through legislation that allowed Catholics to sit in Parliament, reorganized the criminal justice system, and invented the Conservative Party as it exists today. Above all he tackled poverty by repealing the Corn Laws and, thanks to Peel, Britain chose free trade and opened the door for globalization. For all his achievements, however, Peel was not all politics: he built two great houses, filled them with famous paintings, and was devoted to his beautiful wife. Yet he was widely regarded as stiff and strange, with Queen Victoria describing him as “such a cold, odd man” while Disraeli attacked him for dishonesty. But when in 1850 he was carried home after a fall from his horse, crowds primarily composed of working people gathered outside his house to read the medical bulletins. When he died a few days later, factories closed, flags flew at half mast, and thousands contributed small sums to memorials in his honor. Like Peel, Douglas Hurd served as Home Secretary and lived through a time of conflict in the Conservative Party. With one eye on the present, Douglas Hurd charts Peel's life and work through the dramas of 19th century politics.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'As an established novelist it is not surprising that Hurd's book is any easy read.' -- Ronan O'Brien, SUNDAY TRIBUNE

'Douglas Hurd's fascinating, eminenty readable biography of Peel' -- THE ECONOMIST

'Hurd delivers a vivid and readable portrait of a semi-modern British titan. This biography is elegantly written, well researched and (usually) admirably sensible in its judgements.' -- Simon Sebag Montefiore, THE NEW STATESMAN

'Hurd writes well, and the book has the merit of bringing Peel alive as a human being.' -- Jane Ridley, THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

'Hurd's analysis of Conservative ultras up to the present day is illuminating..... It has certainly not surprised Hurd, who has made a useful contribution to our understanding of this midwife to modern and post-modern policing.' -- John Grieve, THE GUARDIAN

'Hurd's finely judged biography.' -- Blair Worden, THE SPECTATOR

'Hurd's portrait of Peel is sympathetic, pleasantly written and generally judicious in its judgements' -- Harry Reid, THE GLASGOW HERALD

'The author has a good grasp of the period, he has done a great deal of homework, and he has shaped the story magnificiently.' -- AN Wilson, THE DAILY MAIL

'intelligent rich reding with a lovely droll tone.' -- Duncan Fallowell, THE DAILY EXPRSS

'this warm, sensible biography of Peel does a fine job of rescuing an important figure from relative obscurity.' -- Dominic Sandbrook, THE DAILY TELEGRAPH --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Douglas Hurd served as an MP from 1974 to 1997. He served under Margaret Thatcher as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and also held posts as Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary.

Product Details

• Paperback: 440 pages
• Publisher: Phoenix (June 12, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0753823845
• ISBN-13: 978-0753823842
• Product Dimensions: 1.5 x 5.2 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,647,059 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hurd's Peel, May 4, 2008

By 

Anon - See all my reviews

This review is from: Robert Peel: A Biography (Hardcover)

Well researched biography of one of the most important British Prime Ministers of the 19th century with interesting comparisons to present day politics from a former British cabinet minister. Rather limited view of Peel's social and family life, while the political aspect is covered in depth.

4.0 out of 5 stars REVIEW OF DOUGLAS HURD'S ROBERT PEEL BY JOHN CHUCKMAN, January 14, 2010

By 

John W. Chuckman (Citylights, Ontario) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Robert Peel: A Biography (Paperback)

Here is a fine biography of a politician written by another politician.

Robert Peel, while a figure of considerable importance to British history, led what many would regard as an unexciting life, and Peel was the kind of aristocratic figure many people today might find relatively unsympathetic. So it is a good measure of Hurd's success with the book that he makes it interesting, and it is very well written.

I use the adjective "aristocratic," because Peel was actually one of the "new men," a rich merchant's talented son, but his political alliances were necessarily frequently with the landed aristocrats who played a large role in the Conservative Party of that time, and his own views were not the stirring stuff of democratic principles and modern conceptions of human rights. Of course, he was given a title for his service, a practice which itself reflects the evolution of British government with the growth of the middle class.

What Douglas Hurd does exceptionally well is to show us the decent and sympathetic man Peel was. Peel was ready when his keen mind perceived that the world was changing in ways that warranted change by government to advocate the needed change, often finding himself opposed by the kind of conservatives who believes little should ever change. We get a nice feel for the stresses and difficulties involved in Peel's various efforts at reform, given his political world and party.

I admired Hurd's effort to give the modern reader some appreciation of the changing nature of Parliament and its rules, often giving comparisons with how things worked then to how they work now. The nineteenth century was a dynamic era of political change in Britain - driven by the forces of the industrial revolution and exploding world trade - as the country developed into a modern democratic state, and the book reflects that.

This is a fine book for students of British or European history or social change or the evolution of modern democratic government.