Sir Robert Walpole [Hardcover]

B.W. Hill (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 4, 1989

This biography traces Sir Robert Walpole's ministry, the longest since the Revolution of 1688 and looks into why he has been called "the first Prime Minister". It discusses why he refused to delegate power, his cavalier treatment of press and stage which led to many enemies and the inevitable parallel of his style of administration with Thatcher.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Walpole's ministry (1721-42) was the longest and arguably the most powerful in modern British history. Hill is the author of The Growth of Parliamentary Parties 1689-1742 (LJ 3/15/77) and British Parliamentary Parties, 1742-1832 (Allen & Unwin, 1985). Here he offers his reassessment of Walpole's political career, stressing the importance of political parties and examining the validity of Walpole's traditional label of "first Prime Minister." This political biography will by no means replace J.H. Plumb's incomplete Sir Robert Walpole (2 vols.; LJ 5/15/61)), which is much broader but ends at 1734. But it is an important complement, based on recent scholarship and covering Walpole's entire career. For all collections on 18th-century British politics.
-Nancy C. Cridland, Indiana Univ. Libs., Bloomington
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Hamish Hamilton Ltd; 1st Edition & 2nd Edition edition (May 4, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0241127386
• ISBN-13: 978-0241127384
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,823,346 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not an introductory book, February 25, 2008

By 

Fabian Alejandro Fernandez (Buenos Aires, Argentina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sir Robert Walpole (Hardcover)

This book by B.W.Hill is concerned almost exclusively with the day-to-day political bickering in the English parliament, and almost exclusively focused around the persona of Sir R. Walpole.
The author fails to take a step back and give us a bigger perspective, and on a tenure as extended in time as that of Sir Walpole, this lack damages the readability of the book.
World events related to parliamentary politics, dynastic lines, trade and religious issues, are pretty much assumed known by the author, who practically gives no such broad perspective aside from tangential mentions to justify political positions.

This book can be useful to someone who already knows a lot about Sir Walpole and his period, and wants to fill specific gaps on his parliamentary activity, but to the general reader it is dense and of little use.