The Times Great Victorian Lives: An Era in Obituaries (Times (Times Books)) [Hardcover]

Ian Brunskill (Author)

Book Description

Series: Times (Times Books) | Publication Date: April 28, 2008

Documenting the lives of the great and the good, the first obituaries appeared in London’s The Times during the Victorian era. Gathered in this intriguing volume are the obituaries of some of the most significant and influential scientists, social reformers, composers, writers, and politicians of the 19th century, including Charles Dickens, William Gladstone, Karl Marx, Louis Pasteur, Christina Rossetti, Thomas Cook, and Oscar Wilde. Insightful commentary has been added to reveal the subtexts and omissions from the original texts. Arranged according to the date of their deaths and illustrated with rare pictures from The Times archive, these lives offer a fascinating perspective on the society, people, and values of one of the most interesting periods in history.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for The Times Great Victorian Lives: 'A brilliant concept, irresistible to anyone interested in those amazing Victorians. Like re-reading history through a many-faceted prism ... So many gems' Liza Picard, author of Victorian London Praise for The Times Great Lives: 'a glorious celebration of human diversity, genius and sheer eccentricity!Great Lives is a great book' Daily Express 'an engrossing volume, full of lively writing' The Times Literary Supplement

About the Author

Ian Brunskill has served as The Times obituaries editor since 1999 and is the editor of The Times Great Lives.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 704 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK (April 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0007259735
• ISBN-13: 978-0007259731
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,857,876 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Summer Reading of Obituaries...YES!, May 24, 2009

By 

Aldhelm of Malmsbury "mam5032" (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Times Great Victorian Lives: An Era in Obituaries (Times (Times Books)) (Hardcover)

Great Victorian Lives, being a collection of obituaries from the London Times, is simply fascinating. From Robert E. Lee to Charles Darwin and a lot in between that you may not recognize but will soon realize just how influential their lives were on our own modern condition, this wonderful book underscores how one generation impacts another. We are building on the foundation laid for their accomplishments. We are suffering for their failures. Aside from these thoughts, I really enjoyed (and still enjoy) reading the obituaries in the London Times. It is simply some of the best prose bring written. This is a summer read if there ever was one (also good by the fireplace on a cold winter's day, which is how I read it!).

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Last Words, August 12, 2009

By 

Christian Schlect (Yakima, Washington/USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Times Great Victorian Lives: An Era in Obituaries (Times (Times Books)) (Hardcover)

A book providing the immediate remarks by The Times on the deaths of prominent people of the 19th century.

The obituaries vary in interest and in length. Some serve to remind one of the important roles played by many that are remembered by most now only by name, such as Florence Nightingale, Otto Von Bismarck and Lord Kelvin. Others are deadly in flowery detail and length such as those for Gladstone and Napoleon III.

I found it interesting that the obituaries of this period in The Times often gave extended attention to the actual details of last illness of the particular deceased while providing almost no other coverage of his or her private life.

Although a minor part of this book, the editorial information given at the end of each obituary was, to my thinking, very uneven and at times unhelpful.