The Day Parliament Burned Down
The Day Parliament Burned Down
paperback
Published:
29 August, 2013
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Description
Prizes
Winner of Paddy Power and Total Politics Political Book of the Year 2013.
More Details
| Type | Book |
|---|---|
| ISBN13 | 9780199677504 |
| ISBN10 | 0199677506 |
| Number Of Pages | 356 |
| Item Weight | 476 g |
| Product Dimensions | 136 x 215 x 29 mm |
| Publisher / Reseller | Oxford University Press |
| Format | paperback |
Media Reviews
[A] fascinating history. * Lesley McDowell, Independent on Sunday *
With meticulous research, using eyewitness accounts and newspaper records, it makes for compulsive and entertaining reading. * Sarah Clarke, Bookseller's Choice *
Absolutely riveting... It's a thriller. Caroline Shenton is clearly one of those writers who feels that history has all the best tunes and should therefore never be boring. * Lady Antonia Fraser *
A hugely enjoyable read. It is formidably well researched and tells a gripping story throughout. I was riveted. Readers will be informed and enthralled by this book. * Professor John Morrill, University of Cambridge *
This is a fascinating read and I commend it to colleagues in both Houses. * Lord Cormack, House Magazine *
One of the many achievements of Shenton's scholarly but gripping account is to revive, in all its intricacy and richness, the ghost of one of London's greatest lost treasures. * Rosemary Hill, The Guardian *
London's most legendary 19th century conflagration is vividly described in this book by Caroline Shenton ... This excellent social history is Shenton's first book. One hopes there will be many more, not least one about today's Houses of Parliament. * Hannah Stephenson, Liverpool Post *
Anyone with even a passing interest in politics or London history will be engrossed by this thoroughly researched, well-written and admirably unsensationalised book. * David Clack, Time Out Magazine *
Hour by hour she [Caroline Shenton] takes us through the fantastic build-up of the fire. You could have been there. * Daily Mail *
The Day Parliament Burned Down is both a gripping account of that fateful night and a wide-ranging search for its ramifications across British society. Well written and extensively illustrated, this is a book that deserves attention. * BBC History Magazine *
[Shenton's] book is deeply researched ... yet surprisingly gripping. * Andrew Holgate, The Sunday Times *
Caroline Shenton's account of its history makes for a truly remarkable read. * Charlotte Heathcote, Sunday Express *
Caroline Shenton, Clerk of the Records in the parliamentary archives, shows in her excellent book, even the wood shoved into the furnaces was the product of the stranglehold of inefficient tradition. * Jonathan Sale, The Independent *
No one has written about the burning of Parliament before , and this vivid, superbly researched book is a definitive account of one of the greatest cockups in English history. * Jane Ridley, Spectator *
Caroline Shenton's writing style is a joy: She draws the reader in through the perspectives of numerous individuals, through clipped analysis and summation of contemporary written accounts, and with a hugely diverse range of sources, many of which are elegantly witty and tragical by turns ... This volume will appeal to historians, architectural historians, students of politics, social observers, and, unusually for histories, fans of a ripping yarn. * Jane Sidell, The Historian *
GoodReads Reviews
Author's Bio
Caroline Shenton was Director of the Parliamentary Archives at Westminster from 2008 to 2014, and prior to that was a senior archivist at Parliament and The National Archives at Kew. Her first book, The Day Parliament Burned Down, won the inaugural Political Book of the Year Award in 2013. It was also shortlisted for a number of other prizes, including the Longman-History Today Prize, and was a Book of the Year for the Daily Telegraph, New Statesman, Daily Mail, and Herald Scotland.