William Beckford : First Prime Minister of the London Empire Hardback
by Perry Gauci
Part of the The Lewis Walpole Series in Eighteenth-Century Culture and History series
Hardback
Description
This first-ever biography of William Beckford provides a unique look at eighteenth-century British history from the perspective of the colonies.
Even in his own time, Beckford was seen as a metaphor for the dramatic changes occurring during this era.
He was born in 1709 into a family of wealthy sugar planters living in Jamaica, when the colonies were still peripheral to Britain.
By the time he died in 1770, the colonies loomed large and were considered the source of Britain’s growing global power. Beckford grew his fortune in Jamaica, but he spent most of his adult life in London, where he was elected Lord Mayor twice.
He was one of the few politicians to have experienced imperial growing pains on both sides of the Atlantic, and his life offers a riveting look at how the expanding empire challenged existing political, social, and cultural norms.
Information
-
Available to Order - This title is available to order, with delivery expected within 2 weeks
- Format:Hardback
- Pages:304 pages, 24 b-w illus.
- Publisher:Yale University Press
- Publication Date:21/05/2013
- Category:
- ISBN:9780300166750
Information
-
Available to Order - This title is available to order, with delivery expected within 2 weeks
- Format:Hardback
- Pages:304 pages, 24 b-w illus.
- Publisher:Yale University Press
- Publication Date:21/05/2013
- Category:
- ISBN:9780300166750
