Pitt the Elder
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Product Description
Review
`close-knit account'
--Daily Express
'Pitt was the hero...He was, as Edward Pearce argues in this revisionist biography, the show business man of war' --The Spectator
"[Pearson] constantly, often illuminatingly and sometimes wittily, draws parallels between the English politics of Pitt's time and more recent events or personalities." --The Independent
`Pearce enlivens the narrative with crisp characterisations of the figures on the stage.'
-- The Oldie
'This is an immensely readable book - informative, scholarly, but never dry'
--The Tablet
--Daily Express
'Pitt was the hero...He was, as Edward Pearce argues in this revisionist biography, the show business man of war' --The Spectator
"[Pearson] constantly, often illuminatingly and sometimes wittily, draws parallels between the English politics of Pitt's time and more recent events or personalities." --The Independent
`Pearce enlivens the narrative with crisp characterisations of the figures on the stage.'
-- The Oldie
'This is an immensely readable book - informative, scholarly, but never dry'
--The Tablet
Book Description
Groundbreaking in its approach, this is the definitive biography of William Pitt the Elder - a brilliant, yet tragic, British statesman.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
In complete contradiction to the other reviews, I disliked what I read of 'William Pitt the Elder' - and I could only fight my way through the first thirty pages before giving up. Unfortunately I consider it to be very badly written. Sentences drift on through a mass of commas, as unnecessary adverbs and adjectives are thrown into the narrative, with the result that many sentences have to be re-read. Once or twice on each page these rambling sentences become so convoluted as to be ungrammatical, the verbs lost in a maze of tangential comments.
My other problem with the book is that the author throws in many glib comments, as if he is trying to be funny. This may add spice to the newspaper columns that the author apparently writes, but for me it doesn't work in what I thought would be a serious work of history. Sadly I bought this book before reading the reviews of the author's biography of Walpole, most of which seemed to be negative. As someone who reads nothing but history books, I am disappinted by the fact that this is the first time in a few decades that I have given up on a book before finishing it.
My other problem with the book is that the author throws in many glib comments, as if he is trying to be funny. This may add spice to the newspaper columns that the author apparently writes, but for me it doesn't work in what I thought would be a serious work of history. Sadly I bought this book before reading the reviews of the author's biography of Walpole, most of which seemed to be negative. As someone who reads nothing but history books, I am disappinted by the fact that this is the first time in a few decades that I have given up on a book before finishing it.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I was really looking forward to this book. However I must agree with several of the other reviewers. It is difficult to read - not because of the subject matter - but because of poor sentance construction and the writers desperate need to interject comment on virtually everything he is trying to say. Sometimes those comments are witty and very occassionally illuminating. Mostly they are not. Personally I would point an accusatory finger at the editor, here was a writer who needed a restraining hand. My second point is that the history is very poor. The writer has clearly made his mind up about Pitt, and uses that perspective to judge the man in virtually every other sentance. He does not build his evidence or create a coherent argument with which to convince the reader. The reader cannot understand Pitt because of these blanket layers of judgement.It is often difficult to follow the narrative as the writer disdains explaining some of the surrounding history. A real shame, I wonder if anyone knows a readable, balanced book on Pitt?
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Edward Pearce has written a well researched book that gives some new insights into Pitt The Elder but which is spoiled by the rather peculiar style of writing. For example: "The British outnumbered the French on that continent manifold. A requirement of fighting the French to the death would need, and get, more and better war propaganda." Or this: "Amid such twin fogs in London and Madrid, a war at once against Spain, France's interests and the new British Cabinet's instincts, was stumbled into."
The author rather annoyingly refers to the Empress of Austria as Maria Theresia when most historians call her Maria Theresa.
There is also a very substantial amount of detail of the various battles during the Seven Years' War which may be of interest to some readers but which I found tedious.
Some readers will love it but I often found it hard work.
The author rather annoyingly refers to the Empress of Austria as Maria Theresia when most historians call her Maria Theresa.
There is also a very substantial amount of detail of the various battles during the Seven Years' War which may be of interest to some readers but which I found tedious.
Some readers will love it but I often found it hard work.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Colourful but complicated
Edward Pearce was for some years the Parliamentary sketch-writer on the Daily Telegraph - despite holding a persuasion of the Left. Read more
Published 18 days ago by N. BARTLETT
An overview of the time rather than the man
I enjoyed this 'biography' although Pitt does sometimes seem to disappear. There are a couple of chapters where he seems to have almost vanished [though he is still hovering in the... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Mr. Jaj Richards
Explaining the Book
The point of this review writes EDWARD PEARCE is not to praise or blame it. An author can only explain. Read more
Published on 18 Mar 2010 by Dmpearce
Naval and military war in the 18th century
Edward Pearce's highly readable account of Pitt the Elder gives a full and exciting account of both naval war and war on land. Read more
Published on 28 Feb 2010 by Mr. D. W. Down
a moral for our times
This book provides valuable insights on two levels and as such is relevant both to historians and to political analysts. Read more
Published on 24 Feb 2010 by E. Nakhle
Godfather of empire
Pitt was a domineering figure who was one of the apparent founders of Britain's imperial golden age which, roughly, lasted from the middle decades of the 18th century until the... Read more
Published on 19 Feb 2010 by Mr. M. harrington
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