Essential E.P. Thompson (New Press Essential) - Softcover

Thompson, E. P.; Thompson, Dorothy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1565846222 ISBN 13: 9781565846227

Publisher: New Press, 2001

Synopsis

E. P. Thompson was one of the most visionary and influential historians of the last century, acclaimed as the innovator of "history from below"--the immersion in the many details of everyday life, particularly among the working class, as a vital means of understanding the past and the patterns of history itself. His classic work, The Making of the English Working Class, changed the ways in which not only historians but a whole new generation looked at the past. The Essential Thompson, the largest collection of Thompson's historical work published in one volume, gives us the full range of his scholarly output, from William Morris: Romantic to Revolutionary and The Making of the English Working Class, to Albion's Fatal Tree and Customs in Common. Both a superb introduction for those new to Thompson's work, and an invaluable addition to any history-lover's collection, The Essential Thompson is a stirring testament to the range, complexity, and vision of "one of the most eloquent, powerful, and independent voices of our time" (The Observer, London).

About this title

About the Author:

E. P. Thompson (1924-1993) was one of England's foremost historians and social critics. His books include Customs in Common, Witness Against the Beast, and Making History (all available from The New Press), as well as The Making of the English Working Class. Dorothy Thompson, Edward's wife and coworker of many years, is a distinguished historian and the author of the classic The Chartists and other works, including Queen Victoria: Gender and Power.

From Booklist:

In his lifetime, the British historian E. P. Thompson was both admired and reviled. Even his harshest critics paid tribute to his incisive intellect and his efforts to write "history from below," detailing the everyday lives and contributions of ordinary people. Yet conservatives could not stomach his leftist sympathies while orthodox Marxists attacked his constant rebellions against their ideological straightjacket. Dorothy Thompson, his wife, coworker and a prominent historian, has compiled a representative anthology of his work. The selections reveal a man committed to what he viewed as "progressive" causes, but also a man open to new ideas and interpretations of history and culture, even if they contradict his long-held positions. Some of the selections, such as The Making of the English Working Class (1963), are familiar to many historians. Others, such as his moving examination of the life of Mary Wollstonecraft, are rather obscure gems. This book will be a delight for historians and general readers with an interest in the social sciences. Jay Freeman
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About this edition

• Publisher: New Press
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 1565846222
• ISBN 13: 9781565846227
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 488