From the Boer War to the Cold War : essays on twentieth-century Europe /

A companion to Taylor's essays on nineteenth-century Europe (From Napoleon to the Second International [BKL O 1 94]), this volume gathers the brilliant British historian's book reviews and essays about this century's wars and political personalities. So many books have been written on such matters that it seems unprofitable to go back to old reviews, but Taylor's style dispels the fear. He was so steeped in the subjects that rarely did he feel obliged to simplify what the author was saying; he forged ahead with his own opinions, curtly and challengingly expressed, confident that his newspaper's readers wanted to hear them and secondarily those of the author to which he was responding. Generally, his opinions still stand up across the 75 subjects he addresses; a characteristic exposition is "War by Time-Table," a dissection of the assassination and foolish brinkmanship that ignited World War I. Taylor's gloomy, Tacitean approach to history favored human accident over "inevitability," which made him an incisive, entertaining commentator on politicians' foibles. That acerbic talent endures in this delight for history browsers. --Gilbert Taylor

A.J.P. Taylor (1909-1990) was noted for his scholarship, his fascination with power, his emphasis on historical accident as opposed to historical inevitability and his assertive writing style. Most of the essays in this collection, edited by British history professor Wrigley, originally appeared as book reviews, university lectures or talks on radio or television (Taylor was a familiar figure to the British public). Mostly on the subject of British or European history, they include accounts of prime ministers (he admired Churchill as war leader but was critical of many of his policies) and several pieces on the dictators of the era. In essays on the Cold War, the dominant theme is that nuclear weapons will not always act as deterrents. The collection includes a tender obituary of his friend Malcolm Muggeridge; a blunt reappraisal of George Bernard Shaw as writer, sage and philosopher; and a gentle rumination on his home county of Lancashire. Very popular in Britain, Taylor's writing is distinguished by its freshness of interpretation. His works include The Origins of the Second World War. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved