Books in the Cambridge Library Collection - British and Irish History, 19th Century series

The Handy Book of Parish Law was first published in 1859, and ran to twelve editions, of which this is the third (1872). It is a useful source for local historians, explaining parish law which was the lowest level of local government as well as relating church matters.

The growth of imperialism at the end of the nineteenth century prompted the publication of scholarly studies on Britain's economic relations. This volume, first published in 1903 and written by the economist John William Root, explores the external and internal trade relations in the British Empire and its constituent colonies.

Sir Charles Bruce (1836-1920) was a colonial administrator. These volumes, first published in 1910, contain his discussions of problems of colonial administration, informed by his own experience, and provide a wealth of information on the administration of contemporary British colonies. Volume 1 contains a survey of colonial policy.

First published in 1883, The Expansion of England examines the growth of the British Empire, which Seeley memorably says was acquired 'in a fit of absence of mind'. He believed that to keep its position of world influence, historical analysis must be the basis of present and future decisions.

Edward Gibbon Wakefield (1796-1862) was a controversial colonial advocate and political theorist, who vigorously promoted the colonization of New Zealand and South Australia. This volume, first published in 1849, contains a discussion of Wakefield's influential philosophy of colonization, in the form of letters between himself and an anonymous statesman.

Sir George Cornewall Lewis (1806-1863) was a British politician and scholar who was appointed Home Secretary in 1859. This volume, first published in 1841, contains Lewis'sdiscussion of the political interactions between a dependent government and its superior government, and the advantages and disadvantages of this arrangement to both.

Goldwin Smith (1823-1910) was a British historian and journalist considered by contemporaries a leading proponent of left-wing intellectual radicalism. This volume, first published in 1863, contains a collection of letters written by Smith examining British colonial interests, including government and possible self-determination, from an anti-imperialist standpoint.

Charlotte Montefiore published A Few Words to the Jews anonymously in 1853. The nine essays cover topics including the Sabbath, Jewish women, Jewish materialism, and religious festivals. The work is a rare example of a nineteenth-century Anglo-Jewish writer's call for religious reform and social justice within her community.

This Life of Victorian radical politician Richard Cobden (1804-1865) was first published in 1881. It was considered outstanding in its careful and systematic use of source material, as Morley had access not only to Cobden's papers but to those of many of his friends and associates.

Frederich Engels (1820-1895) was a German businessman and renowned political theorist. This influential volume, first published in German in 1845 and in English in 1892, contains Engels' classic account of early Victorian working-class life in Manchester and remains a vivid portrait of nineteenth-century urban England.