A World on Fire: An Epic History of Two Nations Divided - Softcover

Foreman, Dr Amanda

4

2,240 ratings by Goodreads

9781846144356: A World on Fire: An Epic History of Two Nations Divided

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1846144353 ISBN 13: 9781846144356

Publisher: Allen Lane, 2010

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'No two nations have ever existed on the face of the earth which could do each other so much good or so much harm'
President Buchanan, State of the Nation Address, 1859

A World on Fire tells, with extraordinary sweep, one of the least known great stories of British and American history.

As America descended into Civil War, British loyalties were torn between support for the North, which was against slavery, and defending the South, which portrayed itself as bravely fighting for its independence. Rallying to their respective causes, thousands of Britons went to America as soldiers - fighting for both Union and Confederacy - racing ships through the Northern blockades, and as observers, nurses, adventurers, guerillas and spies.

At the heart of this international conflict lay a complicated and at times tortuous relationship between four individuals: Lord Lyons, the painfully shy British Ambassador in Washington; William Seward, the blustering US Secretary of State; Charles Francis Adams, the dry but fiercely patriotic U.S. ambassador in London; and the restless and abrasive Foreign Secretary Lord John Russell. Despite their efforts, and sometimes as a result of them, America and Britain came within a whisker of declaring war on each other twice in four years.

The diplomatic story is only one element in this gloriously multifaceted book. Using a wealth of previously unpublished letters and journals, Amanda Foreman gives fresh accounts of Civil War battles by seeing them through the eyes of British journalists and myriad soldiers on both sides, from flamboyant cavalry commanders to forcibly conscripted private soldiers. She also shows how the War took place in England, from the Confederacy's secret ship-building programme in Liverpool to the desperate efforts of its propagandists and emissaries - male and female - to influence British public opinion. She even shows how one of the most famous set-piece naval encounters of the War was fought, remarkably, in the English Channel.

Foreman tells this epic yet intimate story of enormous personalities, tense diplomacy and torn loyalties as history in the round, captivating her readers with the experience of total immersion in this titanic conflict.

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Review:

Praise from the U.K. for "A World on Fire
"
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY "THE ECONOMIST"
"[A] truly magnificent book . . . If Amanda Foreman, author of the bestselling biography "Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire", set out to enhance her academic reputation, she has succeeded."--"The Daily Mail
"
"An epic work . . . a feat of sheer storytelling . . . filmic and intense, not simply akin to watching a nineteenth-century battle painting come to life, but peering into drawing rooms, eavesdropping on encampments and being in the web of political intrigue . . . There is something undeniably impressive about an author with the courage to attempt something so ambitious, a global history of a seismic conflict, spanning two continents and encompassing a massive cast of characters."--"The Daily Telegraph
"

Praise from the U.K. for "A World on Fire
"
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY "THE ECONOMIST"
"[A] truly magnificent book . . . If Amanda Foreman, author of the bestselling biography "Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire," set out to enhance her academic reputation, she has succeeded."--"The Daily Mail
"
"An epic work . . . a feat of sheer storytelling . . . filmic and intense, not simply akin to watching a nineteenth-century battle painting come to life, but peering into drawing rooms, eavesdropping on encampments and being in the web of political intrigue . . . There is something undeniably impressive about an author with the courage to attempt something so ambitious, a global history of a seismic conflict, spanning two continents and encompassing a massive cast of characters."--"The Daily Telegraph
"
"[A] massive work of considerable artistry . . . unfolds on a grand scale . . . Foreman has created a shimmering tapestry, which offers readers a fresh

"Foreman amply offers a new perspective on the war in an elegantly written work of old-fashioned narrative history."--"Publisher's Weekly," starred review
Praise from the U.K. for "A World on Fire
"
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY "THE ECONOMIST"
""A World on Fire" is an achievement as enjoyable as it is impressive. As in a great nineteenth-century novel, a teeming cast propels this epic--the gallant and the craven, scoundrels and lovers, diplomats and freebooters--some helplessly caught in the gale, others with their hands firmly on the levers of power. Charles Dickens appears in this book; had he been an historian he might well have written it."--Richard Snow, editor, "American Heritage," 1990-2007
"This is a tale never previously told."--Stephen Graubard, "Financial Times"
"Riveting . . . The reader is swept along. . . . One can hardly overestimate the brilliance of Foreman's conception. . . . A shimmering tapestry."--Jay Parini, "Thee

A "New York Times" Top Ten Book of the Year!

"The Economist", "The New York Times", "The New Yorker", "The St Louis Post-Dispatch", " Publishers Weekly" and "Library Journal" all list "A World on Fire" as one of the best books of 2011!

"Ms. Foreman...is such an engaging writer that readers may find this 958-page volume too short."--Michael Burlingame, "The Wall Street Journal"

"Extraordinary cast....Thoroughly researched and well written...Remarkable."--Geoffrey Wheatcroft, "The New York Times" Book Review

"One puts down "A World on Fire" with a sense of awe. Foreman's skills as historian and writer are formidable."--"The Boston Globe"

"Foreman's descriptive gifts show especially well in bringing vividly to life the political and diplomatic worlds of Washington and London...A brief review can only hint at the expansive scope, rich detail and pulsing energy of "A World on Fire"."--"The Washington Post
"
"[A] magisterial history."--"Newsweek"

"So expansive in its scope, and so well written...to call it a masterpiece somehow doesn't seem to do it justice."--"Christian Science Monitor"

A "New York Times" Top Ten Book of the Year!
"The Economist," "The New York Times," "The New Yorker," "The St Louis Post-Dispatch," " Publishers Weekly" and "Library Journal" all list "A World on Fire" as one of the best books of 2011!
"Ms. Foreman...is such an engaging writer that readers may find this 958-page volume too short."--Michael Burlingame, "The Wall Street Journal"
"Extraordinary cast....Thoroughly researched and well written...Remarkable."--Geoffrey Wheatcroft, "The New York Times" Book Review
"One puts down "A World on Fire" with a sense of awe. Foreman's skills as historian and writer are formidable."--"The Boston Globe"
"Foreman's descriptive gifts show especially well in bringing vividly to life the political and diplomatic worlds of Washington and London...A brief review can only hint at the expansive scope, rich detail and pulsing energy of "A World on Fire.""--"The Washington Post
"
"[A] magisterial history."--"Newsweek"
"So expansive in its scope, and so well written...to call it a masterpiece somehow doesn't seem to do it justice."--"Christian Science Monitor"

A "New York Times" Top Ten Book of the Year!
"The Economist," "The New York Times," "The New Yorker," "The St Louis Post-Dispatch," "Publishers Weekly"and"Library Journal"all list"A World on Fire"as one of the best books of 2011!
"Ms. Foreman...is such an engaging writer that readers may find this 958-page volume too short." Michael Burlingame, "The Wall Street Journal"
"Extraordinary cast....Thoroughly researched and well written...Remarkable." Geoffrey Wheatcroft, "The New York Times" Book Review
"One puts down"A World on Fire"with a sense of awe. Foreman's skills as historian and writer are formidable." "The Boston Globe"
"Foreman's descriptive gifts show especially well in bringing vividly to life the political and diplomatic worlds of Washington and London...A brief review can only hint at the expansive scope, rich detail and pulsing energy of"A World on Fire."" "The Washington Post
"
"[A] magisterial history." "Newsweek"
"So expansive in its scope, and so well written...to call it a masterpiece somehow doesn't seem to do it justice." "Christian Science Monitor""

From the Publisher:

I am the publisher of this book. It is enormously heartening to see the enthusiasm for Amanda Foreman's book in the overwhelming majority of the comments posted here, especially as they are by people who have so clearly immersed themselves in it for a long time. It is a book which repays the commitment made to it, as many commentators have said.

A few of the comments refer to unspecified errors that others have supposedly detected, and one or two even claim there are profound - though uncatagorised - mistakes, attacking the book's 'academic accuracy' without giving a single example as reference. Only one reviewer here actually points to anything which might qualify as a mistake - a footnote error on page 797.

There are always differences of opinion and emphasis among historians, which are just that - differences of opinion and emphasis, not 'mistakes'. And despite our best efforts all history books, especially long ones, contain typos and even occasionally minor editing errors which we will generally correct for the paperback; I am always grateful to hear from anyone who has spotted any such errors. But it does pain me when the open forum of Amazon is used to repeat - perhaps innocently, but certainly unfairly - unsubstantiated criticism. For the true professionals' opinions of this extraordinarily engaging, highly original and astonishingly researched book, please look at the reviews posted nearby.

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