The Bloodless Revolution: A Cultural History of Vegetarianism from 1600 to Modern Times - Hardcover

Stuart, Tristam

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0393052206 ISBN 13: 9780393052206

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 2007

Synopsis

The Bloodless Revolution is a pioneering history of puritanical revolutionaries, European Hinduphiles, and visionary scientists who embraced radical ideas from the East and conspired to overthrow Western society's voracious hunger for meat. At the heart of this compelling history are the stories of John Zephaniah Holwell, survivor of the Black Hole of Calcutta, and John Stewart and John Oswald, who traveled to India in the eighteenth century, converted to the animal-friendly tenets of Hinduism, and returned to Europe to spread the word. Leading figures of the Enlightenmentamong them Rousseau, Voltaire, and Benjamin Franklingave intellectual backing to the vegetarians, sowing the seeds for everything from Victorian soup kitchens to contemporary animal rights and environmentalism. Spanning across three centuries with reverberations to our current world, The Bloodless Revolution is a stunning debut from a young historian with enormous talent and promise.

About this title

Product Description:

The Bloodless Revolution How Western Christianity and Eastern philosophy merged to spawn a political movement that had the prohibition of meat at its core. Full description

Review:

‘Fascinatingly detailed, luxuriously appointed...elegantly conceived, well written, combining proper scholarship with readability, it is a genuinely revelatory contribution to the history of human ideas.’ Daily Telegraph

‘Extraordinary...Stuart writes with flair and intelligence, and this debut shows that he is destined to be a luminous presence in his literary generation...He might even make some converts to vegetariansim itself.’ A.C. Grayling, Independent on Sunday

‘This is intellectual history at its most scintillating, as passionate and vibrant as any swashbuckling romp or perilous adventure.’ Observer

‘[A] massive and magnificently detailed history of radical vegetarianism...a wonderful book, crammed with original research and written with verve, wit and passion. The most enthralling work of cultural history I have read in years.’ Independent

‘Clearly, a staggering amount of research and dedication has gone into this book and its author displays an extraordinary breadth of knowledge and didactic ability...this makes for fascinating and compelling reading.’ Sunday Times

‘Mr Stuart has a relaxed, semi-anecdotal style which repays both careful engagement and lighter dipping...with the balance of an easy style and comprehensive research, he avoids most of the pitfalls of popular histories in which seeming ephemera take centre stage.’ The Economist

‘This well-written book is essential reading for anyone who wishes to get to grips with the philosophical history of vegetarian debate.’ BBC History Magazine

‘This book is rich in anecdotes of interesting if not altogether sympathetic characters.’ The Spectator

‘Tristram Stuart has certainly done his homework...[he] provides some charming vignettes.’ Catholic Herald

‘Tristram Stuart has written a stimulating intellectual history with extensive bibliography and precise notes. There are also some intriguing illustrations.’ The Tablet

About this edition

• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0393052206
• ISBN 13: 9780393052206
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 656