Bøker i Cambridge Library Collection - British and Irish History, General-serien

Henry Hallam (1777-1859) was a journalist, historian of the English constitution and literary scholar. First published in 1827, this two-volume book documents the history of the laws and institutions of England from 1485 to 1760.

Born in Philadelphia, James Peller Malcolm (1767-1815) travelled to London in 1787, remaining there until his death. Initially hoping for a career as a landscape painter, he became well known for his engravings, which appeared in the Gentleman's Magazine from 1792, and for his books on history that made extensive use of original local records. First published in 1808, Anecdotes gives a typically personal and often light-hearted account of the history and customs of Malcolm's adopted city. Illustrated with his engravings, the work ranges from considering the diet and dress of the ancient Britons to suggesting that the Great Fire of London was state-sanctioned to rid the city of plague. This is the 1811 second edition of a valuable and often entertaining insight into English social history. Volume 3, most concerned with London itself, covers amusements and the origins of popular pastimes, and includes a detailed description of a masque by William Davenant.

Published during the golden decade before the Great War left an indelible mark on fellows and undergraduates alike, New College, Oxford (1906) is a sensitive and affectionate history of an ancient institution in a modern world. Himself a fellow of the college, A. O. Prickard conveys the image of an educational family whose purpose rose 'above the needs of the life of its members' in order to make a valuable contribution to both society and scholarship. Keen to promote the college's ongoing relevance in the new century, Prickard does not allow his fascination with its history to degenerate into nostalgia. As the author himself explains, Oxford is 'a place of visions and dreams, which float about, but do not encumber the earnest life of the present'. Such contentions combine with Edmund New's informal sketches to create an informative, picturesque and often surprising account.

First published in 1907 as part of the celebrated 'College Monographs' series, Magdalen College, Oxford leads readers through the tumultuous and distinguished history of one of Oxford University's most famous institutions. Elected President of Magdalen at the early age of 32, for the rest of his life Thomas Herbert Warren nurtured a passionate enthusiasm for the college, its architecture and traditions. His delight in presiding over such a venerable foundation is evident in his celebratory account of its various 'worthy' alumni including Wolsey, Gibbon and Addison. However, his pride and loyalty did not prevent Warren from committing to paper a number of less prestigious but equally intriguing moments in the college's rich history. From the 'good cheer and bad speeches' experienced in Hall, to the 'delinquencies and debts' of undergraduates, and evidence of dons practising the black arts, Warren's volume still offers readers more than the average college history.

Charlotte Carmichael Stopes (1841-1929) was a British scholar, a prolific writer and supporter of feminist causes. After becoming the first women to gain a Certificate of Arts in Scotland, Stopes published widely on Shakespeare and social reform, receiving an award from the British Academy in 1916 for her contributions to Shakespearian literary research. This volume, now reissued from the 1907 third edition, was first published in 1894. It contains Stopes' investigation into the history of British women's legal and civic rights. Through an analysis of state papers, parliamentary records and scholarly works on legal history, Stopes provides numerous historical examples of women holding extensive constitutional and legal rights, which are arranged according to the holder's social status. This pioneering feminist history became a key text used by women's suffrage activists to justify their position. For more information on this author, see http://orlando.cambridge.org/public/svPeople?person_id=stopch

Herman Merivale (1806-1874) was an English civil servant, historian and economist. After graduating from Trinity College, Oxford, in 1827 he was called to the bar in 1832. Merivale was elected Professor of Political Economy at the University of Oxford in 1837, and was appointed Permanent Under-Secretary to the Colonies in 1848. These volumes, first published in 1841, contain Merivale's influential series of lectures on the political economy of colonization which he delivered at the University of Oxford in 1839, 1840 and 1841. He discusses a broad range of topics related to colonization, analyzing its economic effects on the mother country through emigration and discussing the laws governing the generation of wealth and growth of colonies. His lectures also include an influential criticism of the Wakefield Scheme of colonization and provide valuable insights into contemporary opinions on the economic management of colonies. Volume 1 contains Lectures 1-11.

This 1908 book was a ground-breaking guide for historians in the use and interpretation of official documentary sources. Hubert Hall examines the topic under three headings - archives, diplomatics, and palaeography. In the first part he treats the history, classification and analysis of English archives. He argues that the user should take into account what once existed as well as what survives. The second part deals with diplomatics, from Anglo-Saxon to the sixteenth century. He calls for greater critical analysis of the different types of official documents, something lacking in England when compared to European scholarship. The final part introduces the student to palaeography, and the different kinds of handwriting and contractions met with in official documents. While the book makes no claim to be the definitive work on the subject, it raised the profile of a neglected tool of scholarship, and offers a starting point for further research.

Published anonymously, this is the 1798 first edition of Malthus' provocative work of political and economic theory. His discussions of prostitution, contraception and sex, and his denial of the right of the poor to be supported in the face of famine, poverty and disease, made this a highly controversial text.

This work, containing a selection from the 'Merry Passages and Jests', collected by a Norfolk gentleman, Sir Nicholas L'Estrange (1604-55), with shorter extracts from the anecdotes of John Aubrey, and a manuscript by one John Collet, was prepared by antiquarian William Thoms for the Camden Society in 1839.

In this 1869 work, Arthur Stanley draws on both the manuscript archives of Westminster Abbey and on the work of earlier historians to describe its foundation, the coronations, the royal tombs, the other monuments to distinguished men and women, and the history of the abbey before and after the Reformation.

Little is known about Thomas Smith, the author of this 1833 history of St Marylebone in London, where he was born and had lived for thirty-six years. The illustrated book describes the boundaries of the parish, its buildings, and some of the famous people who had lived in the district.

Published in 1857 and 1861 respectively, these are the only two volumes of Buckle's ambitious but unfinished history of civilisation. The books cover the intellectual, religious, political and social history of England, France, Scotland, and to a lesser extent, Spain.

This remarkable 1838 publication, dedicated to the soon-to-be-crowned Queen Victoria, is a review of state ceremonial and court etiquette, giving details of the royal family, and describing the titles, history and roles of all court officials, from the Poet Laureate and the Historiographer Royal to the Clerk of the Closet.

First published for the Yorkshire Archaeological Society in 1933 and reprinted in 1971, this is an extensive and well-illustrated catalogue of maps of the Yorkshire region, drawn between 1577 and 1900, with informative descriptions. It remains of value to local historians and geographers.

The Anglo-Jewish Exhibition of 1887 assembled works of art and artefacts illustrating the history of English Jewry, with later academic enterprises being undertaken as a direct result. This catalogue of the exhibits, published in 1888, also includes a number of full-page photographs.

This work, first published in 1905, contains editions and discussion of three mid-fifteenth-century manuscript copies of London chronicles giving detailed insight into the city in the reign of Henry V. It was compiled by the respected historian Charles Lethbridge Kingsford (1862-1926), who published extensively on the period.

Agnes Strickland (1796-1874) and her sister Elizabeth collaborated on many biographical projects, including this eight-volume series. Pioneering figures in women's history, they included discussion of domestic matters ignored by earlier male historians. Volume 1 (1850) is devoted to Margaret Tudor, Magdalene of France and Mary of Lorraine.

Published in 1901, this two-volume set looks at how entertainment in London changed dramatically between the restoration of Charles II and the accession of Queen Victoria. From bear-baiting and prize-fights with swords, tastes turned to less bloodthirsty pastimes such as gambling, masked balls, and opera and theatre.

This detailed eight-piece compilation documents the fluctuating prices of agricultural produce in England between the thirteenth and eighteenth centuries. Volume 1 (from 1866) uses the data for the period 1259-1400 (supplied in Volume 2) to explore topics such as farming methods, taxation, and the financial consequences of the plague.

Published in 1797, this three-volume work looks at the history of poverty in England, the lifestyles of the poor and the various measures introduced to tackle the problem. It features a set of detailed reports on living conditions of the poor in the various English counties.

Originally published in 1881, this book uses evidence from pamphlets, books, engravings, music and drama to trace the history of London's street traders and their wares from the time of Chaucer to the Victorian period. It includes over 200 illustrations, and vividly portrays the sights and sounds of the city.

Published in 1811, this three-volume second edition gives a typically personal and often light-hearted account of the history and customs of Malcolm's adopted city. He ponders on the diet and dress of the ancient Britons and suggests that the Great Fire of London was state-sanctioned to rid the city of plague.

Volume 1 of this work, first published in 1662 and reissued here in a two-volume 1811 edition, consists of twenty-five short chapters which explain its organisation, after which England is examined county by county, alphabetically: first, natural resources and manufactures, and then notable people, starting with princes and saints.

Ernest Satow was one of the most respected British diplomats, particularly in Japan. Since publication in 1917, 'Satow' has become the standard work on the practice of diplomacy, being regularly updated. This first edition provides an illuminating insight into international relations before the age of the telephone and e-mail.

Hugh Edward Egerton (1855-1927) was a British barrister and colonial historian. This volume, first published in 1897, contains Egerton's pioneering history of changes in Britain's colonial policy. The first published historical survey of colonial policy, this volume provides a comprehensive overview of changes and developments in Britain's colonial policy.

Elizabeth Owens Blackburne (1848-1894) was an Irish professional writer, novelist and biographer. These volumes, first published in 1877, contain a series of biographies of famous and eminent Irish women, and were the first biographical reference for this subject to be published. Volume 1 contains early historical and medieval biographies.

In great detail the Welsh writer Jane Williams (1806-1885) tells the history of Wales from the settlement of the Cymry in pre-Christian Britain until the Tudors. The work, published in 1869, is based on the use of an impressive range of material, including that of Pliny and Bede.

First published between 1840 and 1849, Strickland's landmark work provides biographical accounts of the queens of England from Matilda of Flanders, wife of William the Conqueror, to Queen Anne, the last Stuart monarch. Volume 1 contains eight biographies of medieval queens, including Matilda, Eleanor of Aquitaine and Anne of Bohemia.

An intimate portrayal of the lives of seven prominent women, using their own letters and diaries to chart lives of political intrigue, scandal and tragedy. Originally published in 1844 by Louisa Stuart Costello, this volume examines the characters and motivations of women at the political centre of Elizabethan life.

This three-volume 1813 compilation consists of antiquarian manuscripts from the Bodleian Library and the Ashmolean Museum, but is significant for containing the notes on the 'lives of eminent men' by John Aubrey, which were published here for the first time, and later became famous as his Brief Lives.