Historical Memoirs of my Own Time

Volume 2, from 1781 To 1784

Bibliographic Data

ID19903901
AuthorsNathaniel William Wraxall (corresponding author)
Year2014
Publication date2014-07-24
Open AccessYes
TypeBOOK
VenueHistorical Memoirs of My Own Time (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherCambridge University Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1017/cbo9781139814430
OpenAlexW1561915272
Open LibraryOL29153067M
ISBN9781139814430
LanguageEN
Citations received9

Sir Nathanial William Wraxall (1751–1831), traveller and writer, served as an MP from 1780 to 1794 and was made a baronet in 1813. Upon publication in 1815, his memoirs were an immediate, though controversial, success: 1,000 copies sold out within five weeks. Accused of libelling a Russian diplomat, and found guilty, Wraxall brought out this second edition later that same year, with the offending passages removed. Volume 2 comprises the majority of the second, and more controversial, part of the work, which covers 1781–4. Wraxall's early parliamentary years were a difficult period in England, the American War of Independence dominating Lord North's administration until his unexpected resignation on 20 March 1782. The 'great despondency' continued; nevertheless, Wraxall's colourful delineations of Fox and Burke, the Earl of Shelburne, Sheridan and Pitt, as well as 'the less efficient members of the cabinet', make for an entertaining read

Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Art history · Cabinet (room) · Independence (probability theory) · Memoir · Period (music) · Australian History and Society · Classics · Historical Economic and Social Studies · History · Great britain

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