New Releases

Published March 9, 2018

The 19th century saw huge expansion in cities accompanied by a changing intellectual landscape. Most countries experienced unrest, but Britain remained stable and ascended to global leadership. In Victorious Century (Penguin), history professor David Cannadine explores how 19th-century Britain was at the same time self-confident, fearful, and introspective.

Social media, mobile phones, and other new technology have enabled us to collect and process data about human behavior on a scale never before imagined. Bit by Bit (Princeton University Press) is sociology professor Matthew Salganik’s blueprint for data scientists and social scientists to use this big data to inform and enhance the field of sociology.

Published in the March 21, 2018, Issue

1 Response

Norman Ravitch *62

6 Years Ago

Britain in the 19th Century

Historians who compare the history of several nations always have difficulty in finding out why these nations differ under similar circumstances. Britain by the 19th century had already had its uprisings about parliamentary government vs. authoritarian monarchy; it gained from a certain disinclination towards too much introspection. This worked toward a certain stability I think which continental nations did not enjoy. Compare the French and the British and you will see what I mean. There is for instance no British Victor Hugo to write one novel after another about feeling and faith and suffering and revolt. Only a Frenchman could have wasted so much paper and ink as Hugo without really accomplishing anything useful. The staid and introverted British did better. Of course, Professor Cannadine would doubtless not agree. Compare a Trollope novel with one by Victor Hugo and perhaps you will see what I mean.