'Driven by an emphasis on the profound effects of free trade liberalism, James Vernon's Modern Britain covers vast ground. In lively and accessible prose he charts a coherent narrative of modern Britain attentive to the effects of the world beyond its shores. Vernon does not flinch from portraying the violence underpinning liberalism, and his insistence on writing Britain's history in ... Read morea global frame is a welcome addition to the field.' Philippa Levine, University of Texas, Austin 'James Vernon's book is at once a powerful reinterpretation of British history and a compelling and comprehensive survey accessible to students from a diversity of backgrounds.' Chris Hilliard, University of Sydney 'What we have long waited for ... a beautifully written and illustrated textbook that deftly synthesizes several decades of new research to demonstrate how global forces created and recreated the polity we know as Modern Britain. Taking us on a lively journey that ends with an assessment of the Brexit vote, Vernon provides students and anyone interested in modern history with a fascinating portrait of how liberal political economy shaped the nation state and empire, society and urban life, the family and citizenship, and bodies and identities.' Erika Rappaport, University of California, Santa Barbara 'This is an outstandingly good book. The writing is excellent, crisp and concise, giving sufficient information and explanations of terms. The timelines are very useful, and biographies and sources reinforce the analysis in each chapter. The book is animated throughout by a tremendous analytical coherence and argumentative energy. This is likely to stand as the most up-to-date, interesting and usable textbook for modern Britain courses.' Robert Travers, Cornell University, New York 'This is a wonderful achievement by a historian at the peak of his abilities. Amidst a scholarship that has becoming increasingly specialised James Vernon has produced a powerful work of synthesis and reinterpretation, and he has done so in a clear and accessible manner. This is a textbook that will guide new students through the subject, but it offers too a powerful thesis about that nature of liberal political economy that will challenge all historians of the period to debate just how and when Britain became modern.' Matthew Hilton, Queen Mary University of London 'Driven by an emphasis on the profound effects of free trade liberalism, James Vernon's Modern Britain covers vast ground. In lively and accessible prose he charts a coherent narrative of modern Britain attentive to the effects of the world beyond its shores. Vernon does not flinch from portraying the violence underpinning liberalism, and his insistence on writing Britain's history in a global frame is a welcome addition to the field.' Philippa Levine, University of Texas, Austin 'James Vernon's book is at once a powerful reinterpretation of British history and a compelling and comprehensive survey accessible to students from a diversity of backgrounds.' Chris Hilliard, University of Sydney 'What we have long waited for ... a beautifully written and illustrated textbook that deftly synthesizes several decades of new research to demonstrate how global forces created and recreated the polity we know as Modern Britain. Taking us on a lively journey that ends with an assessment of the Brexit vote, Vernon provides students and anyone interested in modern history with a fascinating portrait of how liberal political economy shaped the nation state and empire, society and urban life, the family and citizenship, and bodies and identities.' Erika Rappaport, University of California, Santa Barbara 'This is an outstandingly good book. The writing is excellent, crisp and concise, giving sufficient information and explanations of terms. The timelines are very useful, and biographies and sources reinforce the analysis in each chapter. The book is animated throughout by a tremendous analytical coherence and argumentative energy. This is likely to stand as the most up-to-date, interesting and usable textbook for modern Britain courses.' Robert Travers, Cornell University, New York 'This is a wonderful achievement by a historian at the peak of his abilities. Amidst a scholarship that has becoming increasingly specialised James Vernon has produced a powerful work of synthesis and reinterpretation, and he has done so in a clear and accessible manner. This is a textbook that will guide new students through the subject, but it offers too a powerful thesis about that nature of liberal political economy that will challenge all historians of the period to debate just how and when Britain became modern.' Matthew Hilton, Queen Mary University of London Show Less