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Jacob Rees-Mogg
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The Victorians: Twelve Titans who Forged Britain Hardcover – May 23, 2019

by Jacob Rees-Mogg (Author)
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They built a nation. Now it’s our turn.

Many associate the Victorian era with austere social attitudes and filthy factories. But in this bold and provocative book, Jacob Rees-Mogg -- leading Tory MP and prominent Brexit advocate -- takes up the story of twelve landmark figures to paint a very different picture of the age: one of bright ambition, bold self-belief and determined industriousness.

Whether through Peel’s commitment to building free trade, Palmerston’s deft diplomacy in international affairs, or Pugin’s uplifting architectural feats, the Victorians transformed the nation and established Britain as a preeminent global force.

Now 200 years since the birth of Queen Victoria, it is essential that we remember the spirit, drive and values of the Victorians who forged modern Britain, as we consider our future as a nation.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    384 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    WH Allen
  4. Publication date
    May 23, 2019
  5. Dimensions
    6.38 x 1.61 x 9.45 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0753548526
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0753548523
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ WH Allen (May 23, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0753548526
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0753548523
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.55 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.38 x 1.61 x 9.45 inches
  • Customer Reviews:

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Jacob Rees-Mogg

Jacob Rees-Mogg

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
127 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

David D. Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars Rees-Mogg’a English is Wonderful
Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2019
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I am a true fan of Parliament Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg. His use of the English language is wonderful plus his wise thoughts on leaving the “dictatorial EU” is why I listen to LBC. And by the way, the book’s ok as well but was hoping for an Audible version.
9 people found this helpful
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Jorge Andres
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read!
Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2019
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Just finished. Fascinating information. The critics are got it wrong. Their reviews betray their progressive/leftist disdain for Lord Rees-Mogg.
14 people found this helpful
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raleighrover
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and well-written
Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2019
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For fans of British history (or fans of Mr. Rees Moog, this is a must-have.
10 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Good summer read
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2019
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If you like English history I thought it really well written
8 people found this helpful
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R. Z. Schneer
5.0 out of 5 stars servicee
Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2019
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no dislike, all like.
8 people found this helpful
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Nigel Molesworth
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and informative, but could use a bit of editing
Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2019
It's always astonishing how so many negative reviewers of books by conservative authors always seem driven by antipathy to the author's politics, rather than by any realistic criticisms of the work itself. Mr. Rees-Mogg's selection of Victorians to include in his book ranged from the eminently well known to those of whom I'd never even heard (admittedly a reflection of the gaps in my own education). I found this very satisfying and informative to read. Moreover, Mr. Rees-Mogg appears to have been on a mission to correct the widely held misapprehensions of Victorian society and British imperialism created by, inter alia, Lytton Strachey, who seems to have been quite a miserable piece of work. Both of these are institutions about which it is out of fashion and "un-PC" to have anything positive to say. Mr. Rees-Mogg deserves considerable credit for having the guts to call a spade a spade and appreciate the positive contributions of these institutions to the development of modern Western Civilization, such as it is.

Nevertheless, this work could have greatly benefitted from a considerable amount of editing. For example, near the end of the chapter on Gladstone, Mr. Rees-Mogg quotes a music hall song referencing the death of Gordon: "the MOG when his life ebbs out will ride in a fiery chariot and sit in state on a red hot plate between Pilot and Judas Iscariot." Now, I'm no biblical scholar, but I suppose that "Pilot" should have been "Pilate." The text is replete with situations where additional punctuation would have improved clarity and ease of reading. While I look forward to Mr. Rees-Mogg's next book, in the interest of constructive criticism, here are some extra commas: , , , , , , , , , , , , , and semicolons: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; in case Mr. Rees-Mogg runs out of either again.
One person found this helpful
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UES Reader
1.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely desperately dreadful
Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2019
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Good Lord. What a mess. I ordered this because I found the author rather interesting and more intelligent than the run of the mill politician. What an idiotic load of old rubbish. Strung together clichés, canned paragraphs, and a self consciously arch style that seems almost intended to be Victorian yet is very much not. No photographs, poorly printed, this is a shocking entry and ought never to have been published in this state. Were its author not at the centre of the Brexit fiasco it wouldn't have been.
8 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Golden! Congratulations Jacob
Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2019
I can see what many people do not like this book. However, I feel the bad reviews are largely missing the point he is making. This book shows the vision and leadership of great people who made the world a better place. A lot can be learned from them today.
17 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Stefano Demichelis
5.0 out of 5 stars A terrific book!
Reviewed in Italy on September 7, 2019
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I like everything in it: the ideas, the facts and , above all, the style and the language.
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Occasional Thinker
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reading, and a welcome re-appraisal of 12 Victorians
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 6, 2019
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I have greatly enjoyed reading this book, learning new and very interesting things about familiar characters from what is really quite recent history, and about other characters I'd not heard of. The author's writing style is very occasionally a little jarring, forcing some sentences to need an immediate second, and sometimes a third, reading for their sense to be clear. But overall, the writing flows well, and conveys empathy for the subjects, drawing attention to both their successes and failures in their work and in their attitudes. The author clearly has a liking for politicians and politics, religion and religious motivations, and cricket. I am not greatly exercised by any of these, so my choice of 12 'titans' from that period would be quite different. But I nevertheless like his selection, and enjoyed learning more about them. He has a decent respect for people, and their wide ranges of opinions and impacts. There is no sneering, no ranting, no malice - just good, plain, honest appraisal from his perspective as an admirer of Victorian achievements. And lots of interesting titbits.
10 people found this helpful
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OUTATIME
5.0 out of 5 stars A work of art!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 2, 2019
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I’ve heard this book been described as “dry” and so it reminded me of the wonderful Margaret Thatcher, as this book certainly isn’t “wet”. I am myself a history student and I thoroughly enjoyed reading Mr Rees-Mogg’s work. It lacks that monotonous, list-like droning that so many non-fiction books hold. However, having said that, I fear Mr Rees-Mogg’s work will hold no weight in a historic argument, especially if I was to cite in it one of my essays, however it would no doubt anger Marxist lecturers, so it’s well worth a mention, especially with such quotes as "none of our figures was a Socialist, aiming to cut back prosperity". So if you, unlike Jeremy Corbyn and his band of followers, respect this nation and its past, this book is definitely worth a read.
5 people found this helpful
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Mark Rowden
4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 9, 2019
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This is an excellent book, enjoyable to read, as well as an overdue rebuttal of Strachey’s ‘Eminent Victorians’. The criticism received by other reviewers would appear to be politically motivated. Rees-Mogg has his own style of prose, a quality that most writers might envy. As a reader, you only have to imagine the man talking to fall into his cadences – and therefore be carried along by him. This is an important book, in so far as it seeks to correct the often maligned interpretation of Empire and patriotism. He makes the critical point that the present day too often misses, deliberately or not, the sincerity of the Victorian figures he profiles. He threads a compelling narrative that encourages us to look again at the value that age bequeathed the present. In particular, his take on Albert Venn Dicey especially resonates with the present need to value, rather than denigrate, our process of law and the continuing need to adapt. I purchased this book mainly as a result of the negative reviews. For where there is smoke, there must be fire. And it is a fire that one finds; a worthy flame of thoughtfulness and reason.
11 people found this helpful
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DCP
5.0 out of 5 stars An informative read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 4, 2019
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I read a few of the adverse reviews before reading the book and I can only conclude the criticisms must have been politically motivated mardiness. I found the book informative and fun to read with little to get wound up about. The book concentrates on selected personalities, highlighting the more positive aspects of the Victorian era; this is made abundantly clear in the authors writing style. It would be naive to assume we are being steered towards believing the Victorian era was a perfect age to live in and I see nothing sinister in the authors motives, nor in highlighting the lives of a few of the great characters who helped shape that period.
4 people found this helpful
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