Historical and Political Essays

For William Edward Hartpole Lecky, writing history calls for both judgment and imagination. These essays begin by considering how historians select facts, explain causes and give people from the past a convincing presence on the page. Lecky argues that literary ability matters alongside research, and that a nation's social, industrial and intellectual life deserves attention as well as its political affairs. He also examines how partisan sympathies can alter the emphasis of an otherwise accurate account.

The collection extends from historical method to Ireland, empire, public figures and old-age pensions. Essays listed in the contents address Carlyle, Madame de Staël and Queen Victoria, while the passage on Sir Robert Peel traces parliamentary debates over Catholic emancipation and the difficulties of forming a ministry. Readers interested in the writing of history will find arguments about evidence and perspective; those drawn to political history will find discussions of policy, alliances and religious equality.