Product Description
In this digitised age of shared information it is easy to take for granted the power of the printed word. Here, Melvyn Bragg presents a vivid reminder of the book as agent of social, political and personal revolution. In the fascinating book accompanying the "ITV" series, Melvyn Bragg takes a look at the most important British books in history, and their long-lasting effects which can still be felt throughout the world today. Far from being a study of dry texts, "Twelve British Books that Changed the World" presents a rich variety of human endeavour and a great diversity of characters. From scientific breakthroughs to seminal human rights treatises; from dramatic works of staggering emotional depth to what were at the time seemingly innocuous documents - all these works have shaped the history of Britain and beyond. Definitive, always illuminating and sometimes controversial, the hidden story of these twelve books is a journey through the colourful history of our island and its people.
About the Author
Melvyn Bragg's first novel, For Want of a Nail, was published in 1965 and since then his novels have included The Hired Man, for which he won the Time/Life Silver Pen Award, Without a City Wall, winner of the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, Credo, The Maid of Buttermere and The Soldier's Return, which was published to huge critical acclaim in 1999 and won the WHSmith Literary Award. He has also written several works of non-fiction including Speak for England, an oral history of the twentieth century, Rich, a biography of Richard Burton and On Giants' Shoulders, a history of science based on his BBC radio series. He is controller of Arts at LWT and President of the National Campaign for the Arts, and in 1998 he was made a life peer. He lives in London and Cumbria.
