The Peterloo Massacre - Hardcover

Reid, Robert

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0434629014 ISBN 13: 9780434629015

Publisher: William Heinemann Ltd, 1989

Synopsis

, xiv, black and white maps at the front, 256 pages, bibliography and index

About this title

About the Author:

Robert Reid was born in 1933 in Yorkshire. He was awarded a state scholarship to Oxford University, where he read Chemistry. After taking part in post-graduate research in South Africa and Canada, he completed a PhD in Physical Chemistry at Cambridge University, and then joined the science department of BBC Television. He directed The Sky at Night, presented by Patrick Moore and, in the early 1960s, made the documentary The Building of the Bomb in which he interviewed Robert Oppenheimer. From 1967-1970 he was the editor of Horizon, and in 1970 was made Head of Science and Features at BBC Television. During this time he was responsible for the 13-part series The Ascent of Man presented by Jacob Bronowski. He later wrote the script for another memorable programme, The Voyage of Charles Darwin. After leaving the BBC, Reid joined Sir Antony Jay, John Cleese and Michael Peacock at Video Arts, a production company specialising in training films for business and industry, where he was responsible for the science output of the company. Robert Reid was the author of several books on science-related subjects, including Tongues of Conscience: War and the Scientist's Dilemma, written in 1969. His biography of Marie Curie, published in 1974, was adapted for television and has been translated into many languages. The Peterloo Massacre, originally published in 1989 to mark the 170th anniversary of Peterloo, was his last book. He died in 1990.

Review:

"The Peterloo Massacre is an absorbing analysis of one of the blackest days for civil liberties which this country has ever known. It is a story of heroes and villains, of suffering and carnage and of incompetence, betrayal and brutality, told with the skill of a master craftsman who makes history leap from the page fresh as the morning's newspapers . . . Mr Reid's definitive account of Peterloo is splendidly written." * Evening Chronicle * "There are many accounts of the Peterloo Massacre but none as thoroughly researched as this one. The characters . . . come alive in his easy to read style . . . there is much to be learned from Rober Reid's description and analysis of the role and effects of technology, and I hope his book will be widely read. It should be in every school library and discussed by all those involved in the continuing search for civilised solutions to the social and political problems currently facing our people." * Camden Journal * "[A] magnificent volume of dramatic history." * Manchester Evening News * "From an awe-inspiring range of sources Dr Reid has constructed a narrative that reads like a political thriller in which numerous threads are drawn together in the bloody climax. Each character is fleshed out with his ambitions, abilities and achievements . . . [A] devastatingly comprehensive epic . . . The book will inform and invigorate anyone with an interest in history, drawing intriguing parallels with contemporary ideology." * Newbury Weekly News * "[A] fascinating account of Peterloo." * Literary Review *

About this edition

• Publisher: William Heinemann Ltd
• Publication date: 1989
• ISBN 10: 0434629014
• ISBN 13: 9780434629015
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320