Select Works of Edmund Burke: Reflections on the Revolution in France - Hardcover

Burke, Edmund

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0865971641 ISBN 13: 9780865971646

Publisher: Liberty Fund, 1999

Synopsis

Originally published by Oxford University Press in the 1890s, the famed three-volume Payne edition of Select Works is universally revered by students of English history and political thought. Faithfully reproduced in each volume are E. J. Payne’s notes and introductory essays. Francis Canavan, one of the great Burke scholars of the twentieth century, has added forewords.

Volume 2 consists of Burke’s most renowned work, Reflections on the Revolution in France. In it, he excoriates French revolutionary leaders for recklessly destroying France’s venerable institutions and way of life. He attempts not only to explain the events of the new revolution to his readers but also to persuade them that the revolution menaces the civilization of Europe in general and that of Britain in particular. In addition, he articulates a coherent political countertheory that organizes his own beliefs about God, humanity, and society.

This is Burke’s most famous work, for over two centuries read, discussed, and pondered by thousands of students and general readers as well as by professional scholars.

Francis Canavan (1917–2009) was Professor of Political Science at Fordham University from 1966 until his retirement in 1988.

About this title

From the Publisher

Rethinking the Western Tradition Series

From the Inside Flap

The French Revolution is a defining moment in world history, and usually it has been first approached by English-speaking readers through the picture painted of it by Edmund Burke. Reflections on the Revolution in France is a classic work in a range of fields from history through political science to literature, and securely holds its place among the canon of “great books.” Yet its meaning is still contested and often misunderstood, equally by those who wish to admire or to denigrate Burke for his present-day relevance. This edition aims to locate Burke once again in his contemporary political and intellectual setting. Alone among recent versions, it reprints the text of the first edition of the Reflections, and shows how Burke amended it as his knowledge of the Revolution deepened. It is certain to become the standard edition for scholars and students alike.
The editor’s Introduction is much more extensive than that of any previous edition. It situates the Reflections in Burke’s life and the development of his ideas, the history of English political thought, the debate about the French Revolution, and the debate the book itself inspired. But the Introduction is more than a compendium of information; it is a thoughtful, coherent interpretation of Burke and his book. The editor’s notes are also fuller than those of any previous edition, glossing many literary and biblical allusions missed by previous editors. He also supplies an extended note on the text, a biographical guide, and a bibliography, helpfully presented in discursive form.

Edition details

• Publisher: Liberty Fund
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0865971641
• ISBN 13: 9780865971646
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 501
• Editor: Canavan Francis