Amanda Foreman
Popular Historian and Author of A World on Fire
Amanda Foreman is a different kind of historian—one who writes sweeping bestsellers that reach, and spark debate amongst, as wide a spectrum as possible. She engages with the wider culture. On stage, Foreman is a spirited and refreshing presence, injecting vivid life into history—and, importantly, appealing to academic and regular audiences alike.
- The Independent
In her virtuosic new book, A World on Fire, Amanda Foreman brings together hundreds of stories—many of them told for the first time—to rescue a lost chapter of the Civil War, and of British and American history. A 900-page opus, Fire has been named as one of the best books of 2011 by The Economist, one of The Washington Post's Notable Nonfiction Books of 2011, a Bloomberg Top 2011 book, one of The New Yorker's Favorite Books of 2011 and one of The New York Times' Top Ten Books of 2011. "One puts down A World on Fire with a sense of awe," writes The Boston Globe, "Twelve years in the making, and written at an incredible level of detail, A World on Fire is history as a Cecil B. DeMille epic."
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A World on Fire: An Epic History of Two Nations Divided
"A shimmering tapestry." — The Guardian
"A gripping story." —New York Review of Books
Amanda Foreman reveals the startling lost history of the Civil War, which was a turning point for America, but also, for the history of U.S.-British relations. With a historian's reach, and a storyteller's command of detail, Foreman condenses years of research and literally hundreds of perspectives into a cycloramic, humanist, and unforgettable talk about an important—and now reclaimed—chapter of the past. The talk is ostensibly about the 50,000 British volunteers on both sides of the Civil War, and it highlights the stories of those who were there, placing each one within and alongside the biographies of their neighbor, their enemy, their army, their government, and ultimately the War itself. The result is an illuminating synthesis of social and political insight. Sometimes, Foreman reminds us, we don't have the whole picture—time erodes bit and pieces, and only with incredible research and dedication can we patch it back together.
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A World on Fire: An Epic History of Two Nations Divided
Acclaimed historian Amanda Foreman follows the phenomenal success of her New York Times bestseller Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire with her long-awaited second work of nonfiction: the fascinating story of the American Civil War and the major role played by Britain and its citizens in that epic struggle.
Even before the first rumblings of secession shook the halls of Congress, British involvement in the coming schism was inevitable. Britain was dependent on the South for cotton, and in turn the Confederacy relied almost exclusively on Britain for guns, bullets, and ships. The Union sought to block any diplomacy between the two and consistently teetered on the brink of war with Britain. For four years the complex web of relationships between the countries led to defeats and victories both minute and history-making. In A World on Fire, Amanda Foreman examines the fraught relations from multiple angles while she introduces characters both humble and grand, bringing them to vivid life over the course of her sweeping and brilliant narrative.
Between 1861 and 1865, thousands of British citizens volunteered for service on both sides of the Civil War. From the first cannon blasts on Fort Sumter to Lee's surrender at Appomattox, they served as officers and infantrymen, sailors and nurses, blockade runners and spies. Through personal letters, diaries, and journals, Foreman has woven together their experiences to form a panoramic yet intimate view of the war on the front lines, in the prison camps, and in the great cities of both the Union and the Confederacy. Through the eyes of these brave volunteers we see the details of the struggle for life and the great and powerful forces that threatened to demolish a nation. In the drawing rooms of London and the offices of Washington, on muddy fields and aboard packed ships, Foreman reveals the decisions made, the beliefs held and contested, and the personal triumphs and sacrifices that ultimately led to the reunification of America. A World on Fire is a complex and groundbreaking work that will surely cement Amanda Foreman's position as one of the most influential historians of our time. -
The Duchess (Originally published as Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire)
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK. Now a major motion picture starring Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes.
Lady Georgiana Spencer was the great-great-great-great-aunt of Diana, Princess of Wales, and was nearly as famous in her day. In 1774 Georgiana achieved immediate celebrity by marrying William Cavendish, fifth duke of Devonshire, one of England's richest and most influential aristocrats. She became the queen of fashionable society and founder of the most important political salon of her time. But Georgiana's public success concealed an unhappy marriage, a gambling addiction, drinking, drug-taking, and rampant love affairs with the leading politicians of the day.
With penetrating insight, Amanda Foreman reveals a fascinating woman whose struggle against her own weaknesses, whose great beauty and flamboyance, and whose determination to play a part in the affairs of the world make her a vibrant, astonishingly contemporary figure.
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