The English Constitution
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Summary
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- General readers interested in British political institutions and constitutional history
- Politics and law students using it as supplementary course reading
- Readers hoping to learn methods of institutional analysis and political writing
Not a good fit for
- Readers with no political science background seeking an introductory textbook
- Readers who only want to understand contemporary British politics and do not care about historical context
Reading tips
- Start with the sections on the cabinet and the House of Commons, then return to the chapters on the monarchy and the House of Lords
- As you read, list the "dignified parts" and "efficient parts" the author distinguishes, to clarify the framework
- After each chapter, compare with contemporary British institutions and consider which judgments still hold and which have changed
- Pair it with a general history of British constitutionalism to fill in later developments the book does not cover
About the publisher
Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.
Contents
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About the author
Walter Bagehot (1826–1877) was a British journalist, economist, and political writer born in Langport, Somerset. From 1861 he edited The Economist for sixteen years, notably extending its political influence. His major works include The English Constitution, Lombard Street, and Physics and Politics: the first remains a classic political-science analysis of the British constitution and cabinet government, while the latter two address the workings of the money market and the evolution of political society. Three of his works are held in the collection, commonly categorized under self-improvement. Public information is limited, yet his writings show clear analysis and lasting influence on institutional and economic questions. He died in his hometown in 1877.
