The Creation of the Modern World: The Untold Story of the British Enlightenment

About this book

"Porter's [book] has been long in the making and has been worth waiting for."―Peter Gay, Times Literary Supplement From the author of The Greatest Benefit to Mankind (winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Award) comes a "sumptuous and spicy volume" ( Washington Post Book World ) that highlights Britain's long-underestimated and pivotal role in disseminating the ideas and culture of the Enlightenment. In response to numerous histories centered on France and Germany, Roy Porter explains how the monumental transformation of thinking in Britain influenced worldwide developments. This "splendidly imaginative" work "propels the debate forward...and makes a valuable point" ( New York Times Book Review ). 16 pages of black and white illustrations