Product Description
On Heroes and Hero Worship and the Heroic in History is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Thomas Carlyle is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Thomas Carlyle then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Thougtful Book
19th Century Social Thought is given in terms of heroes.
Thinkers like Carlyle are really rare.
Book is composed of his lectures about Paganism, Islam, Shakspeare, Puritanism etc. in 1840. ... Read more

Product Description
Subjects: Social problemsNotes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be numerous typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Carlyle Sees in the Past the Key to the Present
Carlyle begins Past and Present by noting that England has the economic paradox of possessing great wealth in the aggregate but little that filters down to the common man: "England is full of wealth, of multifarious produce, supply for human want in every kind; yet England is dying of inanition." He sees that England's poorhouses are full of out of work and homeless families.He uses the word "enchantment" to describe the look on their faces as they tell him a collective tale of economic and domestic woe caused by job loss.The inability to maintain a satisfactory life style is not limited to the poor; the rich suffer as well though certainly they have a safety buffer of long standing savings.Carlyle counts more than two million who are forced to live in these poorhouses with no hope: "They sit there, pent up, as in a kind of horrid enchantment; glad to be imprisoned and enchanted that they may not perish starved."Carlyle tells of a Tourist whose daily peregrinations take him past one such poorhouse.This Tourist is horrified at the mute, stupefied looks he sees printed on each unhappy face.The sheer numbers of those living there are staggering in their implications for the future of England: "You have to admit that the working body of this rich English Nation has sunk or is fast sinking into a state to which all sides considered, there was literally never any parallel."Carlyle asks rhetorically: how did England come to such a sad state?

Part of the answer lies in the nature of the hard to locate wealth, which he labels "enchanted."It is everywhere but nowhere, he adds paradoxically as if its enchanted status is explanation enough.Carlyle suggests that the missing wealth is not missing in the physical sense since after all it must lie somewhere even if fallow.It is what its users do with the wealth that marks its utility and hence its presence. As far as the wealth is concerned, "What increase of blessedness is there?"He questions the happiness that wealth ought to provide.A man may have possession of money in his pocket but not have access to the goods that he might otherwise purchase.This lack of access is what makes his wealth seem invisible.Thus, when he again asks rhetorically, "To whom then is this wealth of England wealth," he can lament only, "As yet no one."In the midst of seemingly unlimited resources, there is a "fatal financial paralysis spreading inwards from the extremities."He closes by alluding to Midas who was punished by the gods for arrogance.Whatever Midas touched turned to useless, and thus, fatal gold.

When Carlyle wrote Past and Present, England was experiencing a severe economic downturn that would continue for nearly a decade. High unemployment was rife and hundreds of thousands were rendered homeless. Events continued to worsen until Carlyle felt that he had to do something to halt the slide.He had been working on a biography of Cromwell but due to this crisis, he shelved this project to write with amazing speed a book whose purpose it was to "shake" England out of its doldrums so that he could apply his various philosophical tenets as a cure.Past and Present was written as four books, with Book II dealing with events from England's past (hence the title).The other three focused on the present such that Carlyle could expatiate on what was then plaguing England and what cures he could offer.The problems were the same that he addressed in his other books: creeping capitalism, enervating moral degeneracy, a vanishing belief in matters spiritual, a growing trend to accept conspicuous consumption, and the lack of a Great Leader to set things aright.The cures were also recycled from those very same books: a focus on duty, work, and obedience to a Great Leader.In "Midas," Carlyle alludes to the economic depression that he saw as tearing apart the British social and spiritual fabric.His grasp of economics is faulty in that he assumes that the root cause of England's various woes was due mostly to a shortage of goods to purchase rather than a lack of money to buy them.He implies that the blame for this belongs to those who were then suffering the most.Hence, there was a growing need for a Great Leader to arise to force the common man to plan his affairs with more prudence.Carlyle would spend the remainder of his life justifying this search for a Great Leader.

Carlyle introduces one of his favorite themes: that the love of money is the root of all evil.But he does so in a roundabout way as he first discusses Heaven and Hell before he connects them with his theme.He writes that Hell is a concept that varies from culture to culture and individual to individual.For England, Hell is the gospel of Mammonism, which simply means that the desire to earn money trumps the need to help one's fellow man."Verily," he notes, "Mammonism is a melancholy creed."Carlyle uses the murder of Able by Cain to illustrate the perfidy that wages allegedly played in the killing.

The forced paying of unneeded money is the equivalent of going to Hell. An employer may pay lawful wages to an employee but the concept of paying more, say for maternity leave, would consign that employer to the darkest recesses of Hell.

Carlyle is upset with any "ism" that threatens to supplant belief in a Higher Power.Should such one belief misdirect men away from their pre-ordained creed, then it follows that malicious cant becomes the order of the day.And if cant be the coin of social interaction, then there can never arise the true hero as a counter weight: "For if there be no Hero and the Histrio (loud orator) himself begin to be seen into, what hope is there for the seed of Adam here below?"The result can be none other than "We are the doomed everlasting prey of the Quack."Such a Quack may maul and consume any man, but Carlyle is determined not to acquiesce passively: "Though he slay me yet will I not trust in him."The world is replete with false heroes, quacks, moral dissolutes, and pre-converted Teufelsdrockhs.Carlyle tells an anecdote of a poor widow who needed medicine for a fever.She made the rounds of her city's welfare agencies, all of which rudely turned her away.She died in agony, but before her death, she passed on to others her contagion, killing seventeen of them.One doctor posed the question: "Would it not have been economy to help this poor Widow?"It was not simply a balance sheet thought process that denied her aid.She was turned away because those who could have and should have helped her had long since lost their souls.Carlyle's conclusion: The misuse of money is but the external manifestation of those who resemble human beings in all aspects but lack an immortal soul.

Carlyle saw England in the economic bear hug of a capitalistic philosophy that required all concerned to value things over people. As soon as the majority of the populace accepted that world view, then it became inevitable that this culture was crumbling under the weight of its own excesses.The failure of man to help his fellow man opened the door to other equally invidious evils, one of which was the rise of the Quack.Carlyle held several spots open in his heart for the damnation of specified groups of miscreants.Chief among these was the Quack.As long as the Quack held sway, then the Great Leader could not arise.It became necessary for Carlyle as the Knight to slay the Quack-dragon, hence his willingness to postpone his beloved book on Cromwell for the moment.In the "Gospel of Mammonism," Carlyle identifies and tries his level best to marginalize such false prophets.He would spend his lifetime doing so.

a fascinating book!
This is just a real though provoking book. If it's light reading you want, stick with the comics in the newpapers. If you want a book that that will make you think and learn - then this is a great choice. Also, the CreateSpace edition is physically attactive both inside and out, with an easy to read, clear typestyle and layout.
A classic.

Salvation for the Western World
A review of Carlyle's Past and Present written in Carlylese (he's much better at it than I am...)

This book could change the whole Western world, if only men would read it, and believe it! -We could have several Utopias springing up in North American and throughout Europe within the space of five years! So here you are. In this work, Carlyle criticizes the social, economic, and political arrangements in England of the 1840s. I will not bother to explain what those arrangements were; I will only say that his criticism is as relevant to us now as it was to the people of his own time. My friends, very simply put, then as now, we have 'parted company with the eternal inner Facts of this Universe, and followed the outer transient Appearances thereof...[we] have forgotten the right Inner True, and taken up with the Outer Sham-true.' Yes Carlyle's English is a bit strange, but try not to be distracted by outer appearances, that is his point! In many aspects of our Western life, we have forgotten what is true and at the heart of the matter, and taken up with superficial nonsense.

Let's begin with economics. In Carlyle's day, the Industrialists were trying their damnedest to figure out a way to make the production of cotton cheaper. This is a sham! Instead, figure out a way, with all your cotton cloth, to 'cover all the backs of England.' How like our present day Global Economists, wracking their brains trying to get the poor fools of the Third World to buy our products. Why don't they stop a moment and see if everyone at home is yet sufficiently provided for. Do your own fellow citizens need what you are producing, or have they enough of it, need they some other product which it is in your power to produce? And what is this of Advertising? Carlyle remembers a hat-maker who built a seven-foot hat of wood and plaster; wheeled it about the streets of London to attract customers to his shop. Does this improve the quality or utility of your hats, man, or does it only fool people into thinking that you have done honest work? I begin to think that more money is made in Advertising in these times of ours than in any other enterprise. What are our cities but places to tack up Billboards, to display Clothes in shop windows, to produce commercials for television, all to fool people into buying rubbish they don't need. Don't Advertise, Just Work!

Religion? Why all the silly ceremonies, the controversies, feuding between different sects. Do we need absurd ceremonies and idolatrous rituals to believe in a Divine Power? True Religion is 'Moral Conscience, Inner Light' 'All Religion [is] here to remind us, better or worse, of what we already know, better or worse, of the quite infinite difference between a Good man, and a Bad, to bid us love infinitely the one, abhor infinitely the other, to strive infinitely to be the one, and not the other.' A Religious man is he who makes his whole life an appeal to Heaven, to Divine Justice, to Goodness, and who cannot be happy if he do not always choose the right thing for his family, his country, his God and himself.

Politics? Why do we continue to elect Bill Slicktons and Tony Blears, vicious Garry Condits and brainless Bushes, when these rotten Governors have in their own souls nothing to govern by. They are play-actors, nothing more, and very poor ones at that. Behind the smile, the make-up, the $400 hair-cut lies only one thing: 'impudent dishonesty--brazen insensibility to lying and to making others lie' Look into the souls of such men and what will you see: 'a general grey twilight, looming with shapes of expediencies, parliamentary traditions, division lists [like opinion polls], election-funds, leading articles...' The true leader, on the other hand, is a hero: he wants none of our material rewards, fears none of our punishments, believes that there is such a thing as eternal justice, will stop at nothing until he has made life better, happier, more fruitful for his fellow citizens. How do we elect such a man, instead of another politician, that is, another professional liar, wood and plaster dummy? We as voters must cease to vote wrong! How is that to be accomplished? Well that is not so easily done. We must all awaken from this state of enchantment, says Carlyle, must begin to learn to distinguish just and unjust, admirable and despicable in our fellow men, and in ourselves. READ THE BOOK!!!

Buyer beware!!
This is for sure a great book, if you have the ability to concentrate for more than five minutes, unlike the majority of the Herd, in mean people, of today.If your intrest lies in the substance of this book, read some other review, I'm only going to tell you that, the (1909) publication, stinks; the so called book, is more like a oversized magizine, and the print is about the size of a footnote in the bible.

The Best Carlyle- As lucid as Acid
Widely known is the lucid and acid historic sense of Thomas Carlyle. This is what you will find in this book. More accessible than the monumental 'Sartor Resartus', but at the same high level. I strongly recomend thatbook as a way to enter into the vivid world of Carlyle. ... Read more

Product Description
I have had no word from you for a long space. You wrote me a letter from Scotland after the death of your wife's mother, and full of pity for me also; and since, I have heard nothing. I confide that all has gone well and prosperously with you; that the iron Puritan is emerging from the Past, in shape and stature as he lived; and you are recruited by sympathy and content with your picture; and that the sure repairs of time and love and active duty have brought peace to the orphan daughter's heart. ... Read more

Product Description
This selection is representative of all stages of Carlyle's career, rather than a "best of" volume. It includes the whole of "Chartism" and chapters from "Sartor Resartus", the "French Revolution", "Heroes and Hero-Worship", "Past and Present" and "The History of Frederick the Great". ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

genius
Carlyle's 'Sartor Resartus' is the greatest neglected book in cultural history, endlessly complex, subtle, always self-critical, ironic, mysterious, beautiful and powerful. Not a book to read through frombeginning to end, but one to dip into, explore, examine from differentangles. As in the book itself, the so-called Editor attempts to piecetogether the shards of the philosopher-hero Teufelsdrockh's identity, sothe reader needs to plunge into, striking into its magical maze of ideas ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (3)

Brilliance
No one writes history like Carlyle.The force of his words and ideas can be a bit daunting; given time and perspective, they are some of the best words and ideas in all of written history.

Extraordinary book
This extraordinary work is more like a film scenario than a modern history. Its flashes of lightning pick out and illuminate dramatic scenes, vividly portrayed, like King Louis' doomed flight to Varennes. Carlyle famously described `the incorruptible sea-green Robespierre'.

Carlyle acknowledges, contrary to convention, "there is no period to be met with, in which the general Twenty-five Millions of France suffered less than in this period which they name Reign of Terror."

He praises the revolution as "Surely a great phenomenon: nay it is a transcendental one, overstepping all rules and experience; the crowning phenomenon of our Modern Time."

Good Overview
If you want to sample the smoke in your nostrils, blood on your shoes, and vengeful mob immediacy of Carlyle without all of the ponderous stuff, this abridgment is your ticket. ... Read more

Product Description
Sartor Resartus ("The Tailor Retailored") is ostensibly an introduction to a strange history of clothing by the German Professor of Things in General, Diogenes Teufelsdrockh; its deeper concerns are social injustice, the right way of living in the world, and the large questions of faith and understanding.This is the first edition to present the novel as it originally appeared, with indications of the changes Carlyle made to later editions. ... Read more

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A Sophisticated and Thought-Provoking Masterpiece
This book is, quite simply, unlike anything else I have ever read.Gems of transcendental philosophy embedded within the quirky story of a German professor, his existential crisis and discursive volume on the "philosophy of clothes".

You may be frustrated by this book if you don't realize the following things: It was originally serialized in a magazine, and can be read as a collection of short essays rather than a continuous narrative; not everything in it makes sense; it is, and is meant to be, funny.

The Taylor Retaylored
One of the most complex and fascinating books I have ever read.Leaves one much to ponder of the world. ... Read more

Product Description
First written and published in 1837, Carlyle initially was asked to write this account by his overworked friend John Stuart Mill. Taking the commission to heart, Carlyle proceeded to write a historical masterpiece, combining a scrupulous consideration for facts with a unique style of writing. Rather than a detached account of this turbulent time, Carlyle uses poetic prose that makes readers feel almost as though they are participants in the riots, public executions, and general feelings of tumult and instability in the late 1700s. "The French Revolution" brings to life, with its insights and story-telling quality, this period of French history to such great effect that it strongly influenced Charles Dickens as he wrote "A Tale of Two Cities," Mark Twain, and many of Carlyle's other contemporaries. Continuously in print since its initial reception, Carlyle's work is still considered a standard work on the subject of the French Revolution today. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

One of the greatest history books ever
Bob-Blair.org has an amazing annotated copy of THE FRENCH REVOLUTION. Working through its first chapters, I find that the first chapter requires a fairly good knowledge of Louis XV's reign, which Wikipedia or Bob Blair's site can give you.

The next chapters are absolutely lucid, and state clearly and repeatedly that the great causes of the French Revolution are the decline of the nobility, the exploitation of the poor, and a general atmosphere of skepticism. Loss of belief, Carlyle says, leads to an outbreak of the diabolical in human beings.

Dickens got almost all his feeling for the French Revolution from Carlyle's history. In their time the revolution was no farther away than World War Two is from us, which means they had a good general feel for it. Even at our present distance, it's not that tough to read Carlyle -- and his main points, rather than being hidden as some reviewers have said, are virtually screamed at the reader over and over again.

Those who call his writing stilted don't know what "stilted" means. It means pompous and over-formal. Carlyle coined words and wrote the kind of wild poetry that influenced Melville in his MOBY DICK. That's not stilted. Calling it stilted is like calling a rock star soft.

It is a poetic style, for sure. The Modern Library introducer compares it with Milton's. He also calls the book a kind of epic. If you don't like epic poetry, don't read Carlyle. He won't miss you; I won't miss you; and you'll be so much happier wherever you end up.

The Definition of Turgid
Whate Bede, William (1066), Shakespeare and Gibbons did for the English lexicon took 1000 years Fify years later Carlyle utterly decimates it in this innocuosly titled "History" book. Yes after several false starts I finished but it provided no more insight than reading a high school short history of... Don't read too much into those who praise this book as this is nothing more than proof of their erudition; a validation of such a high IQ. The 1982 Websters dicationary definge Turgid: bombastic style of literature to the point of complete obscuration of its intended meaning.

An Absolute Classic
This is a classic work of history by one of the greatest thinkers and writers of all time.Probably best to have at least a rudimentary understanding of the core event before jumping into Carlyle's majestic work.

The Best Book I Read in 2008
I am not sure why I picked up this book in the first place, but boy was it wonderful.Some history books are interesting, some dull, this one was beautiful.Every page gorgeous. Let me try to explain.I am not the smartest guy out there, and I know it, and some of you can tell by my writing style.

The book is a mixture of prose and poetry, action and wise musings.I have never seen history treated so poetically.In some scenes, I really felt that I was there witnessing the events as they occurred, such as when the living quarters of the royal family was besieged.It was almost as if he wrote the book having been there, certainly having read the newspapers day after day.

The book proceeds sometimes day by day, hour by hour...and the tension during the French Revolution was very intense at times.

I don't do this justice, but I will try...in the beginning Carlylse describes the funeral procession of the dead king (forgot his name), and he describes the next king and his wife Marie Antoinette, and he muses at one point how they haven't a clue how they are walking on gossamer above a precipice.

Here are the bad points:If you know nothing of the French Revolution, it may be tiresome as he alludes to events and names you may not know.If you have a hard time with hard reading, this is very hard reading, don't bother.I would suggest you read two books concurrently, a regular dull history book, then Carlisle, month by month.

I am ashamed to admit, I think I only fully grasped 1/3 of what I read.But wading through that which I did not understand was well worth the delight of finding gems that were intelligible to me.

Carlylse wrote with perspective, wisdom and poetry.

I read this book for 4 months.Really.I put this in the same class as Boethius's Consolations of Philosophy.Those who truly are literate may think him primitive and lowbrow, but Boethius was beautiful in dealing with fortune and fate.

If you are up for a challenge, and are patient and love beauty, then read it.If you just want a factual read, stay away.

Regarding This Edition...
This review is for the Heritage Press edition of The French Revolution in the later printing with the pictorial hardback boards.

A hefty, oblong book on heavy paper. Painted illustrations by Bernard Lamotte -- over 20 full page or two page spread collotypes. Bound in pictorial linen.

629 pp with an introduction by Cecil Brown.
... Read more

Product Description
In this definitive biography of the great Victorian essayist Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881), Fred Kaplan provides a vivid picture of Victorian life as he gives the reader a sensitive and candid portrait of a complex and difficult man. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Ten thumbs up
A while back in the past I had a bit of an interest in French history, especially the era before and during the revolution of 1789. In my search for authors to read, who were not far removed from that time period, I came across a book called The French Revolution byThomas Carlyle. I was blown away by the uniqueness of the highly intelligent writing style. The words read were magical to my sight. I had the need to know more in depth of the writer of this fabulous book and Fred Kaplan did a superb job in bringing the man back to life in my imagination so I could finally get to know a little about the author with the fantastic ability of a brilliant wordsmith. This book well deserves the Pulitzer prize 10 times over.

Well-written study of Victorian literary figure
As a writer and historian, Thomas Carlyle stands as one of the dominant figures of Victorian literature.Growing up in Scotland, he was a shy boy who studied for the ministry and the law before deciding to embark on a career as a writer.After starting out as a literary critic he moved on to become a historian, outlining a vision of history as a chronicle of heroes who shaped events - a view that alienated him from the growing liberal and democratic trends of his time.

Drawing upon Carlyle's enormous correspondence and personal writings, Fred Kaplan provides a detailed study of the man.Much of Carlyle's life is uninteresting, coming across as constant intellectual anxiety and a never-ending concern about illness, frequently punctuated in his early years by moves in search of a more congenial locale.Yet Kaplan describes it in a surprisingly readable manner, one that moves the reader smoothly through what might otherwise be turgid stretches.His examination of Carlyle's tense marriage is especially strong; a woman of considerable gifts in her own right, she proved as popular in London's literary circles as Carlyle himself, though the pleasure she drew from this was often offset by her own frequent illnesses and fights with her husband.Punctuating all of this is Kaplan's analysis of Carlyle's ideas, which he often develops within the context of the historian's many contacts with the leading literary figures of his day - a perspective that adds further to his insights into his personality.

Yet while Kaplan's biography provides an excellent portrait of Carlyle's personal life, it lacks an examination of the very thing that makes him worthy of study - his writings.Kaplan does recount Carlyle's efforts to write his many books and essays, but the finished products themselves are never analyzed for what they said or how they were received by the reading public.This is a glaring omission in what is otherwise a fine study of an important Victorian historian, one whose work had a significant impact on the thought of his era. ... Read more

Product Description
The decade from 1820 to 1830 was a period of unusual dulness in English thought and imagination. All the great literary reputations belonged to the beginning of the century, Byron, Scott, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Shelley, Keats, had said their say. ... Read more

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Letters between contemporaneous friends
The Correspondence of Thomas Carlyle and Ralph Waldo Emerson, Volume 1, edited by Charles Eliot Norton, presents a most intriguing view into the intellectual and personal lives of two outstanding men of letters dominant of their time.Works reveal the minds; letters reveal the inner lives and views of the world in which they lived.Works are thoughts distilled; letters reveal perspective of their world. For this student works and letters are at once revealing and valuable. ... Read more

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The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Heroes; Business ... Read more

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sartor resartus
very poor quality paperback---the pages are literally falling out as you try to read it. ... Read more

Product Description
On the Choice of Books is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Thomas Carlyle is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Thomas Carlyle then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
A Carlyle Reader constitutes the most substantial one-volume presentation of representative writings of the great Victorian prose writer, historian, philosopher and social critic-Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881). It contains the full text of Carlyle's seminal work Sartor Resartus as well as the full text of five of his most influential essays. It also offers general selections from The French Revolution, Past and Present, On Heroes and Hero Worship, and the celebrated Coleridge chapter from The Life of John Sterling. In addition to offering a rich sampling of Carlyle in all his various literary manifestations, this volume enables the the reder to study Carlyle chronologically, the first entry being from 1823 and the last from 1876. The almost forty pages of introductory material provide a biographical overview of Carlyle's life, a presentation of his leading ideas and a discussion of his unique prose style. There is a bibliography of secondary writings and a chronology of Carlyle's life. Every section is preceded by an explanatory introduction by the editor. ... Read more

Product Description
Chapter I. -- PROEM: FRIEDRICH'S HISTORY FROM THE DISTANCE WE ARE AT. 1. FRIEDRICH THEN, AND FRIEDRICH NOW. 2. EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 3. ENGLISH PREPOSSESSIONS. 4. ENCOURAGEMENTS, DISCOURAGEMENTS.

Chapter II. -- FRIEDRICH'S BIRTH.
... Read more

Product Description
This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1892 edition by Macmillan and Co., London. ... Read more

Product Description
Thomas Carlyle, renowned nineteenth-century essayist and social critic, came to be thought of as a secular prophet by many of his readers and as the "undoubted head of English letters" by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Historical Essays brings together Carlyle's essays on history and historical subjects in a fully annotated modern edition for the first time. These essays, which were originally collected in Critical and Miscellaneous Essays, span Carlyle's career from 1830 to 1875 and represent a major facet of his writings. This edition uses all the extant authoritative versions of the essays to create an accurate critical text and includes a mine of lucidly presented information to enhance readers' understanding of Carlyle's densely allusive prose. This collection includes essays on the French Revolution, Cromwell, Frederick the Great, and medieval Scandinavia. It also includes such essential pieces as "On History," "On History Again," "Count Cagliostro," and "The Diamond Necklace."9 b/w illustrations ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

One of the greatest history books ever
Bob-Blair.org has an amazing annotated copy of THE FRENCH REVOLUTION. Working through its first chapters, I find that the first chapter requires a fairly good knowledge of Louis XV's reign, which Wikipedia or Bob Blair's site can give you.

The next chapters are absolutely lucid, and state clearly and repeatedly that the great causes of the French Revolution are the decline of the nobility, the exploitation of the poor, and a general atmosphere of skepticism. Loss of belief, Carlyle says, leads to an outbreak of the diabolical in human beings.

Dickens got almost all his feeling for the French Revolution from Carlyle's history. In their time the revolution was no farther away than World War Two is from us, which means they had a good general feel for it. Even at our present distance, it's not that tough to read Carlyle -- and his main points, rather than being hidden as some reviewers have said, are virtually screamed at the reader over and over again.

Those who call his writing stilted don't know what "stilted" means. It means pompous and over-formal. Carlyle coined words and wrote the kind of wild poetry that influenced Melville in his MOBY DICK. That's not stilted. Calling it stilted is like calling a rock star soft.

It is a poetic style, for sure. The Modern Library introducer compares it with Milton's. He also calls the book a kind of epic. If you don't like epic poetry, don't read Carlyle. He won't miss you; I won't miss you; and you'll be so much happier wherever you end up.

The Definition of Turgid
Whate Bede, William (1066), Shakespeare and Gibbons did for the English lexicon took 1000 years Fify years later Carlyle utterly decimates it in this innocuosly titled "History" book. Yes after several false starts I finished but it provided no more insight than reading a high school short history of... Don't read too much into those who praise this book as this is nothing more than proof of their erudition; a validation of such a high IQ. The 1982 Websters dicationary definge Turgid: bombastic style of literature to the point of complete obscuration of its intended meaning.

An Absolute Classic
This is a classic work of history by one of the greatest thinkers and writers of all time.Probably best to have at least a rudimentary understanding of the core event before jumping into Carlyle's majestic work.

The Best Book I Read in 2008
I am not sure why I picked up this book in the first place, but boy was it wonderful.Some history books are interesting, some dull, this one was beautiful.Every page gorgeous. Let me try to explain.I am not the smartest guy out there, and I know it, and some of you can tell by my writing style.

The book is a mixture of prose and poetry, action and wise musings.I have never seen history treated so poetically.In some scenes, I really felt that I was there witnessing the events as they occurred, such as when the living quarters of the royal family was besieged.It was almost as if he wrote the book having been there, certainly having read the newspapers day after day.

The book proceeds sometimes day by day, hour by hour...and the tension during the French Revolution was very intense at times.

I don't do this justice, but I will try...in the beginning Carlylse describes the funeral procession of the dead king (forgot his name), and he describes the next king and his wife Marie Antoinette, and he muses at one point how they haven't a clue how they are walking on gossamer above a precipice.

Here are the bad points:If you know nothing of the French Revolution, it may be tiresome as he alludes to events and names you may not know.If you have a hard time with hard reading, this is very hard reading, don't bother.I would suggest you read two books concurrently, a regular dull history book, then Carlisle, month by month.

I am ashamed to admit, I think I only fully grasped 1/3 of what I read.But wading through that which I did not understand was well worth the delight of finding gems that were intelligible to me.

Carlylse wrote with perspective, wisdom and poetry.

I read this book for 4 months.Really.I put this in the same class as Boethius's Consolations of Philosophy.Those who truly are literate may think him primitive and lowbrow, but Boethius was beautiful in dealing with fortune and fate.

If you are up for a challenge, and are patient and love beauty, then read it.If you just want a factual read, stay away.

Regarding This Edition...
This review is for the Heritage Press edition of The French Revolution in the later printing with the pictorial hardback boards.

A hefty, oblong book on heavy paper. Painted illustrations by Bernard Lamotte -- over 20 full page or two page spread collotypes. Bound in pictorial linen.

629 pp with an introduction by Cecil Brown.
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