Table of Contents

Acknowledgements; Preface; 1. Recruitment; 2. Education and religion; 3. Marriage; 4. The sinews of power: political; 5. The sinews of power: economic; 6. The sinews of power: ideological; Conclusion; Index.

Reviews

' … contains much new material and an abundance of really illuminating statistics, and it retains the pace and vigour … which must have made his Wiles Lectures a pleasure to hear and which make the book based on them very stimulating to read.' John Habakkuk, The Times Literary Supplement

'To some the scope of these revised Wiles Lectures may appear narrow, but the gusto and wit with which they are carried along bring a coherence to the eighteenth century that it has not known since Lewis Namier's day, and import a lightness of touch that carries a heavy load of facts and figures without strain.' F. M. L. Thompson, The Times Higher Education Supplement

' … distinguished by the lucidity, urbanity and gentle wit which have made the author one of the most civilised of English istorians writing today.' John Kenyon, The Observer