Path-breaking history of modern liberalism told through the pages of one of its most zealous supporters
Alexander Zevin is an Assistant Professor at the College of Staten Island, City University of New York, and an editor at New Left Review.
An outstanding guide to our history
*Economist*
Sharp, engaging and deeply researched, Liberalism at Large reveals
the profound contradictions at the heart of one of the most
influential strands of liberalism - its supposed aversion to state
power and consistent embrace of imperial might
*Jennifer Pitts, Professor of Political Science, University of
Chicago*
Liberalism at Large has to be the most fascinating, and the
best-written, engagement with the idea-that-nobody-ever-defines.
Our understanding of liberalism, and of its historical and
ideological power, is permanently changed, and immeasurably for the
better
*Geoff Mann, author of In the Long Run We Are All Dead*
Much more than a history of a single journal, Liberalism at Large
gives us a compelling counter-history of key global players, events
and ideologies from imperialism and free trade to liberalism and
neoliberalism. Absorbing and informative
*Priyamvada Gopal, author of Insurgent Empire*
What a brilliant idea and what a brilliant book. Zevin offers a
critical and nuanced account of the ever-changing liberalism
promoted by the Economist
*Donald Sassoon, author of The Anxious Triumph*
Meticulous and beautifully written, Liberalism at Large should be
read by anyone interested in "actually existing liberalism", in
other words liberalism as it was conceived by the people who
defined and promoted it, and not an idealized version based on some
pre-determined canon of "great thinkers". Fascinating and often
disturbing
*Helena Rosenblatt, author of The Lost History of Liberalism*
The Economist has vigorously claimed to be advancing the liberal
cause since its founding. Zevin takes it at its word, telling the
story not only of the magazine itself but also of its impact on
world affairs. Having evidently mastered the magazine's archives,
he commands a deep knowledge of its inner workings. The Economist
emerges as a force that-thanks to the military, cultural and
economic power of Britain and, later, America-can truly be said to
have made the modern world, if not in the way that many liberals
would suppose.
*New Yorker*
A singular work of history that shows how the Economist...has
shaped the liberal tradition and influenced world affairs since the
title was founded in 1843.
*New Statesman - Books of the Year*
He is to be thanked for a critique of the paper
*The Economist*
Masterful...[Liberalism at Large] is intellectually rich without
being conceptually baggy
*New Statesman*
This is a great book, of considerable scholarship. I strongly
recommend it, not least for its historical focus and the engrossing
chapters on the 19th century.
*Literary Review*
Liberalism at Large is a deeply researched and fascinating insight
into what the history of the modern world looks like when seen from
one particular vantage point. And it is a salutary reminder of how
easy it is for people who are convinced they are right to sometimes
get it wrong.
*Financial Times*
Zevin regards the Economist as one imagines an antelope might
regard a crocodile-impressed by its longevity and power, suspicious
of its habitat, and wary of its bite. His critique, pronounced atop
a formidable pile of research, is forceful and serious: the
Economist, as the voice of finance capital, is too self-satisfied
to see its own role in the world's troubles.
*New Republic*
A compelling intellectual history
*Boston Review*
A deeply researched and fascinating insight into what the history
of the modern world looks like when seen from one particular
vantage point.
*Financial Times*
Zevin has a sharp eye...[Liberalism at Large] is a stirring
read
*London Review of Books*
Outstanding...an excellent prism through which to study and
evaluate the record of 'actually existing liberalism'.
*Australian Book Review*
Masterful
*Red Pepper*
Fascinating
*Prospect*
Liberalism at Large provides a rigorous study of the Economist's
history and the contingencies that shaped liberalism over the long
term.
*LSE Review of Books*
A fascinating new perspective on the history of liberalism ...
[Zevin] provides a significant new point of view, which changes the
way we understand this category so fundamental to modern
history.
*Soziopolis*
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