Author

Publication

2013 - Yale University Press

Language

English

Word Count

75,750 words, Guess

Page Count

303 pages

Identifiers

  • ISBN-139781299546493
  • ISBN-101299546498
  • Better World Books9781299546493
  • Open LibraryOL29220313M

Description

"This first-ever biography of William Beckford provides a unique look at eighteenth-century British history from the perspective of the colonies. Even in his own time, Beckford was seen as a metaphor for the dramatic changes occurring during this era. He was born in 1709 into a family of wealthy sugar planters living in Jamaica, when the colonies were still peripheral to Britain. By the time he died in 1770, the colonies loomed large and were considered the source of Britain's growing global power. Beckford grew his fortune in Jamaica, but he spent most of his adult life in London, where he was elected Lord Mayor twice. He was one of the few politicians to have experienced imperial growing pains on both sides of the Atlantic, and his life offers a riveting look at how the expanding empire challenged existing political, social, and cultural norms."--

Subjects

Other Editions

  • William BeckfordYale University Press2013

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