Listen free for 30 days
Listen with offer
-
The Gun, the Ship and the Pen
- Warfare, Constitutions and the Making of the Modern World
- Narrated by: Susan Ericksen
- Length: 17 hrs and 12 mins
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
£0.00 for first 30 days
Buy Now for £16.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Summary
Starting not with the United States but with the Corsican constitution of 1755, The Gun, the Ship, and the Pen moves through every continent, disrupting accepted narratives. Both monarchs and radicals play a role, from Catherine the Great of Russia, with her remarkable Nakaz, to Sierra Leone's James Africanus Horton, to Tunisia's Khayr-al-Din, a creator of the first modern Islamic constitution. Throughout, Colley demonstrates how constitutions evolved in tandem with warfare, and how they have functioned to advance empire as well as promote nations, and worked to exclude as well as liberate.
Whether reinterpreting Japan's momentous 1889 constitution, or exploring the significance of the first constitution to enfranchise all adult women on Pitcairn Island in the Pacific in 1838, this is one of the most original global histories in decades.
Critic reviews
"If there were a Nobel Prize in history, Colley would be my nominee." (Jill Lepore, New Yorker)
"One of the most exciting historians of her generation, but also one of the most interesting writers of nonfiction around." (William Dalrymple, Guardian)
"A global history of remarkable depth, imagination and insight." (Tony Barber, Financial Times Summer Books)
What listeners say about The Gun, the Ship and the Pen
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Suke
- 28-10-24
Great listen!
Gripping history from 1750 to the present day (although more of the nineteenth century than twentieth). Well worth reading.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!