Johnson, Paul

The Birth of the Modern

ISBN: 006016574X
New York, NY, USA: HarperCollins, 1991. First Edition. Hardcover. "This extraordinary chronicle of fifteen years that laid the foundations of the modern world is the history of people, ideas, politics, manners and morals, economics, art, science and technology, diplomacy, business and commerce, literature and revolution. From (Arthur Wesley, Duke of) Wellington at Waterloo and (Andrew) Jackson at New Orleans to the surge of democratic power and the new forces of reform that emerged by 1830, this is a portrait of a period of great and rapid changes that saw the United States transform itself from an ex-colony into a formidable nation; Britain become the first industrial world power; Russia develop the fatal flaws that would engulf her in the 20th century and China and Japan set the stage for future development and catastrophe. Latin America became independent, and the dawn of modernity appeared in Turkey and Egypt, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and the Balkans. It was an age of new ideas, inventions and great technological advances of every kind." (from front flap) A dense, thorough & most-informative study of a key period in world history by Paul (Bede) Johnson (1928-2023), the acclaimed & prolific British author, journalist & (very) popular historian. The period of 1815-1830 is brilliantly chronicled & dissected in this monumental best-selling thousand-page work. Hardcover in unclipped first-issue dust jacket (with $35 price & "0691N" printed at front flap), first edition as stated on copy page, first printing as indicated by number sequence thereon. From the collection of Barbara (1935-2023) & Irving (1933-2018) Nusbaum, world travellers, connoisseurs, eminent collectors of art & books- the dearly beloved parents of this grieving writer. This was one of Irving Nusbaum's favorites among his avid readings of history & biography, from which I fondly recall his frequent citings & quotes. An essential collectible in the vast Johnson oeuvre; a fundamental work of world history in its rarest contemporary form with distinguished provenance. Book in fine-verging-on-very-fine condition with slight rubbing to dark blue-colored cloth front, back covers & spine; slight fading & a few tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners of same; mild rubbing, browning & occasional light spotting to edges of text block (browning most pronounced at upper edge of same nearest spine). Interior fine-to-very-fine with only small creases at corners of six leaves where once-folded by an enthusiastic Irving Nusbaum (pgs. 387-88(l/c), 609-10, 619-20, 623-24, 627-28, 849-50 (u/cs)); highlightings of text lines in blue ink at pgs. 623, 625; marginal hand-parentheses in blue ink of passages at pgs. 628, 629 (again by IN, & altogether a focused enrichment by a learned source). Dust jacket very fine with only a touch of rubbing, faint scratching to front, back covers, spine & flaps; a hint of wear & some tiny bumps, creases at/from edges & corners of same. An extra handling fee of $2.00 will be added for shipping due to the size and weight of this item. Fine- Very Fine / Very Fine. [Item #6706]

Price: $60.00