
A richly detailed portrait emerges from the extensive collection of personal papers, letters, and journals of a towering Victorian statesman and historian. By weaving together his private correspondence with public speeches and diary entries, the work offers listeners a vivid sense of his sharp intellect, rhetorical flair, and the social currents that shaped his era. The narrative balances scholarly rigor with the occasional intimate anecdote, allowing the figure’s humanity to shine through the formal veneer of his public life.
The revised edition expands the original with newly discovered letters and forgotten reminiscences, carefully selected to deepen, rather than overwhelm, the portrait. Its editor explains a commitment to presenting the subject exactly as he was—flaws, convictions, and all—while respecting the delicate line between honest biography and hagiography. Listeners will appreciate the meticulous craftsmanship that lets the voice of the 19th‑century thinker speak directly across time, offering fresh insight into the mind behind some of Britain’s most influential ideas.
Language
en
Duration
~15 hours (870K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Martin Adamson, and David Widger
Release date
2001-05-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1838–1928
Remembered as both a lively man of letters and a working politician, he moved between Parliament and the writing desk with unusual ease. His books on Lord Macaulay, the American Revolution, and other episodes in British history helped make him a widely read Victorian historian.
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