Benjamin Disraeli Letters: 1860-1864, Volume VIII

Benjamin Disraeli (1804-81) was one of the most important figures in nineteenth-century Europe, spending three decades in British government and twice serving as prime minister. This volume collects 556 of Disraeli''s letters from a tumultuous period in European history - years that witnessed the Italian revolution, the Polish revolt against Russia, anxiety about Napoleon III''s intentions in Europe, and the American Civil War.

The letters, of which more than four hundred have never before been published, provide revealing insights into Disraeli''s thoughts on political and social issues; they also illuminate his style of leadership and the inner workings of the Conservative party. This eighth volume of Benjamin Disraeli Letters also includes recently recovered letters from years covered by previous volumes, including four to Lionel de Rothschild that reveal a hitherto unknown collaboration between Rothschild, Disraeli, and Lord George Bentinck on an anonymous pamphlet promoting Jewish political rights. Fully annotated, this volume is a welcome addition to the series.

Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) was one of the most important figures in nineteenth-century Europe, spending three decades in British government and twice serving as prime minister, as well as being a well-known literary figure. A convert to Anglicanism, he was Britain’s first and thus far only Prime Minister of Jewish heritage. M.G. Wiebe is general editor emeritus of the Disraeli Project and was a professor of English at Queen’s University. Mary S. Millar is a co-editor with the Disraeli Project and an independent scholar in Kingston, Ontario. JOHN M. ROBSON was born educated in Toronto, graduating from the University of Toronto (B.A. 1951, M.A. 1953, PH.D. 1956). After lecturing at the University of British Columbia and the University of Alberta, he joined the staff as Victoria College, University of Toronto, where he is now Professor of English. He is Associate Editor of the Collected Works of John Stuart Mill, and he also edited Edmund Burke’s Appel from the New to the Old Whigs, J.S. Mill: A Selection, and Editing Nineteenth-Century Texts. Ellen L. Hawman is a research associate and co-editor with the Disraeli Project.