Search results for ""author james panton""

Panton details London's growth from its foundation in Roman times to its modern place as one of the world's preeminent financial, commercial and cultural capitals. Entries cover general themes (such as immigration, housing, street markets, and health care) as well as specific topics (including individual historic buildings, financial institutions, museums, transport modes, major city center hotels and West End theaters). Significant contributors to the city's government, such as the legendary Dick Whittington, also receive attention, along with immigrant groups and major events such as the Great Fire, the Great Plague, the development of the subway system, and the growth of the Stock Exchange. In addition, a chronology details major events, there are lists of Lord Mayors and leading local government officials, and a table outlines population growth over the last two hundred years. Appendices contain borough council contact information and world wide web addresses which provide access to additional information through the Internet.

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At the turn of the century, the United Kingdom ruled an empire on which the sun never set. Today, this country, shorn of the bulk of its overseas empire, is currently debating the merits of European integration. Although no longer the ruler of vast dominions, the United Kingdom continues to exert important influence in world affairs. The first volume of the Historical Dictionary of the United Kingdom is an essential and handy reference work to England and the United Kingdom in general. The forthcoming second volume will examine Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. It contains concise dictionary entries on the prominent personalities, events, and institutions that shaped British history as well as entries that detail noteworthy places and aspects of the country's economic, social, and cultural life. This historical dictionary also provides a handy overview of geography and history of the country, a chronology, lists of monarchs and prime ministers, several maps, a substantial bibliography and a useful appendix of entries that will appear in the forthcoming second volume.

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The United Kingdom remains a central point in any historical study of the Western European tradition, but did not take on its present configuration until 1920. The Historical Dictionary of the United Kingdom Volume 2: Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland is an excellent guide to the history of its three important regions, as well as its creation. The United Kingdom can only be understood as an evolution of its component parts. The first volume of the Dictionary focused on the United Kingdom's most prominent part, England. This second volume fleshes out the entire United Kingdom by directing the reader's attention toward Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland; regions which are often overshadowed by England but contain a great deal of the cultural, social, and political diversity of the United Kingdom. Not only does the second volume focus on the specifics of each individual region, their economy, cultural traditions, and history, but it also investigates how these areas came together and interacted with one another under the umbrella of the United Kingdom. The Dictionary begins with a chronology of the United Kingdom, but one that highlights different aspects, issues, and events that have impacted upon these three regions. An introduction provides a wonderful overview to the problems these three regions faced concerning their inclusion in a nation and simultaneous attempts to preserve regional character. The volume does not hesitate to outline the turmoil that exists between national and regional identity. Its entries include people, events, institutions, places, as well as political, economic, and cultural themes important to the history of the United Kingdom. Helpful maps, abbreviations, and chronologies are included.

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