William Cobbett (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. The Life and Legacy of Britain's Radical Revolutionary (Vol. 1&2)By Edward Smith
Length18h 17m
About this audiobook
Edward Smith's William Cobbett is a lucid biographical study of one of nineteenth-century England's most combative public voices: journalist, pamphleteer, agrarian radical, and indefatigable critic of corruption. The book traces Cobbett's progress from rural Hampshire origins through military service, exile, editorial warfare, and parliamentary reform agitation, setting his life within the turbulent context of post-Revolutionary politics, industrial change, and the struggle over representation. Smith's style is measured, documentary, and interpretive, attentive both to Cobbett's vigorous prose and to the contradictions of his public career. Smith writes as a biographer concerned not merely with events but with the formation of political character. His interest in Cobbett appears rooted in the Victorian and Edwardian fascination with self-made men, dissenting journalism, and the moral force of plain English. By emphasizing Cobbett's rural imagination, distrust of financial power, and mastery of polemic, Smith helps explain why this controversial figure remained central to debates about liberty, class, and national identity. This volume is recommended to readers interested in political biography, radical journalism, and the making of modern Britain. It offers a thoughtful introduction to Cobbett's life while inviting renewed attention to the power of prose as an instrument of public argument.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
GenreBiography and Memoir
Length18 hrs 17 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateAug 29, 2020
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
2Volume 1
3CHAPTER I. “I LOOKED BACK WITH PRIDE TO MY WAGGON-DRIVING GRANDFATHER.”
4CHAPTER II. “WHEN I HAD THE HONOUR TO WEAR A RED COAT.”
5CHAPTER III. “I HAVE ALWAYS SHOWN MY ENMITY TO EVERY SPECIES OF PUBLIC FRAUD OR ROBBERY.”
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6CHAPTER IV. “I LIVED IN PHILADELPHIA.”
7CHAPTER V. “HEARING MY COUNTRY ATTACKED, I BECAME HER DEFENDER THROUGH THICK AND THIN.”
8CHAPTER VI. “PETER PORCUPINE[21], AT YOUR SERVICE!”
9CHAPTER VII. “AT LAST GOT THE BETTER OF ALL DIFFIDENCE IN MY OWN CAPACITY.”
10CHAPTER VIII. “WHEN I LEFT THEM, I CERTAINLY DID SHAKE THE DUST OFF MY SHOES.”
11CHAPTER IX. “MY FAME HAD PRECEDED ME.”
12CHAPTER X. “I RESOLVED NEVER TO BEND BEFORE THEM[7q].”
13CHAPTER XI. “I TOOK THE LEAD, IN SINGING THE PRAISES OF PITT.”
14CHAPTER XII. “THE THOUGHTS OF THE NATION ARE LIKE A CORK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN.”
15CHAPTER XIII. “I SAW THINGS IN ANOTHER LIGHT.”
16Volume 2
17CHAPTER XIV. “I NEVER SAT MYSELF DOWN ANYWHERE, WITHOUT MAKING THE FRUITS AND FLOWERS TO GROW.”
18CHAPTER XV. “I DID DESTROY THEIR POWER TO ROB US, ANY LONGER, WITHOUT THE ROBBERY BEING PERCEIVED.”
19CHAPTER XVI. “THEY NATURALLY HATE ME.”
20CHAPTER XVII. “THE OUTCRY AGAINST ME IS LOUDER THAN EVER.”
21CHAPTER XVIII. “COMPARED WITH DEFEATING ME, DEFEATING BUONAPARTE IS A MERE TRIFLE.”
22CHAPTER XIX. “THE FOLLY, COMMON TO ALL TYRANTS, IS THAT THEY PUSH THINGS TOO FAR.”
23CHAPTER XX. “TO PUT A MAN IN PRISON FOR A YEAR OR TWO DOES NOT KILL HIM.”
24CHAPTER XXI. “THE NATION NEVER CAN BE ITSELF AGAIN WITHOUT A REFORM[15q].”
25CHAPTER XXII. “BETWEEN SILENCE AND A DUNGEON LAY MY ONLY CHOICE.”
26CHAPTER XXIII. “WHATEVER OTHER FAULTS I MAY HAVE, THAT OF LETTING GO MY HOLD IS NOT ONE[17q].”
27CHAPTER XXIV. “THEY COMPLAIN THAT THE TWOPENNY TRASH IS READ.”
28CHAPTER XXV. “I HAVE PLEADED THE CAUSE OF THE WORKING-PEOPLE, AND I SHALL NOW SEE THAT CAUSE TRIUMPH.”
29CHAPTER XXVI. “I NOW BELONG TO THE PEOPLE OF OLDHAM.”
30CHAPTER XXVII. “I HAVE BEEN THE GREAT ENLIGHTENER OF THE PEOPLE OF ENGLAND[88].”[1]
31APPENDIX. BIBLIOGRAPHICAL LIST OF WILLIAM COBBETT’S PUBLICATIONS.
32Memorable Quotes
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The Happiest Man on EarthEddie Jaku3h 48m4.6 (178K)$7 · $0.00
MotherlandJulia Ioffe17h 52m4.7 (2.5K)$40 · $0.00
Evidence Not SeenDarlene Deibler Rose11h 11m4.6 (11.9K)$29 · $0.00
Where Cowards Go to DieBenjamin Sledge8h 42m4.7 (351)$20 · $0.00
Will You Love Me?Cathy Glass9h 5m4.6 (9.3K)$29 · $0.00
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