The Dons by Noel Gilroy Annan
A wonderfully engaging and entertaining history of the great dons of the last two hundred years, by one of our leading historians of ideas. Rich in anecdote, and displaying all the author's customary mastery of his subject, The Dons is Noel Annan at his erudite, encyclopedic and entertaining best. The book is a kaleidoscope of wonderful vignettes illustrating the brilliance and eccentricities of some of the greatest figures of British university life. Here is Buckland dropping to his knees to lick the supposed patch of martyr's blood in an Italian cathedral and remarking, 'I can tell you what it is; it's bat's urine.' Or the granitic Master of Balliol, A.D. Lindsay, whose riposte on finding himself in a minority of one at a College meeting was, 'I see we are deadlocked'. But, entertaining as it is, The Dons also has a more serious purpose. No other book has ever explained so precisely -- and so amusingly -- why the dons matter, and the importance of the role they have played in the shaping of British higher education over the past two centuries.
From the reviews of Our Age: 'A tour de force; a major intellectual achievement by a man who has been a fine exemplar of the civilisation he portrays' Roy Jenkins 'The panoramic scope is such as to make one wonder that one man could know so much about so much' Frank Kermode 'A stupendous achievement' Raymond Carr From the reviews of Changing Enemies: 'Compact, critical, stimulating.. obligatory reading for all contemporary historians' Asa Briggs, Financial Times Books of the Year 'A superb book... stylish, witty and intensely interesting' Charles Chenevix Trench, Irish Independent
Lord Annan was the first full-time Vice-Chancellor of the University of London, Chairman of the Trustees of the National Gallery, a Trustee of the British Museum and a Director of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. He wrote the Annan report on the future of broadcasting in 1977. He made his name as a historian of ideas with his study of Leslie Stephen, and is perhaps best known for his often-quoted article on 'The Intellectual Aristocracy' and his book about his own generation, Our Age.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780002570749 |
| ISBN 10 | 0002570742 |
| Title | The Dons |
| Author | Noel Gilroy Annan |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | HarperCollins Publishers |
| Year published | 1999-11-15 |
| Number of pages | 368 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |