A Floating Commonwealth

This is a new portrait of society and identity in high industrial Britain, focusing on the sea as connector, not barrier. It argues that the port cities and their hinterlands formed a 'floating commonwealth' whose interaction with one another and with nationalist and imperial politics created an intense political and cultural synergy.

Christopher Harvie is Professor of British Studies at TübingenUniversity, Germany, having previously taught at the Open University. He is Honorary Professor of Politics at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, and also at Strathclyde University, Glasgow.

Harvie is especially good at selecting an economic or artistic personality, and using his furiously allusive scholarship to place them at the heart of historical change. Pat Kane, The Independent the tremendous wit and humour of Harvie's writing... Then there is Harvie's scholarship and his seemingly limitless knowledge of all sorts of areas of historical inquiry Bill Knox, Times Literary Supplement Harvie has provided a new mental and historical map for these islands, which could have more than scholarly consequences. Pat Kane, Times Higher Education Supplement He examines the concept of Celticism in its various aspects with more accuracy and fewer histrionics than we often encounter in other works. Look at his index, and marvel at the number of creative talents identified, testimony to the painstaking and devoted energy which he brought to his researches. Then go back to the text and appreciate what fruitful use he has made of his discoveries. James Halliday, Scots Independent The book is a celebration of the Scottish technological intellect and the inland sea that linked the west coast of Britain. It was a hugely successful collaboration between English capital and Scottish brains and really made Britain great. It is intoxicating stuff. Iain Macwhirter, Sunday Herald There is at all levels, a kind of elegiac poignancy to the book which only adds to its authority and its power. I recommend you read it twice, once at speed and without pause for the footnotes or to jot down the flurries of reference, and once with pencil and notebook at hand. Impossible to fault... its an intellectual masterwork and one of the most important books of the present decade. Brian Morton, The Scottish Review of Books this is an engaging and lively book, often bold and witty. Robert McLain, Enterprise & Society intellectually ambitious, interesting ... It is the consistent demonstration of the links and synergies between parallel histories of politics, business and culture that consitutes the real strength of this book. Tjis weaving together of different worlds brings Harvies Floating Commonwealth to life Gordon Pentland, History Scotland