The Crimes of England

"The Crimes of England" is a 1915 work by G. K. Chesterton that explores the history and causes of the First World War, focusing on what he believes to be the partial culpability of England. Within it, Chesterton maintains that while Germany is clearly the main aggressor, England is also partially responsible for the horrors of the war due to having aided and abetted Prussia for centuries. Highly recommended for those with an interest in European history and the First World War. Contents include: "Some Words to Professor Whirlwind", "The Protestant Hero", "The Enigma of Waterloo", "The Coming of the Janissaries", "The Lost England", "Hamlet and the Danes", "The Midnight of Europe", "The Wrong Horse", "The Awakening of England", and "The Battle of the Marne". Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874- 1936) was an English philosopher, theologian, writer, and literary and art critic. Other notable works by this author include: "Heretics, Project Gutenberg" (1905), "The Innocence of Father Brown" (1911), and "The Man Who Was Thursday" (1908). Read & Co. History is republishing this classic work now complete with a specially-commissioned new biography of the author.

G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) was a prolific English writer, philosopher, lay theologian, and literary and art critic. He is best known in mystery circles as the creator of the fictional priest-detective Father Brown and for the metaphysical thriller The Man Who Was Thursday. Often referred to as "the prince of paradox," Chesterton frequently made his points by turning familiar sayings and proverbs inside out. Chesterton attended the Slade School of Art, a department of University College London, where he took classes in illustration and literature, though he did not complete a degree in either subject. In 1895, at the age of twenty-one, he began working for the London publisher George Redway. A year later he moved to another publisher, T. Fisher Unwin, where he undertook his first work in journalism, illustration, and literary criticism. In addition to writing fifty-three Father Brown stories, Chesterton authored articles and books of social criticism, philosophy, theology, economics, literary criticism, biography, and poetry.