From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. "The entire history of the world would have been different but for the events of 1759," McLynn (Wagons West; Napoleon; etc.) argues in his stylish account of a year crowded with scheming, battles and British conquest. That year was the fourth in the Seven Years War, a struggle between France and England for global dominance that was fought worldwide. McLynn focuses on the deadly conflict, contrasting the two nations' differing wartime policies and showing how the combination of Britain's maritime prowess and sheer good luck helped it emerge triumphant, albeit by a narrow margin. Elegantly explicating the geopolitical tensions, military technology, tactics and topography behind each battle, McLynn portrays the leadership of stalwarts on both sides. He also reveals various military blunders and maligns the often celebrated Gen. James Wolfe, who took Quebec for Britain on the Plains of Abraham. McLynn brilliantly delineates the cat-and-mouse maneuvering of the duke of Choiseul, intent on invading Britain, and his dupe, Bonnie Prince Charlie, intent on Jacobite restoration. He leads each of his fascinating chapters on the campaigns with a tantalizing taste of the general cultural scene in 1759, ranging from literary innovations such as Laurence Sterne's novel Tristram Shandy to the ethics of Orientalism. Splendidly narrated, with balanced insights into the Native American aspect of the French and Indian Wars, McLynn's book will enthrall all lovers of history told well. 16 pages of b&w illus. not seen by PW. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Book Description
If not for the events of 1759, the entire history of the world would have been different. Called the "Year of Victories," 1759 was the fourth year of the Seven Years, or the French-and-Indian War and defeat of the French not only paved the way for the global hegemony of the English language but also made the emergence of the United States possible. Guiding us through England's conquests (and often extremely narrow victories) in India, North America, and the Caribbean, Frank McLynn (Wagons West) controversially suggests that the birth of the great British Empire was more a result of luck than of rigorous planning. Along with stirring depictions of the two greatest battles of 1759, Quebec and Quiberon, McLynn includes anecdotes of the intellectual and cultural leaders of the day-Swedenborg, Hume, Voltaire-and interweaves primary sources, ranging from material in the Vatican archives to oral histories of Native Americans, in a brilliant chronicle of a pivotal year in world history.
1759: The Year Britain Became Master of the World FROM THE PUBLISHER
"In the two greatest battles of 1759 - Quebec and Quiberon - Britain effectively beat France for global supremacy. Near Quebec, on the Plains of Abraham, General Wolfe engaged in a daring attack but died at the moment of victory. Horace Walpole said, "The taking of Quebec was stranger than fiction and a mythic event that outstripped anything that had come down from the ancient legends of Greece and Rome."" "On the seas, in a desperate gamble, Admiral Hawke defeated the French at the Bay of Quiberon. The Royal Navy was the pivot of Prime Minister William Pitt's global strategy. Sea power had enabled the British to win the struggle for the West Indies and to defeat the French in North America, securing Canada for the Empire." Rife with chilling, fantastic battles, 1759 is the unfolding story of the year, month by month, stressing the global dimension. McLynn uses primary sources, ranging from material in the Vatican archives to oral histories of Native Americans.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
"The entire history of the world would have been different but for the events of 1759," McLynn (Wagons West; Napoleon; etc.) argues in his stylish account of a year crowded with scheming, battles and British conquest. That year was the fourth in the Seven Years War, a struggle between France and England for global dominance that was fought worldwide. McLynn focuses on the deadly conflict, contrasting the two nations' differing wartime policies and showing how the combination of Britain's maritime prowess and sheer good luck helped it emerge triumphant, albeit by a narrow margin. Elegantly explicating the geopolitical tensions, military technology, tactics and topography behind each battle, McLynn portrays the leadership of stalwarts on both sides. He also reveals various military blunders and maligns the often celebrated Gen. James Wolfe, who took Quebec for Britain on the Plains of Abraham. McLynn brilliantly delineates the cat-and-mouse maneuvering of the duke of Choiseul, intent on invading Britain, and his dupe, Bonnie Prince Charlie, intent on Jacobite restoration. He leads each of his fascinating chapters on the campaigns with a tantalizing taste of the general cultural scene in 1759, ranging from literary innovations such as Laurence Sterne's novel Tristram Shandy to the ethics of Orientalism. Splendidly narrated, with balanced insights into the Native American aspect of the French and Indian Wars, McLynn's book will enthrall all lovers of history told well. 16 pages of b&w illus. not seen by PW. Agent, Random House, London. (Feb.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Prolific pop historian McLynn (Wagons West, 2003, etc.) covers the Birth of the British Empire in selective detail, restricting his expansive narrative to one year of geopolitics and military exploits. Like countless other busy times, the year 1759 climaxed a period of important change. From 1756 through 1763, England's struggle with France for world domination was played out in the Seven Years' War, also known in America as the French and Indian War. While Bonnie Prince Charlie dreamed of England's throne, Pitt dominated Parliament and King George II. Across the Channel, La Pompadour controlled Louis XV, the Mughal Empire was falling, and Clive conquered India. In 1759, Voltaire wrote Candide, Johnson wrote Rasselas, and Englishmen took charge of the West Indies, subjugating Guadeloupe. The French were defeated in Germany and Prussia. British tars sunk their fleet off the coast of Portugal. Most of the swashbuckling, apparently, was in North America, which inspires the author's most fervid prose as Rogers' Rangers roam the woods, Native Americans gather scalps, and Canada's forest prompts purple descriptions of "Stygian depths . . . crazed prodigality of Nature . . . a gallimaufry of sere and yellow ferns, feculent toadstools," and similar mulch. In McLynn's freewheeling text (unencumbered by footnotes), heroes and rogues act, armies march across the pages, and ships of the line sail on a sea of words. He retells in fine detail the great story of Wolfe's rout of Montcalm in the battle that killed both commanders. The author may dabble in obscure Briticisms ("winkled out," or "a spectacular cropper"), and someone should have reminded him that there's no "modern Tennessee-South Carolinaborder," but he deftly parades monarchs, generals, and politicians in full regalia through his big book about a short historical span. A zealous attack on a jam-packed moment of world change. (Maps and 16 pp. illustrations, not seen)
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