The History of England from the Accession of James II (Vol. 1-5)

Perhaps the most famous example of the "Whig interpretation of history"-the idea that the human story has been inevitably destined for enlightenment, progress, and scientific truth-this five-volume work instantly revolutionized the British understanding of history when its first volume was published in 1848. Though not without its detractors-Karl Marx called author BARON THOMAS BABINGTON MACAULAY (1800-1859), an English politician and historian, "a systematic falsifier of history"-it nevertheless became a standard text, and one that is today required reading for anyone who wishes to explore changing values and ideals in historical scholarship. Volume III opens with the beginning of the reign of William and Mary after the Glorious Revolution and continues through their war with France, uprisings against them in Ireland, the "hopes of the Jacobites," and more.