John Robert Seeley: 5 books

“[History] should not merely gratify the reader’s curiosity about the past, but modify his view of the present and his forecast of the future.” So begins John R. Seeley’s sweeping study of the British Empire’s imperialist past—an illuminating look at a world power and its destiny.

There have been many biographies of the Emperor Napoleon over the years and in many languages, however most tend to be either overly laudatory, mostly those written in French, or caustically negative, mostly those written in English. Thankfully this work suffers neither polarity of opinion, sticking...

Published anonymously in 1866, Ecce Homo was greeted by a wave of controversy upon its release. Focusing on the human and not the deity, Seeley examines Christ’s position as the founder and king of a theocratic state, and identifies the profound effect his church had upon the standard and practice of morality.

Highly original in its focus, The Growth of British Policy studies England’s history through foreign affairs.Volume One begins in 1556 with the abdication of Habsburg Emperor Charles V and the ascension of Queen Elizabeth, and continues through Oliver Cromwell’s era, ending in the mid-1600s.

Highly original in its focus, The Growth of British Policy studies England’s history through foreign affairs. Volume Two continues from the fall of the Monarchy in 1649 and the first Dutch War, to the beginning of the eighteenth century and the development of a Commercial State in England.