Published by J.G. Murdoch & Co Limited: London c1895 Undated
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William Ewart Gladstone: His Life and Times by Lewis Apjohn, published by J. G. Murdoch & Co. Limited, London (with Melbourne imprint) circa 1895, is a substantial late-Victorian biography of one of Britain's most influential nineteenth-century statesmen. Issued during the final years of Gladstone's life and political legacy, the work reflects contemporary admiration for a figure who dominated British public affairs for over sixty years as Prime Minister, reformer, orator, and moral force within Parliament. Apjohn presents Gladstone not merely as a politician, but as a national institution whose career shaped the moral and constitutional direction of Victorian Britain.
The biography traces Gladstone's early life, education, and rise through government, charting his evolution from Conservative beginnings to Liberal leadership, with careful attention to landmark reforms including electoral expansion, Irish policy, church disestablishment, and fiscal responsibility. Apjohn writes in a measured, reverential tone typical of the period, emphasising character, principle, and public duty, while situating Gladstone's actions within the broader social and political currents of the nineteenth century. The inclusion of engraved illustrations, including the house in Rodney Street, Liverpool where Gladstone was born, enhances the book's documentary and commemorative character.
Published in an attractive cloth binding and now over a century old, this circa-1895 edition represents a solid example of Victorian political biography aimed at an educated general readership. It will appeal to collectors of British political history, Victorian biography, and nineteenth-century statesmanship, as well as readers interested in the life and legacy of William Ewart Gladstone and the moral foundations of Victorian liberalism."
General wear and fading to covers and spine as shown. Pages clean and well presented. Frontis present but sits loose. No inscriptions. Inside hinges split and covers wobbly. All edges gilt. A nice copy in good condition overall. Please study photos to further understand condition.
