The United Kingdom: A Political History (Two Volumes, First Printings)

New York: The Macmillan Company, 1899. First American Edition 1st Printing. Hardcover. Near Fine. Xi, 650; Vi, 482 Pp + 1 P Ad At Rear. Blue Cloth, Gilt, Top Edges Gilt. First American Printing With 1899 Dates On Title Pages. Near Fine, Slight Rubbing At Corners, Gilt Brilliant, No Names Or Marks. Goldwin Smith (1823 -1910) Was A British Historian And Journalist, And In The 1860S He Also Taught At Cornell University In The United States. After A Brilliant Undergraduate Career At Oxford He Was Elected To A Fellowship At University College, Oxford. He Threw His Energy Into The Cause Of University Reform With Another Fellow Of University College, Arthur Penrhyn Stanley. On The Royal Commission Of 1850 To Inquire Into The Reform Of The University, Of Which Stanley Was Secretary, Smith Served As Assistant-Secretary; And He Was Then Secretary To The Commissioners Appointed By The Act Of 1854. Besides The Universities Tests Act 1871, Which Abolished Religious Tests, Many Of The Reforms Suggested, Such As The Revival Of The Faculties, The Reorganisation Of The Professoriate, The Abolition Of Celibacy As A Condition Of The Tenure Of Fellowships, And The Combination Of The Colleges For Lecturing Purposes, Were Incorporated In The Act Of 1877, Or Subsequently Adopted By The University. His Aspiration That Colonists And Americans Should Be Attracted To Oxford Was Later Realised By The Will Of Cecil Rhodes. On What Is Perhaps The Vital Problem Of Modern Education, The Question Of Ancient Versus Modern Languages, He Pronounced That The Latter "Are Indispensable Accomplishments, But They Do Not Form A High Mental Training". He Held The Regius Professorship Of Modern History At Oxford From 1858 To 1866, That "Ancient History, Besides The Still Unequalled Excellence Of The Writers, Is The 'Best Instrument For Cultivating The Historical Sense." As A Historian, Indeed, He Left No Abiding Work; The Multiplicity Of His Interests Prevented Him From Concentrating On Any One Subject. His Chief Historical Writings - The United Kingdom: A Political History (1899), And The United States: An Outline Of Political History (1893) - Though Based On Thorough Familiarity With Their Subject, Make No Claim To Original Research, But Are Remarkable Examples Of Terse And Brilliant Narrative. The Outbreak Of The American Civil War Proved A Turning Point In His Life. Unlike Most Of The Ruling Classes In England, He Championed The Cause Of The North, And His Pamphlets, Especially One Entitled Does The Bible Sanction American Slavery? (1863), Played A Prominent Part In Converting English Opinion. Visiting America On A Lecture Tour In 1864, He Received An Enthusiastic Welcome, And Was Entertained At A Public Banquet In New York.[ Andrew Dickson White, President Of Cornell University At Ithaca, N.Y., Invited Him To Take Up A Teaching Post At The Newly Founded Institution. Smith's Time At Cornell Was Brief, But His Impact There Was Significant. He Held The Professorship Of English And Constitutional History In The Department Of History At Cornell University From 1868 To 1872. The Addition Of Smith To Cornell's Faculty Gave The Newly Opened University "Instant Credibility." Smith Was Something Of An Academic Celebrity, And His Lectures Were Sometimes Printed In New York Newspapers. In 1869 He Had His Personal Library Shipped From England And Donated To The University. Smith Bequeathed The Bulk Of His Estate To The University In His Will. The Decisive Factor In Smith's Departure Was The University's Decision To Admit Women. Smith Identified As An Anti-Imperialist, But Remained Resolutely Opposed To Britain Granting More Representative Government To India, Expressing Fear That This Would Lead To A "Murderous Anarchy." Smith Held Strong Anti-Semitic Views. He Was Described By Mcmaster University Professor Alan Mendelson As "The Most Vicious Anti-Semite In The English-Speaking World", Goldwin Smith Is Credited With The Quote "Above All Nations Is Humanity."