Writing Early America has something for every scholar of vast eighteenth-century America, the Atlantic World, and the British Isles. I learned something on every page. The learning on display is exceptional?and valuable. A remarkable achievement.
Paul Mapp, William & Mary, author of The Elusive West and the Contest for Empire, 1713-1763
"Historiography matters," according to Trevor Burnard, and I wholeheartedly agree! His quirky and surprisingly even-handed new book Writing Early America: From Empire to Revolution offers an interesting approach to the genre, by analyzing hundreds of articles from academic journals written about early America over the last decade on the period he is calling "the short 18th century," defined as the seven decades beginning in 1714. A long-time contributor to the history of early America, Burnard here presents a nuanced account of trends in historical writing, finding much attention to slavery, indigenous peoples, and empire, alongside other more persistent topics such as gender and the American Revolution. He also considers how the long-standing dialogue between 18th century British scholarship and that of early America fares at the moment. An interesting pandemic project, this work gives much food for thought.
Carla Pestana, UCLA, author of The English Conquest of Jamaica: Oliver Cromwell’s Bid for Empire
"The depth and breadth of Burnard's research and analysis is difficult to describe in a brief review, and are emblematic of the book's significance as an exploration of recent developments in early American historiography and the potentialities and problems that the field continues to face. . . . Scholars of eighteenth-century Britain and its American empire will find this lucidly written book extremely useful as both a summary of current research and an indicator of roads not yet taken."
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