At a time when constitutional issues are assuming a greater importance in public life than they have held for perhaps 25 years, it seems a particularly apt moment to re-publish Walter Bagehot's classic analysis of the constitution. Major changes to the constitution are promised by the new Labour government, and the political controversy over these suggests that changes generated during the 1997 election campaign have thrust critical analysis of the constitution once more into the limelight.

The English Constitution provides the most lucid and readable account of what has been termed the 'Golden Age' of the nineteenth century constitution, before the advent of universal male suffrage and the rise of party as the overriding force in the British polity. Despite being strongly rooted in its time, Bagehot's work can still provide us with fascinating insights into the basic nature of the constitution and its organic connections with the society within which it functions. In sketching connections between class and political systems, in its use of ideology, in what we would now term its interdisciplinary approach, Bagehot's study provides insights and analysis of sometimes startling modernity.

In this new Introduction, Gavin Phillipson provides a fresh and distinctly contemporary appraisal of Bagehot's famous work. The Introduction clearly elucidates how the actual workings of the constitution have changed since Bagehot's time but powerfully illuminates the strong continuing value and contemporary relevance of his analysis.

The son of a Somerset-based banker, Walter Bagehot (1826-77) studied classics and philosophy at University College London and later qualified as a barrister, but gave up the law to join the family business. Expansive in his intellectual appetites, he wrote across an array of subjects, including politics, finance, science and literature. From 1861 until his death, he edited The Economist. In this classic 1867 publication, comprising essays that had previously appeared in the Fortnightly Review, Bagehot sought to present the 'living reality' of how Britain was governed at that time. His analysis is remembered for its distinction between the 'dignified' and 'efficient' parts of the constitution, with the institution of the monarchy perceived as embodying the former quality and inspiring deference among the masses. Bagehot's assessments have been much studied and debated ever since. His book on the contemporary money market, Lombard Street (1873), is also reissued in this series.

Walter Bagehot (1826-77), the influential political and economic essayist, wrote a number of books that became standards in their respective fields. He attended University College, London, where he studied mathematics and gained a master's degree in intellectual and moral philosophy. He was called to the bar, but instead chose a career in his father's banking business. He wrote widely on literature, economics and politics, co-founding the National Review in 1855. He became editor-in-chief of The Economist in 1860 and remained in that post until his death. This work, published originally in 1873 and described by J. M. Keynes as 'an undying classic', is a masterpiece of economics. It explains the world of finance and banking, concentrating on crisis management, and its ideas are as relevant today as ever, especially in the face of the global financial crisis that emerged in 2007.

Walter Bagehot (1826 1877) was an eminent British journalist, businessman and political commentator. After graduating from University College, London, in 1848, Bagehot joined his father's banking business. In 1857 he began to write articles for The Economist and became editor in 1861, a position he held until his death. This volume, first published in 1872, contains Bagehot's discussion of the scientific principles of progress in a society. Incorporating aspects of other social disciplines, including anthropology and Darwinian evolutionary theory, Bagehot traces the development of political society from an assumed 'pre-political' age to the development of nation-states, and examines the developments necessary for evolution into a liberal, trade-oriented society. Bagehot's appreciation of both conservative and liberal values is evident in this volume, which provides a valuable example of the influence of Darwinian thought in the late nineteenth century. This text is reissued from the 1873 second edition.

'An ancient and ever-altering constitution is like an old man who still wears with attached fondness clothes in the fashion of his youth: what you see of him is the same; what you do not see is wholly altered.' Walter Bagehot's The English Constitution (1867) is the best account of the history and working of the British political system ever written. As arguments raged in mid-Victorian Britain about giving the working man the vote, and democracies overseas were pitched into despotism and civil war, Bagehot took a long, cool look at the 'dignified' and 'efficient' elements which made the English system the envy of the world. His analysis of the monarchy, the role of the prime minister and cabinet, and comparisons with the American presidential system are astute and timeless, and pertinent to current discussions surrounding devolution and electoral reform. Combining the wit and panache of a journalist with the wisdom of a man of letters steeped in evolutionary ideas and historical knowledge, Bagehot produced a book which is always thoughtful, often funny, and seldom dull. This edition reproduces Bagehot's original 1867 work in full, and introduces the reader to the dramatic political events that surrounded its publication. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.