A child prodigy, Henry Brougham (1778-1868), later Lord Brougham and Vaux, entered in 1792 the University of Edinburgh, where he focused on mathematics and then law, while his amateur scientific studies led him to become a fellow of the Royal Society at the age of twenty-five. Called to both the Scottish and English bars, and moving in radical political circles, he became famous as a defender of free speech, a passionate abolitionist, and co-founder of the Edinburgh Review. After many years as an MP, he was given a peerage in 1830 and became Lord Chancellor in Lord Grey's Whig government, where he was instrumental in the passing of the 1832 Reform Act. This three-volume autobiography was published posthumously in 1871, with additional notes. Covering the period up to 1811, Volume 1 describes Brougham's family background, early life, influential teachers, and entry into politics.

A child prodigy, Henry Brougham (1778-1868), later Lord Brougham and Vaux, entered in 1792 the University of Edinburgh, where he focused on mathematics and then law, while his amateur scientific studies led him to become a fellow of the Royal Society at the age of twenty-five. Called to both the Scottish and English bars, and moving in radical political circles, he became famous as a defender of free speech, a passionate abolitionist, and co-founder of the Edinburgh Review. After many years as an MP, he was given a peerage in 1830 and became Lord Chancellor in Lord Grey's Whig government, where he was instrumental in the passing of the 1832 Reform Act. This three-volume autobiography was published posthumously in 1871, with additional notes. Volume 2 covers the period 1811-28, including the scandal of George IV's marriage, during which Brougham advised Queen Caroline.

A child prodigy, Henry Brougham (1778-1868), later Lord Brougham and Vaux, entered in 1792 the University of Edinburgh, where he focused on mathematics and then law, while his amateur scientific studies led him to become a fellow of the Royal Society at the age of twenty-five. Called to both the Scottish and English bars, and moving in radical political circles, he became famous as a defender of free speech, a passionate abolitionist, and co-founder of the Edinburgh Review. After many years as an MP, he was given a peerage in 1830 and became Lord Chancellor in Lord Grey's Whig government, where he was instrumental in the passing of the 1832 Reform Act. This three-volume autobiography was published posthumously in 1871, with additional notes. Volume 3 covers the period of Brougham's chancellorship, and his later career as a radical politician, ending with some pen-portraits of notable contemporaries, including Lords Holland and Palmerston.

In 1860, James Bruce (1811 63), the eighth Earl of Elgin, embarked upon a second embassy to China which aimed to obtain ratification of the Treaty of Tientsin and finally conclude the Second Opium War on terms favourable to the British. Accompanying Elgin as his private secretary was the enterprising army officer Henry Brougham Loch (1827 1900). Originally published in 1869, Loch's first-hand account of the mission reflects sustained concern over Britain's strained trading relationship with China in the nineteenth century. Notwithstanding his views regarding the need for European influence to shape China's future success in government, his clearly written narrative illuminates contemporary diplomacy and the events surrounding the Convention of Peking in October 1860. Prior to this outcome, Loch had been captured, imprisoned and brutally tortured by Chinese officials. His chapters detailing this experience and his eventual release are especially noteworthy.