Edmund Burke (1730-1797) was one of the most profound, versatile, and accomplished thinkers of the eighteenth century. Born and educated in Dublin, he moved to London to study law, but remained to make a career in English politics, completing A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful (1757) before entering the political arena. A Member of Parliament for nearly thirty years, his speeches are still read and studied as classics of political thought, and through his best-known work, Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790) he has continued to exercise a posthumous influence as 'the father of conservatism'. This is the first full, scholarly biography of Burke for over a generation, to be completed in two volumes. The first volume covers the years between 1730-1784, and describes his Irish upbringing and education, early writing, and his parliamentary career throughout the momentous years of the American War of Independence. Lavishly illustrated, it provides an authoritative account of the complexity and breadth of Burke's philosophical and political writing and examines its origins in his personal experiences and the political world of his day. This outstanding book will be be required reading for anybody seeking a fuller understanding of eighteenth-century history, philosophy, and political thought.

F.P. Lock's profile page

F. P Lock is a Professor of English at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario.

'Burke's story is well and sympathetically told in this volume. In addition, the telling is gracefully and clearly written and is adorned by the Clarendon Press with an excellent job of presentation and editing.' American Historical Review (Oct, 2000)

'a work of admirable scholarship and one of the most important books ever written about Burke. Lock's mastery of both a diverse body of archival sources and the vast multidisciplinary range of secondary material relating to Burke is unequalled.' Letters in Canada

'careful scholarship and general readability. The book abounds with numerous apt quotations, pleasing contemporary comparisions and thought-provoking insights ... a wonderful compendium of information on Burke's life and times ... a handsome volume ... well illustrated.' Stephen Farrell, Parliamentary History,Vol.19,No.2.

'Lock has cast his biography across an extensive sweep of terrain with considerable skill.' Stephen Farrell, Parliamentary History,Vol.19,No.2.

'a work of balanced judgement and painstaking research. F.P. Lock has produced the first volume of what will undoubtedly be the standard modern biography.' J.C.D. Clark, EHR Sept. 00 Vol. 115, No.463.

'This new biography will be indispensable for much future study relating to Burke.' Letters in Canada 1998

'If the second volume lives up to the first, I am confident that this biography will stand for some time as one of the most authoritative and useful sources for Burkean scholars, for students seeking information on some area of Burke's life and career, and for general readers alike.' American Historical Review (Oct, 2000)

'Despite Carl B. Cone's volumes (1957, 1964), written at an early stage of modern Burke scholarship, we have lacked a heavyweight scholarly biography wholly immune from these imperatives. This Lock triumphantly provides in a work of careful research and scrupulous attention to detail.' J.C.D. Clark, EHR Sept. 00 Vol. 115, No.463.

'Lock's analyses are well reasoned, coherent, forcefully expressed, and faithful to the social and political context of the time' American Historical Review (Oct, 2000)

'Lock ... offers a detailed and insightful account of Burke's parliamentary career, his relations with his constituencies and his financial dealings.' J.C.D. Clark, EHR Sept. 00 Vol. 115, No.463.