An in-depth celebration of the marvel that was The Great Exhibition of 1851, and the people who inspired it, by renowned author and historian A. N. Wilson. The Wise and Their Works celebrates the 175th anniversary of the Great Exhibition in 2026.
The men who inspired the Great Exhibition of 1851 - Henry Cole, Sir Robert Peel and above all Prince Albert himself - were at the hub of an extraordinary combination of manufacturing, commercial skill and political vision which made Victorian Britain an unparalleled success story.
In this celebratory book, A. N. Wilson examines the legacy they left behind: their idealistic beliefs about free trade, decency and parliamentary democracy, and their ultimate vision of the human race at peace with prosperity spreading, while poverty and warfare were consigned to history.
However, many of these values from the early days of capitalism are now under scrutiny, and the validity of the whole enterprise is questioned. Skillfully delving into these issues, Wilson takes us on a fascinating journey into the heart of the progressive Victorian dream, and where it has left us today.
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An in-depth celebration of the marvel that was The Great Exhibition of 1851, and the people who inspired it, by renowned author and historian A. N. Wilson.
A. N. Wilson is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and holds a prominent position in the world of literature and journalism. He is a prolific and award-winning biographer and celebrated novelist, having written biographies of Tolstoy, C. S. Lewis, Milton, Hilaire Belloc and Goethe.
In 2007, Wilson's novel, Winnie and Wolf, was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and in 2020 The Mystery of Charles Dickens was published to great critical acclaim. He lives in North London.
