Friday, April 23, 2010

Shirley Williams's six best books

Shirley Williams, Baroness Williams of Crosby, is a British politician and academic. Originally a Labour Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister, she was one of the "Gang of Four" rebels who founded the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in 1981. She later served as Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords, and since 2007 has served as Adviser on Nuclear Proliferation to Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Last year she told the Scottish Sunday Express about her six best books. One title on the list:
The Great Transformation
by Karl Polanyi

An absolutely brilliant history book which tells the story of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th, covering among other events the Industrial Revolution, the creation of nations and the birth of empires.
Read about the other books on Williams' list.

--Marshal Zeringue