The Prince and the Pretender - A Study in the Writing of History

London: Croom Helm, 1985. A near Fine unmarked copy with Fine dustjacket. There is a D marked to rear pastedown, signifying 'damaged' but the only damage which can be detected is an imperfection to the front pastedown. 270 pages. The author is one of the foremost Scottish historians to have emerged since the Second World War. In this book he has turned to a topic that has long fascinated him, the 1745 Rebellion. What is the truth about the '45? How can some historians depict Charles Edward as the dashing leader of heroic forces fighting against odds in a just and reasonable cause, while others dismiss him as an egotistical adventurer, reckless with the lives of others? Professor Youngman produces two accounts of the '45 and the events that led up to it, one of them sympathetic to George II and the government of the dat. Each is an exciting historical narrative; each is based strictly contemporary sources; each contain all the facts. Yet the two versions are very different. It is therefore up to the reader to decide but to beware that there are ways that genuine historians may select and present evidence so as to produce a history compatible with their own inborn preferences and prejudices. B2E. First Edition. Hard Cover. Near Fine/Fine. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.