The Long Fuse: How England Lost the American Colonies 1760-1785

An enjoyable, eminently readable narrative of the American Revolution. Cook concentrates on the political aspects of the revolution, particularly on the British side of the pond. He gives Ben Franklin the starring role on the American side. Despite concentrating strongly on the "high politics" of the era, Cook never bogs down in the details, and the result will be of wide interest to armchair historians and the general public alike. This book should be of interest to anyone with even a passing interest in the Revolution, Ben Franklin, or the the state of the late eighteenth century British Empire.

If you've ever wondered how the British could have been so continually and incredibly stupid as to lose their American colonies, this book will answer your questions! It provides a view of the Revolution not often encountered by Americans. Your view of the American Revolution is not complete without this view. Highly recommended.

I would recommend this as one of the easiest to read overviews of the war. It makes sense of some of what happened on this continent by focusing on what was happening in England. Definitely helped me to sort out some of the people who are casually mentioned but not explained in many books on the Revolution. Couple this with "Liberty" by Fleming or "A Short History of the American Revolution" by Stokesbury and you'll have a basic grasp of the struggle.

Cook's book is an accomplishment in historical prose. Primarily taken from diaries and other primary sources, it relates the tensions in Britain after the 1760's. The author deftly deliniates the intricacies of politics, economics, power, and the behind the scenes attempts at peace that wove themselves at Parliament and the Court of George III. The writing flows and Cook makes his points clearly. Enjoyable for the armchair enthusiast as well as the scholar. A must for the shelf of any historian.