OShaughnessy, A: Men Who Lost America

Andrew O'Shaughnessy is Saunders Director of the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies, Monticello, and professor of history at the University of Virginia. He is the author of An Empire Divided: The American Revolution and the British Caribbean. Originally from Britain, he lectured at the University of Oxford before moving to the US, where he currently lives in Charlottesville, Virginia.

"Splendid - turns everything you ever thought you knew about why the British lost the Revolutionary War on its head." Andrew Roberts, broadcaster and author of The Storm of War "Andrew O'Shaughnessy's pen portraits are the historical equivalent of Reynolds' or Gainsborough's work. Deeply researched and carefully executed, they give new insight into the pre-eminent figures of the age" Mark Urban, broadcaster and author of Fusiliers "Enormously enjoyable" Sir Michael Howard, OM, CH, CBE, Emeritus Regius Professor of History, University of Oxford "This is the book that serious historians have long lacked... a major contribution to our understanding of the American Revolution." Jack Rakove, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of Revolutionaries "Wonderfully balanced... shows that these men fought courageously in what turned out to be an impossible mission." T.H. Breen, author of American Insurgents, American Patriots "Skilfully crafted. Anyone interested in the American Revolution and its war should read this." Stephen Conway, UCL, author of The British Isles and the War of American Independence "Richly detailed, deeply researched... brings [the British leaders] back to life as eminently capable men fighting an ultimately unwinnable conflict." David Armitage, Harvard University "A highly-effective account of the role of leadership at a key moment in world history." Jeremy Black, author of Britain in the Eighteenth Century "There is no book quite like this... Crisp, sensitive... compelling... A must-read..." Maya Jasanoff, Harvard University, author of Liberty's Exiles "At last, Andrew O'Shaughnessy has done justice to [the British leaders'] abilities and efforts, while not neglecting their weaknesses and mistakes." Harry T. Dickinson, Edinburgh University "Page-turning... gets past the stereotype of an imperial government intent on suppressing its colonies and offers instead a long-overdue mature account of a war Britain almost won." Julie Flavell, author of When London Was Capital of America "Andrew O'Shaughnessy has written a remarkable book about an important but curiously underappreciated subject: the British side of the American Revolution. With meticulous scholarship and an eloquent writing style, O'Shaughnessy gives us a fresh and compelling view of a critical aspect of the struggle that changed the world. This is a great book." Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House