The Age of Capital
The Age of Capital: 1848–1875 is a book by Eric Hobsbawm, first published in 1975. It is the second in a trilogy of books about "the long 19th century" (coined by Hobsbawm), preceded by The Age of Revolution: Europe 1789–1848 and followed by The Age of Empire: 1875–1914. A fourth book, The Age of Extremes: The Short Twentieth Century, 1914–1991, acts as a sequel to the trilogy. (from Wikipedia)
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What Hacker News says
- Eric Hobsbawm's tetralogy on the long 19th century: Age of Revolution, Age of Capital, Age of Empire, and Age of Extremes.
A truly epic date-driven summary of how the industrial and political revolutions of the 19th transformed the world.
- Eric Hobsbawm’s “Age of Revolution: 1789-1848” followed by “Age of Capital: 1848-1875”
- Nice to see an article about a history professor at the top of HN. :)
As a former history major, I can confirm that Zinn's work, while well intentioned, isn't much respected in academia. He brought a useful new perspective but didn't back up his arguments with strong evidence.
Poor evidence, however, doesn't discredit Zinn's central thesis about American history.
For more rigorous approach American history I would recommend Eric Foner:
http://www.ericfoner.com/books/index.html
Although his focus is more global, Eric Hobsbawm is one of the most influential historians of the twentieth century. His "The Age of..." are worth a read"
https://www.newyorker.com/books/under-review/eric-hobsbawm-t...
The Age of Revolution: 1789-1848 The Age of Capital: 1848-1875 The Age of Empire: 1875-1914 The Age of Extremes: 1914-1991
- Eric Hobsbawm's account of the "long 19th century," as told in his The Age of Revolution, The Age of Capital, and The Age of Extremes, is something that readers who are interested in Zinn may also be interested in. Hobsbawm appears to have a significantly better reputation among professional historians than Zinn does.
Hobsbawm still frequently appears on university reading lists for history majors. I remember the trilogy as engaging and easy to read for an outsider to the field. He is less polemical than Zinn, even if his political sympathies are similar.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Hobsbawm
Favorable mentions of Hobsbawm from AskHistorians:
https://old.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/5bcvbe/i_am_...
https://old.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/efznsq/is_er...
