The Gun, the Ship and the Pen

‘A virtuoso global study of how nations were formed and constitutions written upends the familiar narrative at every turn … As with all great history books, the big picture is here, but so is the telling detail, the astute comparison, the arresting and memorable turn of phrase, the suggestive moral for our own times. … A superb retelling of the past, The Gun, the Ship, and the Pen will surely make us rethink our present and future’ - Miles Taylor

‘Dazzling … [The Gun, the Ship, and the Pen] abounds with subtle arguments grounded in expertly marshaled sources, generously acknowledged. But perhaps the book’s most impressive aspect is its mobility … The geographic sweep and legal complexities are daunting, but Colley makes them accessible by employing a human scale. [A] bold, packed account [and] a daring revisionist move.’ - Jenny Uglow

‘Incandescent, paradigm-shifting … Colley has upended much of what historians believe about the origins of written constitutions … If there were a Nobel Prize in History, Colley would be my nominee’ - Jill Lepore

‘A global history of remarkable depth, imagination and insight’ - Tony Barber

‘A wide-ranging, beautifully written global history … Colley’s narrative is rich, and she emphasizes the colorful characters who have contributed to constitution-making projects around the world … Fascinating’ - Tom Ginsburg

Linda Colley is the Shelby M.C. Davis 1958 Professor of History at Princeton University. She is a Fellow of both the British Academy and the Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study. Her seven books include Britons, winner of the Wolfson Prize, The Ordeal of Elizabeth Marsh, a New York Times top ten book of the year, and Acts of Union and Disunion, based on a series of talks commissioned by BBC Radio 4. She divides her time between the USA and Europe.

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