"Good as it is to inherit a library, it is better to collect one." - Augustine Birrell
Augustine Birrell (1850-1933) was an English author and politician.
Having graduated from Trinity Hall, Cambridge, he qualified as a lawyer and,
after a short sojourn as a professor of law, entered parliament as a Liberal
representing Fife West in Scotland. His light but pointed sense of humor
when addressing The House of Commons, and his witty essays, coined the word
birrelling (a word which regrettably has not stood the test of time, at least not to the point that it is one of the 163,000 words in today's Shorter Oxford English
Dictionary). In addition to a number of books of essays, he also penned
biographies of Charlotte Bronte, William Hazlitt and Andrew Marvell.
At the 1900 general election he chose to contest the Manchester North East seat
rather than Fife, but was defeated. He was returned to parliament in 1906
as the member of parliament for Bristol North and became President of the Board
of Education; but prolonged controversy over an education bill caused him to
fall out of favor and he was transferred to the post of Chief Secretary for
Ireland where, in 1907, he introduced an Irish Councils bill which would have
been a step towards home rule. The bill was rejected by a Nationalist
convention and was promptly withdrawn.
He continued as Chief Secretary for Ireland for nine years, resigning in 1916
after failing to contain the plotting that ended in the Easter Uprising (the
most significant Irish uprising since 1798). He did not defend his seat in
the 1918 general election.
This quote & biography originally ran in an issue of BookBrowse's membership magazine. Full Membership Features & Benefits.
The Flower Sisters
by Michelle Collins Anderson
From the new Fannie Flagg of the Ozarks, a richly-woven story of family, forgiveness, and reinvention.
The House on Biscayne Bay
by Chanel Cleeton
As death stalks a gothic mansion in Miami, the lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide.
The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu
Debut novelist Wenyan Lu brings us this witty yet profound story about one woman's midlife reawakening in contemporary rural China.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
