Profile Books The Gun, the Ship and the Pen: Warfare, Constitutions and the Making of the Modern World

The book is remarkably erudite and predictably well researched a marathon through history in the search of that phylum of constitutional arrangements, yet I found it remarkably boring. The prose is turgid and it reminded me of those tomes that I was forced to read at university, with little enjoyment, yet persuaded by a tutor that they had to be read and digested, just like sprouts are supposed to be good for you... There are fleeting, occasional flashes of curios anecdotal evidence that momentarily awaken you from the torpor of legalistic description of constitutional arrangements, but these are insufficient from turning this book into a good read, aside from its obvious academic value.

Well written and well edited (I'm 2/3rds through and have found no editing errors) this sweeps across world history from the 18th Century to the present examining the way in which war on land and sea and the resulting political disturbance has encouraged the writing of formal consitutions in literate societies. It sweeps across the whole globe taking in polities both large and very, very small.

Very engagingly written book, with a sweeping scope. Fascinating read.

Fascinating insight into the history of constitutions across the globe. The author takes us on a world tour, introducing us to the key characters that were instrumental in the elaboration of these texts. Well articulated and easy to read like a novel.It is a great opportunity to learn a lot about history in many parts of the world

To early just started reading