The Long Fuse: How England Lost the American Colonies, 1760-1785

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Summary: With thanks to Amazon's recommendations feature
Review: An enjoyable, eminently readable narrative of the American Revolution. Cook concentrates on the political aspects of the revolution, particularly on the British side of the pond. He gives Ben Franklin the starring role on the American side. Despite concentrating strongly on the "high politics" of the era, Cook never bogs down in the details, and the result will be of wide interest to armchair historians and the general public alike. This book should be of interest to anyone with even a passing interest in the Revolution, Ben Franklin, or the the state of the late eighteenth century British Empire.

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Summary: Simply Engaging
Review: Cook has undertaken a difficult task. The thoughts and actions of King George III and his ministers have been heretofore shrouded in a fog of mystery, deception, and embellishment. While contending that George III was responsible for a "determined consistency" toward the American colonies, Cook nevertheless manages to reveal that the loss of England's most prized possessions was a process that began a decade before Lexington and Concord. His treatment of George III, Germain, Lord North, and the military commanders in America is nothing short of harsh, and perhaps deservedly so. The author believes that if George III lacked more intelligence and perception, the king could have steered England away from confrontation with America. While Cook's research on the political machinations of England is excellent, his dealings with military matters in America are lacking. Several historical mistakes could have been corrected making his work even more substantial. However, Cook's book certainly deserves recognition, and any fan of Revolutionary politics should consult his book.

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Summary: Another Whig History
Review: Cook writes an excellent book describing thw whig version of history. If you love Franklin this book is a must read. I find the author to be very partisan in his beliefs and i disagree with many of his points.

He ignores the fact that the colonists were treated with much ease their entire existance. He ignores the fact that the average British colonists was enjoying levels of freedom that noone in England was close to having. He ignores the great numbers of Loyalists in the colonies showing the British government was hardly doing wrong by many, if not most, if you add the apathetic citzens.

The book gives a great deal of information on Benjamin Franklin, i suggest this book for people with interest in this or if their leanings have become so engrossed by whig rhetoric of the time the have lost the ability to see things from the opposite view point.

Out of all the things he seems to believe, i disagree that the war was unwinnable. This is a cop out used by people as an explanation for why they lost. It is funny that winners never say it was an unloseable war.

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Summary: Masterfully written account of Britain and the Revolution
Review: Cook's book is an accomplishment in historical prose. Primarily taken from diaries and other primary sources, it relates the tensions in Britain after the 1760's. The author deftly deliniates the intricacies of politics, economics, power, and the behind the scenes attempts at peace that wove themselves at Parliament and the Court of George III. The writing flows and Cook makes his points clearly. Enjoyable for the armchair enthusiast as well as the scholar. A must for the shelf of any historian.

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Summary: OUTSTANDING
Review: Don cook is to " the long fuse" as Stephen Ambrose is to " D-day". Mr. cook has the talent and gift for bringing the revolutionary era alive and to your doorstep. he is able to immediately capture your attention in a manner that is both refreshing and entertaining AND at the same time maintaining the relevancy of that historical era.
The long fuse is a great reading and i would recommended to everyone. His style of writing is such it is easily readable for both adults and young adults. It is ideal for young adults who want to supplement their school lessions in revolution history .

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Summary: one of the best
Review: I would recommend this as one of the easiest to read overviews of the war. It makes sense of some of what happened on this continent by focusing on what was happening in England. Definitely helped me to sort out some of the people who are casually mentioned but not explained in many books on the Revolution. Couple this with "Liberty" by Fleming or "A Short History of the American Revolution" by Stokesbury and you'll have a basic grasp of the struggle.

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Summary: Institutional stupidity revealed!
Review: If you've ever wondered how the British could have been so continually and incredibly stupid as to lose their American colonies, this book will answer your questions! It provides a view of the Revolution not often encountered by Americans. Your view of the American Revolution is not complete without this view. Highly recommended.

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Summary: A fasinating view of the American rebellion from the
Review: other side of the Atlantic.
It is not reasonable to assume that a small island 3,000 miles away could hold indefinitely, as a colony, a continent filling up with the best & the brightest of their own race. Ben Franklin felt that America would become fully independent, but long after his death, somtime in the 19th century & hopefully peaceably.
By 1765, the colonies already had a 100 year tradition of self-government. When England became embroiled in it's own civil war in the 1640's the population of Europeans in America wa 5,000. A decade later it was 40,000. The neglect of England created strong democratic & capitalistic roots, stronger than those in Great Britian. When Britain "rediscovered" it's colony it found a relatively properous population of loyal British subjects. They were seized on as source of revenue for the
crown & the seemingly constant wars Britain was involved in. This was fair as Britian spent considerable money defending the colonies from native Americans as well as the French & Spanish. It is when thses taxes became onerous or an impediment to commerce ("intolerable") the time frame for independence became much shorter.
Don Cook navigated through a vast amount of reference material to put this book together. This is not a textbook but I would recommend it to high school & college students studying American history. It is very readable as it takes the reader through the blunders, mistakes & miscalculations of the British Parliament, military establishment & most important the crown of George III. It was he, above all men who could have prevented the war. He was too proud, stubborn & unable to compromise.
Ben Franklin is the main character. He had spent most of his adult life before 1775, as an American, living in London. In fact he preferred it to home. His frustrations, humiliations & relationship with the government, turned him from a loyal subject to a rebel. By that time, back in America, John Adams, Sam Adams, George Washington etc. had also made the same decision. A decision that shook all of Europe & France, in particular, in a few short years.


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Summary: British Temper Tantrum.
Review: This is a book about British arrogance. As you read this excellent work, the author lists the continuing, incredible decisions which had to eventually result in and force American Independence. The American Revolution did not occur because colonial Americans did not support their King, but rather, because their King failed his colonists so very, very miserably.

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Summary: One of the Best American Revolution Books in Circulation
Review: _The Long Fuse_ is probably the best all-around American Revolution book I've read. It's not specialized, and unfortunately skims some areas of importance, but informative nonetheless. It focuses on the British aspects of the war, from King George III's case of Porphyria to Howe's farewell bash. Benjamin Franklin is quite clearly the author's hero, and the book goes to some length describing in detail this remarkable man. This book should, in my opinion, be read by every American Citizen.Portland,