The Fenians : Irish rebellion in the North Atlantic world, 1858-1876 /

There are some two dozen major scholarly books about Fenianism in the British Isles and North America, plus scores of other publications. This compendious work by Steward (independent scholar) and McGovern (Kennesaw State Univ.) ranks high. The authors fully integrate the development of the Irish and US Fenian branches. They carefully trace connections with precursors dating back to the 1798 Irish Rising, as well as with subsequent Irish nationalist and revolutionary initiatives. They explain Fenianism's major unintended consequences, notably, the effect of its 1866 raids into three Canadian provinces upon the formation of federated Canada in 1867, and the impact of the botched 1867 Irish Rising upon British Liberal government policies of Anglican Church disestablishment, land reform, and home rule. The authors' treatments of the role of Fenian women, and of the involvement of ex-Fenians in US politics, are valuable, as is their tracing of post-1867 career paths. Unfortunately, the dense academic prose and occasional loose ends detract from the results of the authors' painstaking research, especially in US and Canadian local newspapers and dissertations. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. D. M. Cregier University of Prince Edward Island