Favourite or outsider?

Abstract

George Bartle, An Old Radical and his Brood , Janus Publishing Co. London, 1994, £9.95. ISBN 1 895756 132 5. Sir John Bowring, 1792-1872: Aspects of his Life and Career . Edited by Joyce Youings, Latimer Trend Plymouth for the Devonshire Association, 1993, £9.00. ISBN 0 85214 052 5. These two paperback books are usefully complementary; the first being based largely on Bowring’s family correspondence, and primarily a study of his relations with his family, whilst the second is a collection of eight articles on such topics as Bowring’s contributions in Government service, his struggles to reform Devon quarter sessions, and his Spanish poetry translations. These articles were originally part of a symposium held at Exeter in 1992 under the auspices of the Devonshire Association for the Advancement of Science, Literature and the Arts, and the Devon and Exeter Association Bowring was first President of the former, and then President of the latter.