Europe and the British Geographical Imagination, 1760-1830 explores what literate British people understood by the word 'Europe' in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Was Europe unified by shared religious heritage? Where were the edges of Europe? Was Europe primarily a commercial network or were there common political practices too? Was Britain itself a European country? While intellectual history is concerned predominantly with prominent thinkers, Paul Stock traces the history of ideas in non-elite contexts, offering a detailed analysis of nearly 350 geographical reference works, textbooks, dictionaries, and encyclopaedias, which were widely read by literate Britons of all classes, and can reveal the formative ideas about Europe circulating in Britain: ideas about religion; the natural environment; race and other theories of human difference; the state; borders; the identification of the 'centre' and 'edges' of Europe; commerce and empire; and ideas about the past, progress, and historical change. By showing how these and other questions were discussed in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century British culture, Europe and the British Geographical Imagination, 1760-1830 provides a thorough and much-needed historical analysis of Britain's enduringly complex intellectual relationship with Europe.

Europe and the British Geographical Imagination, 1760-1830 explores what literate Britons of the period understood about 'Europe', focussing on key themes which shaped ideas about the continent, including religion, the natural environment, race, the state, borders, commerce, empire, and ideas about the past, progress, and historical change.

This book seeks to bridge a gap in the historiography of Spain and Great Britain by arguing that while the eighteenth century witnessed periods of tension, conflict and hostility between the two powers, their relationship remained multifaceted and significant in other spheres. Throughout the eighteenth century, Spain and Great Britain passed through phases of open warfare, armed peace and deep suspicion. The British capture of Gibraltar and Menorca dealt a severe blow to the newly established Bourbon dynasty in Spain. Even in times of war, however, not all communication channels were closed, with numerous formal and informal contacts being made despite the volatile political climate and enmities. The contributors of this book go beyond the well-known animosity and conflicts to explore the spectrum of interactions, encompassing cultural exchange, traditional diplomacy, trade and espionage plus a multitude of other facets. This book is a valuable resource for researchers and students interested in the complex relations between Great Britain and Spain during the eighteenth century, as well as for a broader audience of historians and both undergraduate and postgraduate students of history and international relations.