Making Aristocracy Work

This is a study of the political role and activities of the peerage, both inside and outside Parliament, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Andrew Adonis reassesses the strengths and weaknesses of the House of Lords, and shows how, at a time when the anachronism of a hereditary peerage was increasingly recognized, its members were able to justify themselves by their work. This is a readable and timely book, thoroughly grounded in the rich archives.