The English Constitution: Free Audiobook and Listening Guide

The English Constitution, credited to Walter Bagehot, is available as a LibriVox volunteer audiobook. This guide identifies the recording, its source summary and its audio tracks.

About the work

The LibriVox catalogue summary, preserved with the recording, reads:

LibriVox recording of The English Constitution by Walter Bagehot. Read in English by sawasawaya; Jim Locke; Gina Eltora; Bev J Stevens The English Constitution is an extremely accessible work of political and legal science by Walter Bagehot, first published in serialized form in 1865-7. While some of his observations on the English system no longer apply to the modern constitutional organization of the United Kingdom, his philosophical basis is for the most part as sound as ever. For instance, Bagehot observes in the chapter on the Monarchy that, It is often said that men are ruled by their imaginations; but it would be truer to say they are governed by the weakness of their imaginations. The nature of a constitution, the action of an assembly, the play of parties, the unseen formation of a guiding opinion, are complex facts, difficult to know and easy to mistake. But the action of a single will, the fiat of a single mind, are easy ideas: anybody can make them out, and no one can ever forget them. When you put before the mass of mankind the question, "Will you be governed by a king, or will you be governed by a constitution?" the inquiry comes out thus—"Will you be governed in a way you understand, or will you be governed in a way you do not understand?" The issue was put to the French people; they were asked, "Will you be governed by Louis Napoleon, or will you be governed by an assembly?" The French people said, "We will be governed by the one man we can imagine, and not by the many people we cannot imagine". - Summary by Carolin

Recording facts

• Recording title: The English Constitution
• Author credits: Walter Bagehot
• Language: English
• Original MP3 tracks: 23
• Listed recording duration: 10:51:34

Catalogue topics

• politics
• Constitution
• Law
• parliament
• monarchy

Track guide

1. 01 - Introduction to the Second Edition, part 1 — 23:55
2. 02 - Introduction to the Second Edition, part 2 — 28:01
3. 03 - Introduction to the Second Edition, part 3 — 25:35
4. 04 - Introduction to the Second Edition, part 4 — 36:49
5. 05 - The Cabinet, part 1 — 29:27
6. 06 - The Cabinet, part 2 — 29:50
7. 07 - The Monarchy, part 1 — 22:48
8. 08 - The Monarchy, part 2 — 20:09
9. 09 - The Monarchy, part 3 — 28:26
10. 10 - The Monarchy, part 4 — 29:40
11. 11 - The House of Lords, part 1 — 26:30
12. 12 - The House of Lords, part 2 — 23:59
13. 13 - The House of Lords, part 3 — 21:34
14. 14 - The House of Commons, part 1 — 27:55
15. 15 - The House of Commons, part 2 — 29:22
16. 16 - The House of Commons, part 3 — 27:08
17. 17 - On Changes of Ministry, part 1 — 27:07
18. 18 - On Changes of Ministry, part 2 — 21:55
19. 19 - On Changes of Ministry, part 3 — 27:14
20. 20 - Its Supposed Checks and Balances, part 1 — 37:58
21. 21 - Its Supposed Checks and Balances, part 2 — 36:49
22. 22 - The Prerequisites of Cabinet Government, and The Peculiar Form which They Have Assumed in England — 34:35
23. 23 - Its History, and the Effects of that History - Conclusion — 34:47

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Source and rights

This is a record from LibriVox's official Internet Archive collection, with a public-domain licence recorded in its metadata. LibriVox's policy includes its catalogue summaries as well as its recordings. Its public-domain assessment follows United States law; copyright status can differ elsewhere. The summary and track facts are reproduced and reformatted from that record. Dates attached to the archive upload are not treated as original book publication dates.