Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Bibliography of Brexit - Updated

I first compiled this list back in the summer. With the end of 2017 approaching I felt it was a good time to update the list. 
Britain’s relations with the EU and the rest of Europe have long fascinated authors. The result has been a wealth of books on the topic, to say nothing of the media and academic journal articles, and reports from think tanks, government, the EU and other European governments, businesses, charities, NGOs, law firms and consultancies.

Britain’s vote to leave has added more choice. As part of a recent book proposal I had to produce a list of books published on UK-EU relations since the referendum, and I thought it would be helpful to publish that list here and try to update it regularly. I focus here on books and not the far too numerous reports or articles.

I list the books here in alphabetical order with no divisions based on quality, background or political slant. If I’ve missed a book then please email me the details via timloliver@gmail.com Also, please take a look at my regularly updated Brexicon: A Dictionary of Brexit, which is also summarised here.  

Some of these books are included in my Brexit summer reading guide on the LSE's Brexit Blog.  Note: the following are listed in alphabetical order based on the surname of the first author.
  • D. Allen Green, Brexit: What Everyone Needs to Know. OUP, due to be published late 2017. Due out later this year, the book forms part of a wider 'What everyone needs to know' series. What you need to know is set out in the answers to 41 questions. 
  • K. Armstrong, Brexit Time: Leaving the EU - why, how and when? Cambridge University Press, 2017, £17.99 (PB), £29.99 (HB), online access also available. Written by Kenneth Armstrong, professor of law at Cambridge University, its analysis is divided into four sections examining the world before the vote, the vote itself, preparing for Brexit, and Brexit itself. Comes with a very helpful online edition. 
  • M. Ashcroft and K. Culwick, Well, You Did Ask…: Why the UK voted to leave the EU, Biteback, 2016, £9.99 (PB), £3.89 (Kindle). Looks at the available data on how and why the British people voted as they did. Published quickly, draws on a wide range of sources, not least that backed by Lord Ashcroft’s own polling, focuses on the campaign and polling, with little analysis of the future, history, or implications for the EU.
  • D. Bailey and L. Budd, The Political Economy of Brexit, Agenda, 2017, £16.99 (PB), £16.99 (Kindle). An edited collection of academic analyses with a focus on political economy, but also some domestic political issues such as the unity of the UK, and the future of the EU. Ideal for postgraduate readers studying political economy and with an existing knowledge of the topic of UK-EU relations.
  • O. Bennett, The Brexit Club, Biteback, 2016, £12.99 (PB), £7.91 (Kindle). A popular account of what happened inside the Leave campaigns.
  • Cato the Younger, Guilty Men: Brexit Edition, Biteback, 2017, £10 (HB), £7.99 (eBook). Based on the 1940 book of the same name that destroyed the reputation of the men responsible for appeasement, this 2017 edition goes after the men - or 13 men and 2 women - guilty of causing Brexit and plunging Britain into a period of unnecessary risks that could end in calamity. Whether you voted Leave or Remain, it's difficult not to view Brexit Britain as a country of lions misled by donkeys. 
  • H. Clarke, M. Goodwin and P. Whiteley, Brexit: Why Britain voted to leave the European Union, CUP, 2017, £49.99 (HB), £15.99 (PB). The most comprehensive analysis so far of the vote, with a focus on voting behaviour over time and giving some pointers as to where Brexit goes next. You can read my review of the book for the LSE's Brexit blog here.
  • P. Clegg, Brexit and the Commonwealth. Routledge, 2018. £115 (HB). A welcome analysis of a topic on which much is said in political debates but where analysis is often lacking. 
  • P. Diamond, P. Nedergaard and Ben Rosamond, Routledge Handbook of the Politics of Brexit. Routledge, 2018, £175 (HB) £20 (eBook). An impressive line-up of leading academics offer their analysis on an equally impressive line-up of topics. 
  • I. Dunt, Brexit: What the Hell happens now? Canbury Press, 2016, £5.59 (PB), £3.99 (Kindle). Written by a journalist in the immediate aftermath of the vote, it looks at the future giving a popular – but Remain leaning – account of what may unfold.
  • R. Eaglestone, Brexit and Literature. Routledge, 2018. An analysis of Brexit as a cultural event and process. 
  • G. Evans and A. Menon, Brexit and British Politics. Wiley, £12.99 (PB). Explains the outcome of the vote by looking at longer-term trends in British politics. 
  • A. Glencross, Why the UK voted for Brexit, Routledge Pivot series, 2016, £36.99 (HB), £24.69 (Kindle). A short academic analysis of the referendum divided into four sections covering the history of Euroscepticism, the renegotiation, the campaign, and the future handling of Brexit. It focuses on the nature of direct democracy in the UK and the nature of Euroscepticism.
  • D. Hannan, What Next: How to get the best from Brexit, Head of Zeus, 2016, £9.99 (PB), £3.69 (Kindle). Written by longstanding Eurosceptic Dan Hannan, it offers a Leavers analysis of where Britain and UK-EU relations can go next with a focus on the nature of UK democracy.
  • F. Harrison and M. Gaffney, Beyond Brexit: The blueprint, Land Research Trust, 2016, £8.00 (PB). Looks at Brexit from the perspective of taxation (especially land taxes) and political economy, arguing for reform of both to enable a post-Brexit Britain to succeed.
  • D. Kauders, Understanding Brexit Options: What future for Britain? Sparkling books, 2016, £11.99 (PB), £2.37 (Kindle). A short book, written around the time of the vote and in a non-academic way, describing the various options facing the UK on leaving the EU. Backed remaining in the EU.
  • D. MacShane, Brexit: How Britain will leave the EU, I.B.Tauris, 2016, £8.99 (PB), £8.54 (Kindle). A readable, provocative analysis written before the referendum looking at the reasons why Britain was likely to vote leave.
  • J. Morphet, Beyond Brexit: How to assess the UK’s future, Policy Press, 2017, £9.99 (PB), £8.39 (Kindle). A detailed academic analysis focused on the potential implications of Brexit across a wide range of institutions and policy areas.
  • C. Oliver, Unleashing Demons: The inside story of Brexit, Hodder and Stoughton, 2016, £20 (HB), £9.99 (PB), £20 (Kindle). An insider’s account by Cameron’s Communications Director of what happened during the campaign. One of the best insiders accounts.
  • T. Oliver, Europe's Brexit: EU Perspectives on Britain’s Vote to Leave, Agenda, 2018. Through chapters written by authors from across the rest of the EU, the book examines how the rest of the EU responded to the UK's renegotiation, referendum campaign and the result of the vote up to when Theresa May triggered Article 50.
  • T. Oliver, Understanding Brexit: A Concise Introduction, Policy Press, 2018, £19.99 (PB). Offers a broadranging but concise introduction to Brexit by looking at the past, present and future of UK-EU relations and what they might mean for the UK, the EU and globally. 
  • W. Outhwaite, Brexit: Sociological Responses, Anthem Press, 2017, £70 (HB), £32.27 (PB), £29.39 (Kindle). An edited academic analysis of a wide range of issues connected to Brexit. Comprehensive in coverage, academic in analysis.
  • T. Shipman, Fall Out: A Year of Political Mayhem, HarperCollins, 2017, £25 (HB). Having written All Out War, Shipman took up his pen to write the story of Theresa May’s premiership from its beginning, just after the referendum, to the general election result that deprived her – and her plans for Brexit – of a majority in the House of Commons.
Updated: 29 June 2018. 
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