'Arguably Britain's most respected historian of any kind, one of a tiny handful of historians of any era to enjoy genuine national and world renown . . . Both in his knowledge of detail and in his extraordinary powers of synthesis, he was unrivalled' Guardian

'One of the greatest British historians of his age . . . For sheer intellectual firepower and analytical skill, Hobsbawm remained unsurpassed' Daily Telegraph

'A magisterial historian of the modern age . . . Eric Hobsbawm pioneered the study of popular protest, riot and revolt, and his writings were as important to social scientists as to historians' The Times