Canbury scoops Ian Dunt's guide to liberalism

Canbury Press has scooped a guide to liberalism by political journalist Ian Dunt, described as a “rallying cry for those who still believe in freedom and reason”.

Martin Hickman, m.d, acquired world rights for How To Be A Liberal from Lisa Moylett at Coombs Moylett Maclean. It will be published on 21st May 2020.

The synopsis explains: “How To Be A Liberal is an epic retelling of the story of liberalism, from its birth in the fight against absolute monarchy to the modern-day resistance against the new populism. In a unified narrative ranging from the battlefields of the English Civil War to the 2008 financial crash and beyond, the book explains the political ideas which underpin the modern world. Readers will be equipped to fight back against the deterioration of politics in Britain and abroad, where autocracy and propaganda are in danger of taking root.”

Dunt is the editor of Politics.co.uk and author of 2016 book Brexit What the Hell Happens Now? (Canbury).

He said: “This book is for people who feel like they're going mad. They've been left behind by the right and the left and ignored by the media. They've been told to bury their identity in two groups which don't exist - 'the people' or 'the elite'. They're told that reason, evidence and objective reality no longer matter, that it's OK — even admirable — to hate outsiders.

“But they're not going mad. There are millions who think like them and remain instinctively committed to individual freedom and rationality. Liberalism remains, as it's always been, the most radical system of political thought in history. So we're going to tell its story and show why it is such a threat to the authoritarians of the world. After all, there's a reason they're trying to destroy it: it scares them.”

Canbury Press m.d. Hickman said: “In my view Ian Dunt is the best political writer working in Britain. Several publishers approached him after his brilliant book on Brexit, so I am thrilled that he has come back to us for his second and most ambitious project to date.”

Louisa Pritchard at Louisa Pritchard Associates is handling translation rights. Combined Book Services in Kent is the distributor in UK and Ireland. Casemate is distributing the book in the US and Canada.