Rot by Padraic X. Scanlan - ISBN: 9781472146892
Paperback
Ireland starved while Britain thrived: the tragic legacy of empire.

Rot

An Imperial History of the Irish Famine

$26.99

  • Paperback

    352 pages

  • Release Date

    9 June 2026

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Summary

‘A vigorous and engaging new study of the Irish famine … Richly underpinned by research in contemporary sources and firmly rooted in historical scholarship.’ Fintan O’Toole

‘A vivid, polemical narrative that does justice to victims and explains the ideologies that worsened the disaster.’ Irish Independent

‘Scanlan’s history of the “Great Hunger’ and its repercussions is meticulous, measured and damning.’ Financial Times

‘Mr. Scanlan’s haunting and terrible book is undo…

Book Details

ISBN-13:9781472146892
ISBN-10:1472146891
Author:Padraic X. Scanlan
Publisher:Little, Brown Book Group
Imprint:Robinson
Format:Paperback
Number of Pages:352
Release Date:9 June 2026
Weight:279g
Dimensions:196mm x 2mm x 30mm
What They're Saying

Critics Review

Rot is a moving modern history of the Great Potato Famine. With great insight and impeccable research, Padraic Scanlan vividly brings this terrible catastrophe and the stories of its heroes and villains back to life. * Tyler Anbinder, author of City of Dreams *Rot brilliantly blends economic, social, and environmental history to deliver a stunning new account of one of nineteenth-century Europe’s most shameful tragedies. Padraic Scanlan joins clear-eyed, comprehensive research and analysis to deliver a persuasive indictment of faith in free markets. As illuminating as it is harrowing, Rot is a must-read for anybody interested in the histories of capitalism and empire. * Maya Jasanoff, author of The Dawn Watch *Crisply written and based on an impressive range of contemporary sources, Padraic Scanlan’s Rot is the best kind of historical writing. * Sean Connolly, author of On Every Tide *Rot is a book I have longed to read. Framing the Irish Famine within the context of the British empire is revelatory. An incredibly important work. * Sathnam Sanghera, author of Empireworld *

About The Author

Padraic X. Scanlan

Padraic X. Scanlan earned a BA (Hons) in History from McGill University in 2008, and a PhD in History from Princeton University in 2013. He is Associate Professor in the Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources and the Centre for Diaspora & Transnational Studies at the University of Toronto and a Research Associate at the Joint Centre for History and Economics at the University of Cambridge. He has also held appointments at the London School of Economics and Harvard University. He is the author of Freedom’s Debtors, which, in 2018, was awarded the James A. Rawley Prize and the Wallace K. Ferguson Prize, and Slave Empire.

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