The Real Simon Pure: Brian Simon's Four-Volume History of Education in England

Extract

Brian Simon is certainly the best-known living historian of education in the United Kingdom, probably in Europe, and possibly in the whole world. His reputation depends upon two factors. The first is a publication record which, to date, comprises some thirty books and more than one hundred other contributions. The second factor is Simon's own life in education. Indeed, the two have been so intertwined that this review of his four-volume history of education necessarily begins with a brief account of the latter. For Brian Simon is no closet academic, no mere observer of the historical scene. Even today, though well into his seventies, he remains, as he has always been, a participant; an understanding of the nature of that participation is essential to any appreciation of his writings.