John Cannon was formerly Professor of Modern History at The University of Newcastle upon Tyne. His books include The Oxford Illustrated History of the British Monarchy and The Blackwell Dictionary of Historians. Robert Crowcroft is a lecturer in Contemporary History at the University of Edinburgh. His first book, Attlee's War: World War II and the Making of a Labour Leader (2011), was named one of the best books of 2011 in Total Politics magazine. He also co-edited The Philosophy, Politics and Religion of British Democracy: Maurice Cowling and Conservatism (2010).