In these seven volumes, published in 1908, Justin McCarthy takes on the contemporary history of England with an unbiased yet unflinching eye. This politically moderate, even-tempered work is an ambitious yet brilliant piece of history. In the final volume McCarthy discusses the changes Britain underwent as a result of—or at the time of—Queen Victoria's reign: education and philanthropy, the new Ireland, the South African war, the election in 1900, the Death-Rolls, the death of Queen Victoria in 1901, as well as a few chapters of McCarthy's personal reflection on the series.