Richard Reeves. John Stuart Mill: Victorian Firebrand (Book Review‪)‬

Richard Reeves. John Stuart Mill: Victorian Firebrand. London: Atlantic Books. 2007. Pp. viii + 616. ISBN 978 1 84354 643 6. 30.00 [pounds sterling] John Stuart Mill: Victorian Firebrand opens in St James Park, on a warm summer's morning, with the teenage Mill striding to his office in Leadenhall Street in the financial heart of the City of London. Suddenly, Mill's attention is caught by a small bundle abandoned beneath an oak tree. Curious, Mill kneels down beside it and unwraps the layers of soiled blankets only to discover a dead, newborn baby. This grisly experience remained etched in Mill's mind for the duration of his life and was perhaps formative in shaping his views on the twin rights of life and liberty.