Gertrude Himmelfarb (also known as Bea Kristol, her married name) was born on
August 8, 1922 in Brooklyn, NY. She was a university professor of history, editor, and
author of numerous academic articles and books. She has written
at least seventeen books.
The Roads to Modernity: The British, French, and American Enlightenments was
published in 2004. In this scholarly work, Himmelfarb contrasts development during
the late 1600's to 1700s in the three countries in the cultural areas of society, religion
and politics. She discusses how Edmund Burke, David Hume, Edward Gibbon, Adam
Smith and Thomas Paine all contributed to the shaping of thought during this period.
Publishers Weekly reported that ". . . this is a book with important ideological
implications that deserves to be read and debated across the political spectrum."