Office of Speaker

This book was inspired by the fact that no full-length study of the office of Speaker appears to have been published for nearly fifty years, and to the best of my knowledge no previous book on the British speakership has dealt with the office outside the United Kingdom. It is my earnest hope that this study, inadequate though it may be, may go some way towards filling a conspicuous gap in the literature of Parliament. The only claim I make for it is that every word was con ceived in sincere respect for an honourable office and the time-hallowed institution of which it forms so essential a part.

While the shortcomings of this book are my responsibility alone, such merits as it may possess are due in no small measure to the help and encouragement I have received from those kind friends and colleagues who have read and criticized the manuscript, supplied information and material, and otherwise shown an interest in my project.