Historian, politician, diplomat and traveler, mountaineer and man of letters: James Bryce (1838-1922) was a popular British ambassador to the United States and acclaimed author of The American Commonwealth who established himself as the foremost foreign observer of the United States since de Tocqueville. John Seaman joins history and biography to recount a life of heroic failure and stubborn triumph, and in so doing, sheds new light on 19th century British politics and public life.