David Selbourne

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David Selbourne (b. 1937) is a British historian of ideas, and playwright. He is known for his political books on conservative themes, such as The Principle of Duty and The Losing Battle with Islam. He has also published a work entitled "The City of Light"; a translation of a thirteenth-century account of a Jewish merchant's voyage to China. Much controversy has surrounded the authenticity of this document.

Selbourne is a graduate of Balliol College, Oxford, and taught at Ruskin College, Oxford for many years. He is an advisor to the Conservative Party in the UK.

A number of British publishers turned down his most recent book The Losing Battle with Islam (New York: Prometheus Books, 2005). Selbourne alleged (2004 story, Daily Telegraph) this happened because there is hesitation about looking at these matters squarely in the face.

Selbourne currently lives in Italy.

[edit] Works

An Eye to India
An Eye to China
Through the Indian Looking-Glass
The Making of A Midsummer Night's Dream
Against Socialist Illusion: A Radical Argument (1985)
Left Behind: Journeys into British Politics
In Theory and in Practice: Essays on the Politics of Jayaprakash Narayan, editor
A Doctor's Life: The Diaries of Hugh Selbourne M.D., 1960-63, editor
Death of the Dark Hero: Eastern Europe 1987-90 (1990)
The Spirit of the Age (1993)
The Principle of Duty (1994)
Not an Englishman: Conversations with Lord Goodman
The City of Light: The Hidden Journal of the Man Who Entered China Four Years Before Marco Polo, translator (Jacob of Ancona)
The Losing Battle with Islam (2005)