THE RISE AND FALL OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE covers the history of British expansion overseas from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries. Narrative and analysis are interwoven with revealing eyewitness quotation to provide keen insight into the minds of those involved in conquering, settling and ruling the greatest Empire the world has seen. Throughout, there are consistant themes; the search for profit and the moral misgivings it generated; domestic developments which made imperial expansion desirable; and the sense of national and personal destiny felt by the empire-builders. Spanning four centuries and six continents, James' magnificent survey examines the imperial experience and its legacy with tremendous verve. Informed, comprehensive and perceptive, it is the essential summary of the era. 'James' epic is not only a first-rate narrative, but also a penetrating portrait of the British...Having largely, if often inadvertently, selfishly or ham-fistedly, engineered the world we live in, we need the courage now to face up to our record as coolly and intelligently as Lawrence James has done' - John Spurling, TLS

* Uniquely complete account of the British Empire - Jan Morris' great Penguin trilogy PAX BRITANNICA only starts from 1837, rather than the 16th Century. * A modern classic of narrative history, updated to include the 1997 handover of Hong Kong.

About the Author
Lawrence James was a founder member of York University and then took a research degree at Merton College, Oxford. After a distinguished teaching career he has emerged as one of the outstanding narrative historians of his generation.

Reviews
A masterpiece * A N Wilson *
...with this superb history of a mammoth subject his writing career has reached its apogee. * Andrew Roberts, THE TIMES *
James never loses sight of his grand design, yet he still finds room for the telling detail which illuminates and enriches a narrative" Philip Ziegler, THE DAILY TELEGRAPH * 'A stimulating book... intelligent and making no concessions to current cliche.' *
IRISH TIMES * 'With dispassion and erudition James restores it to us mixing a pacy, lucid narrative with enlivening detail taken from political, cultural and populist sources.' *
His feeling for historical detail cannot be faulted and is made more engaging by his scholarship and infectious enthusiasm for the subject ... A thumping good read * Scotland on Sunday *
James' epic is not only a first-rate narrative, but also a penetrating portrait of the British ... Having largely, if often inadvertently, selfishly or ham-fistedly, engineered the world we live in, we need the courage now to face up to our record as coolly and intelligently as Lawrence James has done * John Spurling, TLS *
Outstanding ... An intelligible introduction to a grand subject * M.R.D. Foot, THE SPECTATOR'S BOOK OF THE YEAR *



Book Information
ISBN 9780349106670
Author Lawrence James
Format Paperback
Page Count 736
Imprint Abacus
Publisher Little, Brown Book Group
Weight(grams) 510g
Dimensions(mm) 132mm * 201mm * 39mm