The Rise and Fall of the British Empire

by Lawrence James

Overview

“A stylish, intelligent and readable book.” —The New York Times Book Review

Birthed as a maritime superpower, the ruler of half the globe, Britain today finds itself in a precarious position, often stirring conflict within its European kin. This book provides a nuanced reflection of Britain's tumultuous transition from a globally dominant empire to an economically fragile island.

In The Rise and Fall of the British Empire, Lawrence James has written a comprehensive, perceptive, and insightful history of the British Empire. Spanning the years from 1600 to the present day, this critically acclaimed book combines detailed scholarship with readable popular history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780312169855
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/15/1997
Pages:	744
Sales rank:	1,061,811
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.08(h) x 1.89(d)

About the Author

Lawrence James studied History and English at York University and subsequently undertook a research degree at Merton College, Oxford. Following a career as a teacher, he became a full-time writer in 1985, and is the author of The Golden Warrior: The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia, Imperial Warrior: The Life and Times of Field Marshal Viscount Allenby, and the acclaimed Raj: The Making and Unmaking of British India. He lives in St. Andrews, Scotland with his wife who is the headmistress of St. Leonard's School, and his two sons.

Editorial Reviews

This is a stylish, intelligent and readable book.” —The New York Times Book Review

“A reliable, well-balanced and well-written account that should enlighten and entertain lay readers who wish to learn more about an empire that in its high noon was more extensive, more populous, and arguably more influential that that of Rome.” —The Washington Post Book World

“There is not a dull page in this book.” —The Washington Times

“A sprawling and complex subject handled with admirable style and selectivity.” —A.N. Wilson, author of Eminent Victories and Jesus: A Life

“An excellent work of popular history...fluid, accessible and personalized.” —Booklist

From the Publisher

James, a British historian whose previous books have dealt chiefly with military matters, writes engagingly about the British Empire from the time of Sir Walter Raleigh at the beginning of the 17th century to Nelson Mandela at the end of the 20th. The struggle that drove France out of Canada, he says, was ``Britain's first large-scale imperial war of conquest,'' and it set the pattern for future colonial wars from the American Revolution through the Napoleonic, Crimean, Boer, Afghan and Opium wars to WWI and the beginning of the end of the empire in India, Ireland, the Middle East and Africa. WWII finished the job. Except for the travels of Captain James Cook, tales of exploration play almost no part in this account. It is, instead, a history of how a fairly simple international mercantile enterprise-in which white dominions were definitely regarded differently from black ones-changed itself and the face of the world. James peppers his account with illuminating and entertaining excerpts from period songs and popular literature. His conclusion: few empires have given their subjects so much of the intellectual wherewithal to overthrow their rulers. A sprawling and complex subject handled with admirable style and selectivity. Illustrations. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly