Comments
Lawrence James has written
a comprehensive, perceptive, an insightful history of the British Empire.
Reviews
Carlos rated this book as
It's already in the bin
i brought this book for a reasearch project on the rise and fall of the British Empire and it was totaly rubish mate, the guy who wrote it i think smoked some home grone if you know what i meaan like and wanted every one who reads the book to fall asleap it was crap dont buy it it was the most boring book in the history of liturature.
Bob rated this book as
Excellent
exellent i don't even read but i read it and it is fantastic.
Khalifa rated this book as
Excellent
I found this book thoroughly immersive and very readable. True it is hard to pick facts out of but that is because it is not an encyclopaedic tool of reference and doesnt read anything like one. That is precisely what makes it so incredible, in its ability to conjure powerful imagery and a sense of being there in the thick of the action. To hear it said that James offers nothing new in his choice selection of first person accounts and manner and approach to writing a historical account surprises me and I would like to know more of writers that surpass a man who writes regularly for the biggest papers in Britain.
Wil rated this book as
It's already in the bin
I thought this book was rubbish. Inaccurate, overly complex and misleading. James offers nothing new or of note in this book. There are many better, more readable and informative books on this subject. This book is no good.
Derek
Abdinor rated this book as
Excellent
Why
are ancient empires fascinating? Because they have their roots in obscurity
and through a combination of risk-taking, ruthlessness, intelligent administration
and loads of luck, their influence permeates to every level of every society,
from immigration policy to turns of phrase. Just like your favourite Jeffrey
Archer character or soap queen... I read this book after the September
11 attacks, wondering how this would affect the US empire (or pax americana)
and then wondering why it has never been called that. It is a sign of its
own sophistication, as was Britain's largely bloodless decolonisation cf.
France, Portugal. James' narrative has the meat and potatoes of history,
the spice of anecdotal reference, and the superb dessert which rounds of
the meal as he, like a Colonial Office administrator, neatly winds up the
empire. I wish I had read this book ten years ago, and I wish James is
around to sum up the American empire in my lifetime.
John
David Hamilton rated this book as
Excellent
I
am struck by the parallels between the British empire in the 19th century
and the American Empire towards the end of the 20th century and into the
21st century. The same grandiloquent pronouncements by the satraps
as they stride across the globe. President Bush is remarkably like
Palmerston or Curzon in his arrogance and sanctity. James writes entertainingly
and has several debatable theories -- to start with, the one that England
paid for her wars through piracy and overseas looting, which, in turn,
led to the amassing of a vast land empire....also, the dependence of the
UK on Indians in the Indian Army to keep tdhe Empire in line (though these
Indians must not be used in wars against those considered to be white).Congratulations.
Gervase
Tinley rated this book as
Excellent
I
couldn't put it down. A fascinating read in which the author convinced
me that he was a patriot with a love of his subject and his national origins
yet was prepared to look at his subject as Cromwell would have wished "warts
and all". A vast canvas but the mass of detail does not destroy its sweep.
As a complete layman whose interest in history is simply of lively curiosity
Lawrence James gave me a fresh perspective of British history: he did so
in a way which I found most entertaining.
Kerri Folen rated this book
as
Good
This
book is definatly thorough, but rather hard to get through. Not ability
wise, but for research purposes it is difficult to find the necessary information.
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