'Breathtaking... vital and important. A wonderful read' - PETER FRANKOPAN

'Marvellous... escapes the inane, balance-sheet view of Empire and sees its full complexity' - SATHNAM SANGHERA

'Excellent... his mastery of detail is impeccable' - DOMINIC SANDBROOK, Sunday Times

'Extraordinary... [brings] the world of a century ago to fresh, vivid life' - ALEX VON TUNZELMANN

THE HISTORY OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE AT ITS LARGEST EXTENT

On Saturday, September 29, 1923, the mandate for Palestine became law, and the British Empire covered an almost unbelievable quarter of the world's land, encompassing 460 million people. It was the largest empire the world had ever seen. But it was full of debts and doubts. This book offers a new perspective on the British Empire. It delves into the contemporary moment, focusing on specific people and stories from that day, drawing from newspapers, letters, diaries, official documents, magazines, films, and novels: from a remote Pacific island facing the removal of all its land, spanning across Australia, Burma, India, and Kenya to London and the Caribbean.

In some cases, the issues from a hundred years ago are still with us: debates around cultural and ethnic identity in a globalized world; how to manage multi-ethnic political entities; racism; the divisive appropriation of religion for political purposes; the dangers of ignorance. In other cases, they are entirely foreign. What remains extraordinary is the Empire's ability to reveal the most fascinating human stories. Never before has there been a book containing so many vivid experiences from both the colonizers and the colonized: from the greatest rulers to the humblest immigrants, policemen, and nurses.

Pages: 608, Year of Publication: 1029, Dimensions: 12.6x12.6cm