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A reappraisal of the British Empire, told through the micro-historical stories of individuals. Chosen by Julian Barnes and Melvyn Bragg as their book of the year. One of the "Sunday Times" five best history books of 2002. From the author of "Britons: Forging The Nation 1707-1837", which won the Wolfson Prize. "...one of the most exciting historians of her generation" William Dalrymple, "Guardian".
Synopsis
Ranging over a quarter of a millenium and four continents, this book uncovers the lives, deaths and autobiographical writings of a vital but forgotten constituency: the tens of thousands of men and women who took part in Britain's rise to imperial pre-eminence but who got caught and caught out.
