This is a both controversial and comprehensive historical analysis of how the British Empire worked, from Wolfson Prize-winning author and historian John Darwin. The British Empire shaped the world in countless ways: repopulating continents, carving out nations, imposing its own language, technology and values. For perhaps two centuries its expansion and final collapse were the single largest determinant of historical events, and it remains surrounded by myth, misconception and controversy today. John Darwin`s provocative and richly enjoyable book shows how diverse, contradictory and in many ways chaotic the British Empire really was, controlled by interests that were often at loggerheads, and as much driven on by others` weaknesses as by its own strength. Reviews: “A breadth of perspective few other imperial historians can boast. The British Empire really does look different in the light of it…Breadth of vision, fizzing ideas and a brilliant style as well as superb scholarship…It deserves to supplant every other book on this topic …the one we`ve been waiting for”. (Bernard Porter, History Today).”A brilliantly perceptive analysis of the forces and ideas that drove the creation of an extraordinary enterprise…Bringing together his huge erudition, scrupulous fairness and elegant prose, Mr Darwin has produced a wonderfully stimulating account”. (Economist). “Engrossing…What Darwin adds to this [subject] is a rare, wonderful capacity for comparison…Seeing the imperial experience in the round like this does gives us a clearer, more subtle appreciation of the range of power and violence at play. It raises the historical writing on empire to another level”. (BBC History Magazine). “Balanced, original and impressive…Subtle …intelligent”. (Literary Review). “How incredibly refreshing it is when as distinguished an historian as John Darwin …writes something as thoughtful, well-researched and persuasive as Unfinished Empire”. (Andrew Roberts, Sunday Telegraph Book of the Week). “Comprehensive…Darwin`s erudition allows him to skirt around the narrow orthodoxies of apologist v critic and provide an insightful account of Britain`s unlikely period of global hegemony”. (Sunday Times).About the author: John Darwin`s interest lies in the history of empires, both their rise and fall. He has written extensively on the decline of Britain`s empire and teaches imperial and global history at Oxford, where he is a Fellow of Nuffield College. Most recently he is the author of After Tamerlane: The Rise and Fall of Global Empires, 1400-2000, which won the Wolfson History Prize, and The Empire Project: The Rise and Fall of the British World-System, 1830-1970.

Related Products:

After Tamerlane – The Rise and Fall of Global Empires, 1400-2000 The Penguin Historical Atlas of the British Empire The Rise & Fall of the British Empire Underground Asia: Global Revolutionaries and the Assault on Empire India Conquered: Britain`s Raj and the Chaos of Empire Outrageous Waves – Global Warming & Coastal Change in Britain Slave Empire: How Slavery Built Modern Britain Colossus: The Rise and Fall of the American Empire The Hungry Empire: How Britain`s Quest for Food Shaped the Modern World A Thirst for Empire: How Tea Shaped the Modern World Scotland`s Empire: The Origins of the Global Diaspora Ancient Rome: A Complete History of the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, Chronicling the Story of the Most Important and Influential Civilization the World Has Ever Known In the Shadow of the Sword: The Battle for Global Empire and the End of the Ancient World Empire of the Deep The Rise and Fall of the Arab Empire Legacy of Violence: A History of the British Empire The Decline and Fall of the British Empire Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India World Without End: The Global Empire of Philip II Ten Cities That Made an Empire Insurgent Empire: Anticolonial Resistance and British Dissent Penguin Illustrated History of Britain and Ireland Stones of Empire Conquerors: How Portugal Forged the First Global Empire Empires of the Weak: The Real Story of European Expansion and the Creation of the New World Order Edge of Empire Attila the Hun: Barbarian Terror and the Fall of the Roman Empire A Brief History of the Roman Empire The Bases of Empire: The Global Struggle Against U.S. Military Posts Cold Steel: Lakshmi Mittal and the Multi-Billion-Dollar Battle for a Global Empire Rivers of Gold – The Rise of the Spanish Empire The Aztecs – Rise & Fall of an Empire We are everywhere: the irresistible rise of global anti-capitalism Churchill and Empire: Portrait of an Imperialist The New Age of Empire: How Racism and Colonialism Still Rule the World The Guardians: The League of Nations and the Crisis of Empire British Empire 1905 Mapping an Empire: The Geographical Construction of British India 1765-1843 Tea, Addiction, Exploitation and Empire – A Brief History Sex, Botany and Empire (Icon Science): The Story of Carl Linnaeus and Joseph Banks