Victoria's Wars: The Rise of Empire - Hardcover

David, Saul

3.95

334 ratings by Goodreads

9780670911387: Victoria's Wars: The Rise of Empire

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0670911380 ISBN 13: 9780670911387

Publisher: Viking, 2006

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In the early part of Queen Victoria's reign, the British Empire almost quintupled in size. It was well on the way to becoming the greatest empire the world had ever seen. This is the story of how it happened and the people who made it happen. In a fast-moving narrative that ranges from London to the harsh terrain of India, Russia and the Far East, Saul David shows how Britain ruthlessly exploited her position as the world's only superpower to expand her empire. Yet little of this territorial acquisition was planned or sanctioned by the home government. Instead it was largely the work of the men on the ground, and to those at home it really did seem that the empire was acquired in a 'fit of absence of mind'.

Saul David creates a vivid portrait of life on the violent fringes of empire, and of the seemingly endless and brutal wars that were fought in the name of trade, civilization and the balance of power.

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Review:

'Tremendously exciting, full of local colour and vivid . . . You can smell the sweat and the smoke and the fear' -- TLS

‘A fine book . . . David has an almost Carlylean knack of bringing events to life on the page’ -- Literary Review

‘A splendid narrator . . . the Afghan chapters would make salutary reading for George Bush and Tony Blair’ -- Sunday Telegraph

‘Incisive and acute . . . thorough and occasionally revelatory, [David] always finds a telling phrase, an eye-catching detail or a human story’ -- Sunday Times

‘Splendid . . . a terrific treasure-chest of anecdotes . . . a splendidly brisk, cool and judicious narrator’ -- Daily Telegraph

From the Publisher:

Previous praise for Saul David:
‘Riveting. Forget almost everything you thought you knew about the Zulu War. Saul David has provided another fine revisionist account of one of Queen Victoria's short but viscious wars' Andrew Roberts, 'Sunday Telegraph' (on Zulu)
'Thoroughly researched, clearly and honestly presented, this is the best account of the subject I have read' Adam Zamoyski, 'Sunday Times' (on Zulu)
‘A remarkable work by a huge new talent’ William Dalrymple, 'Sunday Times' (on The Indian Mutiny)

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