''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 STORY OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE AT ITS MAXIMUM TERRITORIAL EXTENT
On Saturday 29 September 1923, the Palestine Mandate became law and the British Empire now covered a scarcely credible quarter of the world''s land mass, containing 460 million people. It was the largest empire the world had ever seen. But it was beset by debt and doubts.
This book is a new way of looking at the British Empire. It immerses the reader in the contemporary moment, focusing on particular people and stories from that day, gleaned from newspapers, letters, diar
