About the Author

Niall Ferguson is Fellow and Tutor in Modern History at Jesus College, Oxford. He is the author of Paper and Iron, The House of Rothschilds, and The Pity of War ). He writes regularly for the Times Literary Supplement, and lives in Oxford.

Reviews

"A concise and lucid exposition...Popular history at its best."--Washington Post

"An entertaining, engaging romp through four centuries of British imperialism."--Los Angeles Times

"Ferguson...is a wonderfully fluent writer, weaving telling details and vivid anecdotes seamlessly into his narrative."--New York Times

"Fluently written, engaging...Empire is a model of how to do popular history."--The Economist

"Scrupulous scholarship [and] a rattling good tale."--Wall Street Journal

A New York Times Notable Book

A New York Times Notable Book
A concise and lucid exposition...Popular history at its best.--Washington Post
An entertaining, engaging romp through four centuries of British imperialism.--Los Angeles Times
Ferguson...is a wonderfully fluent writer, weaving telling details and vivid anecdotes seamlessly into his narrative.--New York Times
Fluently written, engaging...Empire is a model of how to do popular history.--The Economist
Scrupulous scholarship [and] a rattling good tale.--Wall Street Journal

First published in England last year (with the shorter subtitle How Britain Made the Modern World), this is intended as a cautionary tale for the United States. In this sweeping narrative, British historian Ferguson (economic history, NYU; The Pity of War) eloquently addresses the origin, scope, and nature of the British Empire. He confronts the negative aspects of the empire-suppression of native populations, involvement in the slave trade-but also examines the idealistic mission of the British and offers valuable insight into the expansion of the empire in India and Africa. Ferguson effectively weaves economic analysis into his history, presents fresh observations on the American War of Independence, and charts the empire's decline. He gives the British high marks for spreading the concept of "liberal capitalism" and democracy throughout the world while acknowledging its failure "to live up to its own ideal of individual liberty." Dozens of illustrations, maps, and tables, as well as a solid bibliography, supplement the text. This is the sort of popular history that will also appeal to specialists and is highly recommended for public and academic libraries.-Thomas A. Karel, Franklin & Marshall Coll. Lib., Lancaster, PA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.