* A book that is narrative-driven, but full of outstanding scholarship and insight. * Subtitled 'The Making and Unmaking of British India' - how the British Raj shaped the Indian sub-continent as it is today.
Lawrence James was born in Bath and was educated at the University of York and Merton College, Oxford. After a distinguished teaching career he has emerged as one of the outstanding narrative historians of his generation.
'The range, sweep and sheer verve of theb ook are prodigious....A masterpiece.' A N WILSON 'His feeling for historical detail cannot be faulted and is made more engaging by his scholarship and infectious enthusiasm for the subject.' SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY 'With this superb history of the mammoth subject (James') writing career has reached its apogee.' THE TIMES 'James never loses sight of his grand design, yet he still finds room for the telling detail which illuminates and enriches the narrative.' DAILY TELEGRAPH 'James' epic is not only a first rate narrative, but also a penetrating portrait of the British...Having largely, if often inadvertantly, selfishly or ham-fistedly, engineered the world we live in, we need the courage now to face up to our record as coolly and intelligently as Lawrence James has done.' TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT 'Outstanding....An intelligible introduction to a grand subject.' SPECTATOR 'This is a wonderful book about the British presence in India...it will remain unsurpassed in our generation as a scholarly survey for the educated general reader...a superb example of modern narrative history at its bravest' - Jan Morris, THE TIMES
'The range, sweep and sheer verve of theb ook are prodigious....A masterpiece.' A N WILSON 'His feeling for historical detail cannot be faulted and is made more engaging by his scholarship and infectious enthusiasm for the subject.' SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY 'With this superb history of the mammoth subject (James') writing career has reached its apogee.' THE TIMES 'James never loses sight of his grand design, yet he still finds room for the telling detail which illuminates and enriches the narrative.' DAILY TELEGRAPH 'James' epic is not only a first rate narrative, but also a penetrating portrait of the British...Having largely, if often inadvertantly, selfishly or ham-fistedly, engineered the world we live in, we need the courage now to face up to our record as coolly and intelligently as Lawrence James has done.' TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT 'Outstanding....An intelligible introduction to a grand subject.' SPECTATOR 'This is a wonderful book about the British presence in India...it will remain unsurpassed in our generation as a scholarly survey for the educated general reader...a superb example of modern narrative history at its bravest' - Jan Morris, THE TIMES
After writing several acclaimed histories primarily focused on British imperial military history, James (The Rise and Fall of the British Empire, St. Martin's, 1996) now concentrates on India, the old Empire's cornerstone. With an orientation to historical narrative instead of analysis, the work often raises questions it does not answer. Military perspectives dominate, but James fails to show the relationship between government and the military. Hardly anyone receives favorable discussion in this "revisionist" recounting of the Raj's rise and fall, while crucial figures (Clive, Hastings, Gandhi, Mountbatten) are treated shabbily. Nehru, strangely, is hardly mentioned. Military buffs might like this rather long history, but those interested in an impartial treatment will be better served by other recent titles, e.g., Shashi Tharoor's From Midnight to the Millennium (LJ 6/1/97).‘Donald Johnson, Univ. of Minnesota Lib., Minneapolis
 |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
