William Beinart is Rhodes Professor of Race Relations, and Fellow of St Antony's College, Oxford. Lotte Hughes is Lecturer in African and Asian Studies, the Open University.

Review

"If you are a British imperial historian, or someone who works in an area of the former British Empire, you need to read this book. Few books are as clearly written, have as broad a scope, or are as successful at imparting the views of past scholars while also articulating the author's own vision of history. More importantly, perhaps, not only will you learn from this book, you will also enjoy it."--Brett Bennett, British Scholar

"A reasonably comprensive, highly informative, laudably interdisciplinary, and well-written account of the empire's interactions with different environments and of its effects on a wide range of landscapes, resources, and societies."--Vaglav Smil, The International History Review

"Offers an excellent introduction to its topic, learned and accessible." --Victorian Studies