This Sceptred Isle: The British Empire - Hardcover

Britain's was the largest empire the world has ever known, encompassing a quarter of the world's land mass. At his coronation, over 400 million people saluted George V. The story of the British Empire is one of enormous personalities, adventure, scientific and maritime advancement, and the creation of one of the most complex international administrations the world has ever seen. This masterful work charts the history of exploration from the 16th century, but more importantly, from the mid-18th century to the period shortly before the First World War. It also looks at the immediate and long-range effects on the people themselves—the colonized and the colonizers—and why it all began to end when it did.

Christopher Lee is a Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge and the editor of Winston Churchill's A History of the English-Speaking Peoples.