It won't please jingoists, but this unsparing account of the British Empire... exposes the dangerous folly of imperial pretensions -- Sally Cousins Sunday Telegraph Refreshing, original and well-researched ... "Britain knows best" arrogance is unmasked in chapter after chapter of this devastating book ... No one will understand the political situation in the world today who has not grasped the truths enshrined in Kwarteng's brilliant book -- A.N. Wilson Evening Standard Highly thought-provoking ... original, stimulating and insightful Times Literary Supplement A successful and convincing biography of the empire's ruling elites and their modern day legacies Economist Well-written, witty, but above all fair-minded, this is the best general overview of the British Empire to appear in years.