The Age of Empires - Tapa dura

'It would be very difficult to find a more beautifully produced book ... the images are simply breathtaking ... this is a book to be enjoyed for the most part at leisure, as a kind of stimulant for the mind and senses' - The Journal of Colonialism and Colonial History

The story of thirteen modern Empires, a story full of suspense, cruelty, conflict, heroism, great explorations and extraordinary feats of endurance, is here told with a rich profusion of illustrations drawn from a wide range of vivid, colourful, authentic sources.Now that the age of empires is fully over, it is possible for the first time to draw up a balance sheet of praise and blame.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Imperial Overview · 1. The Ottoman Empire: A Diverse Society · 2. Spain: The Genealogy of Modern Colonialism · 3. Portugal Overseas: Asia and America · 4. The Enrichment of the Netherlands: Dutch Colonial Rule and Its Aftermath · 5. Scandinavia: An Outsider in European Imperialism · 6. Britain: The Empire of Good Intentions · 7. France: Empire and the Mère-Patrie · 8. The Two Russian Empires: Tsarist and Soviet · 9. The Austro-Hungarian Monarchy: Re-inventing Central Europe · 10. The Belgian Colonial Empire: Free State or ‘Heart of Darkness’? · 11. The German Empire as Colonial Power: The Latecomer · 12. Italy: The Last Empire · 13. The United States: Empire or Way of Life?