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Empire

How Britain Made the Modern World

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Empire

By: Niall Ferguson
Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble, Niall Ferguson
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About this listen

Penguin presents the unabridged audiobook edition of Empire by Niall Ferguson, read by Jonathan Keeble.

Once vast swathes of the globe were coloured imperial red, and Britannia ruled not just the waves but the prairies of America, the plains of Asia, the jungles of Africa and the deserts of Arabia. Just how did a small, rainy island in the North Atlantic achieve all this? And why did the empire on which the sun literally never set finally decline and fall?

Niall Ferguson's acclaimed Empire brilliantly unfolds the imperial story in all its splendours and its miseries, showing how a gang of buccaneers and gold diggers planted the seed of the biggest empire in all history - and set the world on the road to modernity.

©2017 Niall Ferguson (P)2017 Penguin Audio Europe Great Britain Modern Politics & Government World Imperialism Africa United Kingdom Middle Ages England Military Capitalism Latin America War Self-Determination British Empire Colonial Period Socialism Taxation Imperial Japan Social justice

Critic Reviews

"The most brilliant British historian of his generation...Ferguson examines the roles of 'pirates, planters, missionaries, mandarins, bankers and bankrupts' in the creation of history's largest empire...he writes with splendid panache...and a seemingly effortless, debonair wit." (Andrew Roberts)
"Dazzling...wonderfully readable." ( New York Review of Books)
"A remarkably readable précis of the whole British imperial story - triumphs, deceits, decencies, kindnesses, cruelties and all." (Jan Morris)
All stars
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Great analysis of the history of the British Empire in an erudite accessible and entertaining saga

Amazing book

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how good is this guys writings... amazing and insightful wow you learn so much. thanks

awesome

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A fascinating detailed exploration of the rise and the fall of the empire from the author’s empire-sympathetic perspective. Fits the English taught narrative of what happened and why - but those on the receiving end of the empire’s at-times appalling behaviour will no doubt struggle with this. As an audiobook, the structure is hard to follow - maybe better to be read so that the reader can flick back and forth to try to hang onto the authors journey

Fascinating, challenging - with a structure that is not easy to follow

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interesting to reflect on the current state of Britain as it seeks to exit the EU and attempt one last hurrah as it goes down fighting. sad in a way, so sad, very sad.

enjoyable stuff

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Over 16 hours, enjoyed every minute, wonderfully told. The Empire is must listen if you love History and British history.

Amazing

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Compelling listening. Highly informative, engaging and wonderfully presented. It seems to me a very fair account of the British Empire. The quotes and anecdotes are amazing. So much is this book that I did not know. Highly recommended to all students of history, particularly Britain's or those from former colonies.

Absolutely brilliant.

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Ferguson completes an exhaustive, not balanced, but beautifully and humorous biography of the British empire. As half Aussie and half English, I would recommend this book for those happy to hear about the positives of British colonialism and imperialism, and if you’re a person who thinks there are none of the former or latter, then u should either read this book, or stay a long way from it.
Marvellous book.

Magnificent

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brilliant historical , political, geographic ,military and economic analysis.
covers pros and cons of the empire fairly

niall ferguson at his articulate and erudite best

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Without doubt, Niall Ferguson has again produced a historical epic equal to it’s subject matter. The art of making the complex, simple, is the hallmark and genius of this extraordinary historian.

Whether the reader is pro-British or anti-empire, the insights and honesty of this work will leave one satisfied, enlightened, educated and entertained. Not simply a text book of “Who, What, Where, When and How”, Ferguson engages every aspect of the for and against debate to leave even the best read amongst us gasping with admiration at his clarity and erudition.

Simply a “must read” for the student of the post-modern world.

Yet again, Ferguson has created a brilliant Masterpiece of Insights and Explanation.

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Wide ranging book, all be it with a little bias .. but still worth a listen

Good and bad

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