Heaven's Command: An Imperial Progress (Pax Britannica)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Jan Morris tells the epic story of the rise of the British Empire, from Queen Victoria's accession in 1837 to her Diamond Jubilee in 1897. In this celebrated masterwork she vividly evokes every aspect of the 'great adventure', ranging from ships and botanical gardens to hill stations and sugar plantations, as she subtly traces the impact of empire on places as diverse as Sierra Leone and Fiji, Zululand and the Canadian prairies.
'How many professional historians can write books that give so much pleasure? This is a book planned by an architect, fitted together by a craftsman, and polished by a cabinet-maker.' Sunday Times
About the Author
Jan Morris was born in 1926 of a Welsh father and an English mother, and when she is not travelling she lives with her partner Elizabeth Morris in the top left-hand corner of Wales, between the mountains and the sea. Her books include Coronation Everest, Venice, The Pax Britannica Trilogy (Heaven's Command, Pax Britannica, and Farewell the Trumpets), and Conundrum. She is also the author of six books about cities and countries, two autobiographical books, several volumes of collected travel essays and the unclassifiable Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere. A Writer's World, a collection of her travel writing and reportage from over five decades, was published in 2003. Hav, her novel, was published in a new and expanded form in 2006.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The British Empire at one time encompassed a quarter of the globe, from countries as immense and diverse as India to ones as tiny as Tristan da Cunha. Jan Morris has the rare skill of not only painting the large canvas of history, but also of illuminating for her readers the daily life of distant quarters of the Victorian empire. She writes with warmth and affection of Zulus and Maoris, of Quebecois and Boers, of explorers suffering terrible ordeals, of be-whiskered colonial politicians in London and dear old Queen Victoria herself. She writes with a pleasing absence of political correctness, seeing the Empire not only in the currently fashionable way as an instrument of exploitation, but also as a power for good. She introduces us to colonialists dedicated to the welfare of their subjects, as well as those out to feather their own nests. And the texture of the book is typical Jan Morris - crafted in such a way that you at last understand what it was all about, and why it happened.
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
For someone who never got to study the British empire at school (far too politically incorrect and besides, I was more interested in 20th century stuff), this is a superb introduction to the subject. Probably not rigourous enough for anyone who knows anything, Jan Morris uses a sequence of anecdotes and vibrant case studies to track the rise and rise of the Empire, without ever giving in to being triumphalist or one sided. You'll have to excuse me now; I'm off to read the next book in the series!
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The great thing about Jan Morris is that she brings so many different qualities to her books. Nostalgia, humour, insight, and wonderful storytelling, all of which are present in abundance in this marvelous account of the Genesis of that most remarkable of Empires. It was an Empire that was cruel, repressive, civilising, gracious and compassionate depending on which subject of the Crown was dispensing the rules to the natives. Being a native of one of the former colonies (Ireland) I am all too familiar with the negative aspects of the Empire. Our famine is at once an epic tragedy and also an indictment of the British Empires lack of compassion. On the other hand when you read this book you cannot but admire the great energy and sacrifice of so many loyal British subjects who lived their lives many miles from their native shores and their families in the belief that they were not only doing their duty for queen and country, but also in the belief that they were genuinely bettering the lives of those around them, primarily by spreading Christianity and Civilisation. I think what Jan Morris succeeds in doing is illustrating the futility of trying to sum up the Empire. It has too many sides to it, some good, some bad, but always so very very interesting. I cant wait to read the other two books in the trilogy.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Hail Jan Morris - pre-eminent Charter of the Land
The period here is 1837-1897, the reign of Queen Victoria. Sixty Glorious Years, as the film was called. Read more
Published 10 months ago by G. M. Sinstadt
Gloriously rich
This first volume of Jan Morris' trilogy tracing the rise and fall of the British Empire, is simply riveting. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Steamdreamer
A superb style of English
Jan Morris' style is to ignore the "big issues", which often only become apparent in retrospect, but instead to concentrate on individuals, good and bad, in their own contemporary... Read more
Published 19 months ago by A. J. Flint
Heavens Command
Just like the others who have reveiwed this book, I was completely entranced by the vivid descriptions of the Empire and its protagonists and players. Read more
Published on 24 May 2009 by Mark James Ros Birkett
Extremely readable, very entertaining history.
Essentially a series of accounts of remarkable characters woven together to illustrate the rise of the Empire. Sets many myths to rest. Written with style and warmth.
Published on 11 May 2002
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