See buying choices for this item to see if it's one of the millions that are eligible for Amazon Prime.

Ready to Buy?
the_book_de...
Price: £8.32
In stock
11 used & new from £5.36
See All Buying Options
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Josiah the Great: The True Story of the Man Who Would Be King
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

Josiah the Great: The True Story of the Man Who Would Be King (Paperback)

by Ben Macintyre (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


6 new from £5.36 5 used from £6.56
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover 15 used & new from £3.84

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

A Foreign Field

A Foreign Field

by Ben Macintyre
4.9 out of 5 stars (14)  £5.99
Agent Zigzag: The True Wartime Story of Eddie Chapman: Lover, Traitor, Hero, Spy

Agent Zigzag: The True Wartime Story of Eddie Chapman: Lover, Traitor, Hero, Spy

by Ben Macintyre
4.7 out of 5 stars (39)  £5.49
The Caliban Shore: The Fate of the Grosvenor Castaways

The Caliban Shore: The Fate of the Grosvenor Castaways

by Stephen Taylor
4.3 out of 5 stars (7)  £6.99
The Napoleon of Crime: The Life and Times of Adam Worth, the Real Moriarty

The Napoleon of Crime: The Life and Times of Adam Worth, the Real Moriarty

by Ben Macintyre
£7.49
Sea of Glory: The Epic South Seas Expedition 1838-42

Sea of Glory: The Epic South Seas Expedition 1838-42

by Nathaniel Philbrick
5.0 out of 5 stars (3)  £6.99
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 400 pages
  • Publisher: HarperPerennial; New Ed edition (7 Feb 2005)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0007151071
  • ISBN-13: 978-0007151073
  • Product Dimensions: 19 x 13 x 3.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 136,141 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #36 in  Books > History > Countries & Regions > Asia > Central Asia > Afghanistan

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Daily Telegraph
'absorbing and intelligent'

Sunday Telegraph
'a rich and exotic tale, well exploited by Ben MacIntyre.'

See all Product Description

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
Check a corresponding box or enter your own tags in the field below
(6)
(4)
(4)
(4)
(3)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Josiah the Great: The True Story of the Man Who Would Be King
58% buy the item featured on this page:
Josiah the Great: The True Story of the Man Who Would Be King 5.0 out of 5 stars (3)
A Foreign Field
16% buy
A Foreign Field 4.9 out of 5 stars (14)
£5.99
The Caliban Shore: The Fate of the Grosvenor Castaways
10% buy
The Caliban Shore: The Fate of the Grosvenor Castaways 4.3 out of 5 stars (7)
£6.99
Agent Zigzag: The True Wartime Story of Eddie Chapman: Lover, Traitor, Hero, Spy
10% buy
Agent Zigzag: The True Wartime Story of Eddie Chapman: Lover, Traitor, Hero, Spy 4.7 out of 5 stars (39)
£5.49
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

3 Reviews
5 star:
 (3)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars I can't believe its not fiction!, 19 Jan 2005
By Mr. Daniel Winfield "daniel_winfield" (Essex, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Josiah the Great: The True Story of the Man Who Would be King (Hardcover)
Like the previous reviewer, I first heard of Josiah Harlan via George MacDonald-Fraser's Flashman and the Mountain of Light and was intrigued by both him and Alexander Gardner. Having been unable to all but the most rudiment information about either individual I was extremely pleased to discover this book by accident whilst browsing on this website.

There is not much more I can add that has not been mentioned already in the previous reviews - just that if you have any interest in MacDonald-Fraser, Kipling or Colonial India in general then this is a must-read book.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars So much better than fiction..., 16 Jun 2004
By Mr. M. J. Pailing "Marcus Pailing" (Orpington, Kent, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)      
This review is from: Josiah the Great: The True Story of the Man Who Would be King (Hardcover)
I first became aware of Josiah Harlan through the fantastic "Flashman and the Mountain of Light" (and if you haven't read that then you must) and I've always wanted to know more about him. So it was a joy to hear that this book had been written. Harlan's life is even more fascinating and incredible than I had dared to imagine after his appearance in "Flashman" - an American Quaker who conned his way to becoming a surgeon for the East India Company, then decided to invade Afghanistan on behalf of its exiled king. He ended up as a not-so-minor potentate in the wilds of Central Asia, which is the part of his background that makes him the obvious candidate as the inspiration for Kipling's "Man Who Would Be King".

Ben Macintyre writes beautifully, and he manages to evoke the landscape and the time wonderfully. His style is inclusive, and his humorous asides are no distraction - if anything they enhance the book. In fact, even if you aren't particularly interested in Josiah Harlan I would still recommend it for Macintyre's writing.

I generally don't like to write a review without at least one little gripe. Unfortunately my one and only gripe for this book is very, very small indeed - when describing part of Alexander the great's campaign he says that Alexander defeated Darius the Great. He didn't - Darius The Great was an earlier Persian king. There, gripe over - and pretty insignificant it was, too, eh?

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars excellent, 28 Sep 2008
By R. Nolan (london) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This is an astonishingly good book, very readable, and i recommend its reading to anyone with an interest in unusual characters.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Feedback

Fun for Everyone

Christmas Gifts
Achieve over 15,000 RPM with our great range of Powerballs.

›Shop the Powerball store

  

Up to 75% off Shoes

Shoe Clearance - 75% off Shoes
Save up to 75% on shoes for the whole family.

›Shop clearance shoes

  

We've Got Converse

Converse
Stock up on your favourite styles with great deals on Converse shoes.

›Shop Converse

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers
The Girl Who Played with Fire
The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
4.5 out of 5 stars (75)£3.86
 Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga)
Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga) by Stephenie Meyer
4.1 out of 5 stars (464)£6.49
 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
4.1 out of 5 stars (165)£3.99
 The Host
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
4.2 out of 5 stars (81)£3.86

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates