Pax Britannica

US: Penguin, 2003. Paperback. Good. The second instalment of the Pax Britannica Trilogy by Jan Morris, recreate s the British Empire at its dazzling climax - the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897, celebrated as a festival of imperial strength, unity, and splendour. This classic work of history portrays a nation at the very heig ht of its vigour and self-satisfaction, imposing on the rest of the world i ts traditions and tastes, its idealists and rascals. The Pax Britannica Trilogy also includes Heaven's Command: An Imperial Prog ress and Farewell the Trumpets: An Imperial Retreat. Together these three w orks of history trace the dramatic rise and fall of the British Empire, fro m the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837 to the death of Winston Churchill in 1965. Jan Morris is world-renowned for her collection of travel writing and reportage, spanning over five decades and including such titles as Ven ice, Coronation Everest, Hong Kong, Spain, A Writer's World and most recent ly, Contact! 'In scholarship and humour this portrait of the British Empire before its decline and fall might, without undue optimism, be placed upon the same shelf as Edward Gibbon's history. As a survey of its subject, I doubt that Pax Britannica can ever, in this generation be surpassed.' Financial Times.