Comprehensive, but dull at times

This is the middle book in the Pax Britannica trilogy and deals with the events around the 1897 Diamond Jubilee of Victoria. Morris goes into great detail about pretty much every aspect of the Empire, which was by then at it's apogee. I preferred Vol 1, which was a bit faster-paced, and am into Vol 3 at the moment, though we're still mired in the fin de siecle.

Jan Morris is old-school - there's not the overwrought apologist tone that colours much modern history on the British empire and it's myriad crimes and misdemeanors. She trusts that we, the readers, know that Imperialism isn't justifiable, but she refuses to judge the Imperialists by our moral standards, and in my view she sets the right tone by this approach.

I'd recommend the trilogy, which is well-written, well read (in both senses) and entertainingly informative.

5 persone l'hanno trovata utile

The British Empire at it's Peak

In this, the second volume of Jan Morris's history of the British Empire, we are given a masterful overview of the British Empire on one specific day. That day is June 22, 1897 - the date of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee (the 60th anniversary of her reign). Mr. Morris chooses this date as the ascendant point of the British Empire.

This book is a tour-De-force of history as it surveys almost every conceivable angle of the Empire as it stood on this one day. This covers not just the physical condition of the people in England, imperialists at work in the Empire, and the people who were being ruled - but their attitudes, literature, music, arts, military capabilities, and more.

There are so many things to recommend about this trilogy, but one of the most impressive is how many places Mr. Morris physically visited while putting it together. This gives its descriptions, which are lavish and highly evocative, a "been there" authority. Of course, we only know when an empire is at its peak when its decline is in view, but given that this book was originally written in the late 1960's Mr. Morris's choice of this date seems very prescient.

And it must be noted that the narrator - Roy McMillan - is simply brilliant in his performance.

A must add to your library.

5 persone l'hanno trovata utile

The Extreme Highs and Lows of an Age

As the second book in the Pax Britannica series, this one covers the Victorian Era at its peak of Empire just as the title suggests. As with the first, it's less about the direct through-line of history and more about the people, attitudes, and social expectations of the age. Books like this make it very difficult to condemn the "wrongness" of social disasters without also appreciating the "rightness" in the ideals of the most noble of the age. These were a proud people who felt they were answering the call to destiny, and as such that proverbial road to hell was paved very well indeed. Some of the age were indeed so noble that it inspires one to wonder what could have been had the greed and racism that so defined that era had been socially condemned in the minds of the masses as much as it had been in Queen Victoria herself. Perchance to dream, and such is the very romanticism that captures the imagination of that time.

The anecdotes paint very real portraits of the colorful characters involved, and it is through these that the stereotypes and social trends of the age are examined, supported, refuted, and otherwise challenged both in mind and at heart. We see the wide spectrum of thought and deed, poking holes in the oversimplifications of history, and for many like myself with a mind towards the curious, these stories will likely open doors to new rabbit holes worthy of exploration.

As before, Roy McMillan's narration serves very well. He manages to capture the pomposity and the insecurity of the peoples discussed, connecting the reader with an age that, while not too distant from our own and similar in many regards, seems so far and otherwise alien to us as to be relegated to the realms of fantasy. There is a humanity in this series that author and narrator combined bring forth, making it a win as far as I'm concerned.

3 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Amazing history!

What did you love best about Pax Britannica?

Mesmerizing history of the British Empire

What did you like best about this story?

The context it set for me vastly improved my understanding

What about Roy McMillan’s performance did you like?

Lovely voice, nicely cadenced

3 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Breathtaking body of work

Impressive beautiful edifying body of work. Jan Morris Pax Britannica is the single most beautiful love letter to a nation and it's history I've ever had the pleasure to read. Roy McMillan is by far my favorite narrator, the job he did on this added to this historical work. I've read and listened to this now several times in fact all in the series which I believe is a must read/listen for lovers of history & those lovers of queen and country.

2 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Sweeping overview of a golden age

I have never before grasped the spread of tthis empire. a wonderful overview of the way things were.

2 persone l'hanno trovata utile

One of the best series I've ever read.

It's history come to life, brilliantly told and narrated. Suitable for the educated lay person, not just academics. Excellent read.

1 persona l'ha trovata utile

Nothing is ever as simple as it seems

An interesting review of how Britain obtained and then shed an empire and just how it all happened without a concerted plan or a real overall strategy. Not quite an "Accidental Empire" but neither a thought through plan to dominate the people of the countries they added to the collection. Worth every minute and dollar to learn interesting facts and to remember that it often takes a long time for the sense (or lack thereof) of a decision to become clear.

Production values in the audio is of the normal Audbile high standard.

1 persona l'ha trovata utile

Unlike the lively and compelling first volume...

… this one is a detailed, colorful catalogue of the British Empire at just one moment.

While it’s obviously the product of a prodigious amount of research and organization, it is descriptive rather than narrative, and it doesn’t contain the often gripping stories of battles, exploration, etc., that made the first volume so absorbing.

It’s thus a more static book, and at times — especially when Morris is describing churches, paintings, houses, cityscapes, musical compositions, etc. — I wished I were watching a documentary film rather than simply listening to a portrait in words.

Nonetheless, as with volume one, Morris writes like an angel, and he nicely balances his sympathies between the generally benevolent British and their sometimes unhappy colonial subjects. One comes away with the sense that however arrogant and vainglorious the British could be, and sometimes downright ruthless and avaricious, they were also, compared with other imperial powers, largely honorable and well-intentioned, and their empire was a civilizing force around the globe.

As before, McMillan’s narration is superb. I can’t imagine I’d have finished this book if I’d been reading it in print.

what a rich and deep history of Empire

In Victorian England. The in-depth Royal Navy details were grand, well-researched and vividly described. Excellent read.