Captives
Britain, Empire and the World 1600-1850
Published on 4. September 2003
Book
Paperback/Softback
978-0-7126-9804-7 (ISBN)
Description
Ranging over a quarter of a millennium and four continents, Captives uncovers the experiences and writings of those thousands of men and women who took part in Britain's rise to imperial pre-eminence, but who got caught and caught out. Using the tales of ordinary individuals trapped in extraordinary encounters, Linda Colley re-evaluates the character and diversity of the British Empire. Richly illustrated and evocatively written, Captives is both a magnificent and compelling work of history, and a powerful and original reappraisal of the significance of empire now.
Reviews / Votes
"One of the most exciting and original historians of her generation" -- William Dalrymple * Guardian * "Brilliantly corrective, unpeeling the received view that the British Empire was a display of strength, confidence and inevitability" -- Julian Barnes * Times Literary Supplement * "A sort of White Teeth version of early imperial history...a completely original intelligence" -- Roy Foster * Financial Times * "A brilliantly illuminating study by one of Britain's most distinguished and adventurous historians" -- Richard Gott * New Statesman * "The best non-fiction of my year" -- Melvyn BraggMore details
Other editions
Person
Linda Colley was born in Britain in 1949. She has taught at Cambridge, Yale University and the London School of Economics. She is currently Shelby M. C. Davis 1958 Professor of History at Princeton University. Colley was awarded the CBE in the 2009 New Year Honours. Her previous books include In Defiance of Oligarchy: The Tory Party 1714-1760 and Namier.