Pax Britannica

Jan Morris recreates 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 height of its vigour and self-satisfaction, imposing on the rest of the world its traditions and tastes, its idealists and rascals. 'A beautiful book, superbly written in a bitter-sweet style . . . A marvellous account of what the empire was like.' Daily Express