United Kingdom Books

It is only to be expected that seven hundred years ago, people did things differently than they do them now. We have difficulty viewing so far back, certainly because language and culture were different, but mostly because detailed records are scarce. Robert Bartlett has provided a unique solution to give us as good an idea as possible "...of the spoken words of the past in the time before the tape recorder" in _The Hanged Man: A Story of Miracle, Memory, and Colonialism in the Middle Ages_ (Princeton University Press). A professor of medieval history, he has examined closely a peculiar event for which there is rich documentation, a judicial commission which was an inquest into a supposed miracle. While it might seem that such an inquest would be too arcane to give us much of an idea of medieval times, Bartlett has found that the sometimes conflicting testimony of witnesses and the process of the inquiry gives us a window through which we can almost see and hear our ancient ancestors and understand matters important to them. Bartlett has produced an enjoyable volume of time travel.

It was probably in 1290 that William Cragh was hanged in Swansea. William Cragh was perhaps merely a "notorious brigand," but in the words of the English rulers of his region he was one of the rebels "in the war between the Welsh and the lord king." In fact, he was hanged three times. The first time, the rope broke. The second time, the gallows from which it was suspended broke. The third time seemed to have worked just fine. His body was taken down and carried to a house in Swansea for preparation for burial. Its face was black, its eyes bulging, its black and swollen tongue extended. The son of the baron who had condemned him confirmed that William Cragh was dead. But he gradually came back to life. This particular revivification was fraught with religious meaning. William Cragh on his way to the gallows gave a prayer for his life to Thomas de Cantilupe, the recently deceased Bishop of Hereford. Thus, his return to life had the makings of a religious miracle, and an inquest had to be done to make sure. The interrogation of witnesses is the backbone for Bartlett's book. Along the way, we learn about attitudes towards saints, the means of measuring distance and time, and other details of the way the participants lived.

Thomas de Cantilupe got made a saint by a very long process. Canonization was requested seventeen years before the inquest actually happened in 1307, and then there was a long process of approval before Thomas was made a saint in 1320. This was a time of flux for the papacy, with five different popes and years when there was no pope, which partially explains the delay. What shooed Thomas in was a consistent public relations campaign from the local Bishop and the fellows he enlisted, sending fan letters. Also, King Edward I had strong interest, because he had known Thomas personally. Thomas has served on Edward's royal council, and Edward was eager (as he himself wrote), "... to have as a sympathetic patron in heaven him whom we had in our household on earth." While Bartlett's fascinating book tells a lot about the intricate process of sanctification, it tells a lot more about the people of medieval times and their world view.

It's bizarre that we would know so much about, say, Lady Mary de Briouze (one of the principal witnesses in the sanctification case Dr. Bartlett here serves up) when we know so little about, say, Shakespeare, for Lady Mary lived her magnificent imperious life a full three hundred years before Shakespeare's birth. And as Dr. Bartlett complains, much less is known about the lives of eminent women in comparison to their male counterparts. The martyrdom of William Cragh, and his prayers to Thomas de Cantihope, led to a gathering of and the muracle, if you ask me, is that so much of their testimony has been preserved verbatim.

Dr. Bartlett points out that it isn't merely the facts the witnesses reel off that are so interesting, it's the way that memory fails or comes to their aid in unexpected places. It's almost as though memory worked in different ways in the 13th century than it does now, so we are constantly wondering why Lady Mary, when asked, couldn't answer yes or no to what seem like the simplest questions: were her children alive in the year of Cragh's death, for example. Surely she could calculate that far back, it had only been a number of years. Dr. Bartlett speculates that it's possible that her "I can't remembers" have clues iembedded in them, clues to their larger psychic and financial lives. Maybe people didn't have, back then, the supreme attachment to children that they do now, or that society expects of us, and that might explain Lady Mary's extreme vagueness about the status of her children, for she might well be dithering about trying to remember if she owned a particular scarf in 1289, not a daughter. In such ways, worthy of a Henry James, Bartlett brings every verbal statement under the eye of a scientist, examining each for its textures and potentials.

Almost as interesting, even if, in the final analysis, not quite so, is the detail with which Bartlett runs us through what he calls the "Cantilupe process," the steps by which the medieval church proclaimed its saints. The story of the hanged man is quite arresting all by itself; sliced down from the gallows three times, Cragh found himself coming to life again after entreaty to the recently deceased Cantilupe. Witnesses testified his skin had gone completely black in death, even his tongue; and yet Lady Mary's stepson averred, that Clagh's rosy complexion was restored within a few hours.

North has done something no author has done with regard to his subject in far too long; he actually took the time to look into it and put forth his own thoughts instead of regurgitating the works of others. (Most notably Stanley's "search for AS paganism") Just when I thought there was little ground left to break on the subject, along comes North's book and challenges long held and long overlooked aspects of Anglo Saxon pagan belief. From the onset of the book to the final chapter on Paulinus and the Stultus Error (which is brilliant I would like to add)I did not set this book down once. A must have for the student of Anglo Saxon culture and Theodisc Heathens alike. Brilliant work from a brilliant scholar. Wes thu Peter North hal!

While I found Mr North's overall view of Anglo Saxon Heathenry a bit short, his specific information and his comparitive knowledge and examples with the rest of the Germanic world is a treasure for todays Heathen/Asatruar. If you can spare the $, and are not new to Heathenry, get this book. You will be amazed at what hints of Heathenry survived in Anglo Saxon literature. Wes Heathens Hal! :-)

I had the privilege of being Dr. William A. Sessions' research assistant at Georgia State University, and I have never seen, before or since, a work of such outstanding scholarly research written in his unique style of combining scholarship with human insight -- making this work accessible to all, and extremely useful to the academic community. It is a fascinating story, well told--possibly the first academic "page-turner." This important biography is written with such insight and so compellingly one cannot put it down. It is an extraordinary work by a brilliant scholar who is also a marvelous writer.

The Earl of Surrey was the co-founder, along with Sir Thomas Wyatt, of modern English poetry; the whole procession from Spenser and Shakespeare down to Yeats and Eliot starts with Surrey and Wyatt. Surrey's most notable contributions were the creation of English blank verse and the development of the English sonnet from Italian models; without Surrey we should not have Shakespeare as we know him. Surrey was also a distinguished soldier and a loving husband, who was executed for treason at age twenty-nine.

The nineteenth century produced two excellent lives of Surrey, those of G. F. Nott and Edmond Bapst, the latter in French. The twentieth century had not done so well, as the principal accomplishment of Surrey's 1938 biographer, Edwin Casady, was translating Bapst's discoveries into English. William Sessions swings the balance the other way, his Henry Howard, the Poet Earl of Surrey being a magnificent tour of Surrey's life, his poetry, and his world.

Sessions offers the first fully integrated biography of Surrey, addressing his art, family, society, culture, religion, travels, and military career. The book is based on a massive amount of research, both archival and geographical, for Sessions visited virtually every site of importance in Surrey's life. The illustrations alone, some never published before or not properly identified, almost justify the cost of the book.

Sessions corrects many key facts of Surrey's unevenly documented career. He shows, for example, that Surrey was a moderate Protestant, whereas Nott, Bapst, and Casady simply assume that Surrey shared their own religious views--an approach complicated by the fact that Nott was a Protestant while the other two were Catholics. Getting Surrey's religion straight is absolutely essential to understanding a short life spent at the center of the escalating violence of the early Reformation. Finally, Sessions uses the full texts of the original documents concerning Surrey's downfall (instead of reading the published summaries), thereby untangling much of the mystery that occurred amid the religious strife, dynastic uncertainty, and naked ambition at the end of the reign of Henry VIII.

I loved this book. It wasn't a dry historical recap, but a very funny, interesting, and informative read. There were lots of extra tidbits sprinkled throughout the book about how life was back then, and that added to the enjoyment. The illustrations were terrific and enhanced the text. I highly recommend for junior high, and even for adults!

Henry VIII and his Chopping Block is a wonderful way to get kids to actually want to read history! It's all unbelievingly true. Henry VIII is a fun and funny way to learn about England's most famous king. What were his manners like(you may not want to know)? What were the secrets of his six wives? Get the chief executioner's tips on how to die. Read the Tudor Tatler, the newspaper of the time. Get the truth on how they dressed, what they did, what they ate, and...how they died. Read Henry's "Secret Diary". Be sure to read the "For the Chop" letters which tell the real storys on famous people who died because fat Henry lost his temper(quite normal, compared to other things he did).This first quality book is complete with HISTARICAL cartoon illustrations. Buy it today.

This is a comprehensive work that covers the history of the GHB, dance tune as well as military traditions, pibroch, and construction. This is a wonderful resource for pipers and anybody with an interst in the pipes; it is a thorough discussion of the GHB's history and music. And my fellow piping students will appreciate its discussion about practice chanters and tutoring methods throughout the ages. Incidentally, there is a fair amount of information on other pipes.

One of the best comprehensive examinations of the Highland pipes out there! Historical information is clear and unusually accurate, avoiding romance. Covers the development of the GHB and its attendant uses and traditions from its earliest appearances through the present day; truly an impressive work. Cannon's scholarship is unassailable.

This book took a time and a man, explained the truth of the time and captured my heart. Knowing there was King and how Mr. Reno went about proving his existance was interesting, intreeging, heart warming and fun. I can not wait for the next book!

"The Historic King Arthur" is perhaps not a book suited for first-time travelers through the murky forests of Arthurian history, searching for the reality behind fifteen centuries of myths and tales. It might be best to first read one or more other works dealing with this great mystery before tackling Frank Reno's highly detailed, deep-delving study of the ancient sources that shed light upon the question. That way, the journey through the writings of Gildas and Nennius and Geoffrey of Monmouth and various scribes and poets will not be quite so daunting. But make no mistake about it, once some fundamental grounding in the basics of the Arthurian quest has been obtained, then "The Historic King Arthur" (and its sequel, "Historic Figures In the Arthurian Age") should be read carefully. Reno minutely examines each source (and most of them are to be found with numerous variations) to lay out his case for his solution to the central questions of the Arthurian mystery: Who was King Arthur? Where did he live? When did he live? Who were his enemies? What was his role in history? And what was really his name?

Reno acts as a guide in this journey in search of historical truth, explaining his methods and logic in evaluating the evidence, but he does not rigidly insist upon the absolute truth of his conclusions. Frequently, he explains that there are other reasonable answers to the questions than the one he favors. Sometimes, such as in his analysis of the locations of many of the battles fought by Arthur (as described in Reno's "Historic Figures In the Arthurian Era"), he concludes that no single "best" answer is really possible. At times, his explanations are complex and subtle to the point where the reader may have difficulty following the path Reno is laying out. That is perhaps a natural consequence of the type of evidence that must be used and of the detail in which it is presented. Usually, however, Reno returns to the same subject of investigation later in the book to again address the questions and to clarify his answers. Thus, attention to detail on the reader's part is required and patience must be exercised as the author slowly builds his case.

And what are Reno's answers to what above I termed the central questions? He believes that Arthur was of a Roman-British background, operating as a high king primarily in Wales and the adjacent midlands, although also in southern England and northern Gaul, from the middle of the Fifth Century AD through the early portion of the Sixth. Reno contends that many of Arthur's campaigns were waged not against Saxon hordes fresh from Germany, but against Saxons who had been settled in Britain for one or more generations, these "English" Saxons being in league with leaders and forces of native British. And Reno believes that "Arthur" was a man known otherwise to history as Ambrosius Aurelianus and as Riothamus and finally as Arthurex, not a name at all but an epithet connoting his status as a great leader.

I will not claim that I am yet wholly convinced of this "triad" equation of Ambrosius Aurelianus, Riothamus, and Arthur but, as the author himself points out, rejection of this total identity does not negate the validity of many parts of Reno's overall work. I found to be especial important Reno's conclusions regarding Cerdic, a "Saxon" king with a wholly Celtic name, and Cerdic's people, the West Saxons. If Reno is correct, our understanding of the Arthurian era must be substantially altered, with a consequence that the course of events becomes much more clear. I expect Reno's conclusions to be challenged - this is inevitable in a field where evidence is scant and subject to multiple interpretations - but at the very least he has provided us with a provocative, comprehensive portrait of man and era.

To my knowledge there is no other Arthurian study available to the general public that explores the ancient sources in such depth to provide answers to the old questions. If I might be critical of some peripheral features, I do wish that the index was somewhat more comprehensive and illuminating (given the complexity of the issues at hand, I found myself turning to the index again and again to go back to earlier points) and the maps, although numerous, sometimes lack the visual clarity that could have been achieved. Nonetheless, "The Historic King Arthur" and "Historic Figures In the Arthurian Era" are books that should be of great interest to anyone seriously interested in attempting to glimpse the real King Arthur.

Hugh Gaitskell is largely a forgotten presence in the Labour Party of today but as Brian Brivati (intentionally or otherwise) manages to convey to the reader, this neglect may have something to do with the fact that this former British Labour Party leader had a style and a substance that has rarely been seen since. Although clearly not as sympathetic towards his subject as Gaitskell's earlier biographer, Philip Williams, he still leaves us with an impression of a man who was much misunderstood and maligned by many at the time in his own party.

Hugh Gaitskell was a passionate orator who for much of his life, struggled with the twin impulses to on the one side conceal that passion in favour of reason and sense, and on the other, to realize that that same passion could be useful as a political weapon to disarm his opponents not just in his own party but also beyond in the Conservative and Liberal parties of his day. For much of his short political life, Brivati contends that when the former wasn't predominating, the latter could appear to disastrous party political consequences. The dispute over 'specs and false teeth' around the time of Gaitskell's one and only budget points to the stubbornness of a futile passion for the Atlanticist policies of the post war Attlee Government over what could have been a more reasonable accommodation with Nye Bevan as the Minister for Health and powerful ex-officio leader of the Left. Gaitskell then went on to foolishly support the expulsion of Nye Bevan for his controversial attempts to foist a left wing direction on the opposition when Labour left office in 1951. Brivati shows us that the always deeply complex and fascinating Gaitskell was at his most ineffective when his drive for what was `reasonable' could become a `passion' not justifiable by the facts that at other times he could be equally passionate to elicit both from himself and others.

However, another more effective and controlled passion dominates his years as leader of the Labour Party afte! r 1955. See in particular, Brivati's account of the 1956 Suez crisis, the defense debates/ of 1960-61 and the famous Common Market speech of 1962. These controversies contain some of Gaitskell's finest and most brilliant speeches, and with the proper access to the video and sound recordings, this would be self-evident to anyone who listened.

Brian Brivati has written a biography from the perspective of someone who likes distance from his subject - he wasn't born until two years after Gaitskell died. The ultimate achievement of this biography is that it is finely balanced between the 'hero' of Philip Williams'' richly documented 1978 biography, and the villain of Michael Foot's biography of his 'hero' Nye Bevan. Unlike Brivati, both Williams and Foot had the fortune or misfortune to have known Gaitskell personally. Where these two had been inspired to write dramatically diverse but equally passionate accounts, Brivati 's sense of balance leads him to weave a careful line in and around the two sides to Gaitskell's reputation - both then and subsequently. He therefore succeeds in dropping by at both camps. Unfortunately. this approach is likely to be infuriating to the supporters of both left and right for its seeming willingness to play the part of appreciative guest at both houses and to then show that what was offered was far from being the poisoned chalice that each side would like to claim of the other. As an admirer of Gaitskell to the point where I once lobbied hard to meet his first major biographer, Philip Williams, I have to admit to sharing in that infuriation whilst also rejoicing that by the end, the side Brivati chooses to leave us with, veers more conclusively towards the 'hero'. In the final analysis, it is his interpretation of the depressing years for the Labour Party subsequent to Gaitskell's death in 1963 which become their own justification for why it is still hard for some people to move beyond their fascination with Gaitskell's style, democratic socialist beliefs and rare ! sense of integrity. Brian Brivati is no less caught and trapped than Philip Williams and Michael Foot once were.....

Hugh Gaitskell was leader of the British Labour Party from 1955 till his tragic premature death in 1963. That period, in which Labour was continuously in opposition, was marked by internal strife between Right and Left within Labour's ranks, on such issues as nuclear disarmament, with Gaitskell representing the pro-Nato, Atlanticist wing of British social democracy.
Brivati's book is a model biography: balanced, historically-informed, and original. It portrays Gaitskell as a politician of immovable convictions about the proper end-state of a good society, and fewer fixed ideas about the means to achieve them. Most important, it relates Gaitskell's ideas to the changes in western society that have taken place since his death, and tries to assess his historical significance. And it compares him with his obvious successor, Tony Blair, who succeeded where Gaitskell failed in getting Labour to jettison its historic commitment to public ownership. Brivati sympathetically portrays Gaitskell's revisionism, which was 30 years ahead of its time; his irrevocable commitment to the values of western liberal democracy, an instinct that led to his courageous and historically vindicated stand opposing unilateral nuclear disarmament; and his insights into the political implications of what was then known as the Common Market. But Brivati also makes a telling point that Gaitskell's belief in equality and indicative planning has been rendered largely irrelevant by modern economic developments. There are still aspects of Gaitskell's political judgement that are timeless strengths and that stand out from this book. Brivati comments, "Gaitskell's revisionism offered a process of asking of each institution and relationship in our society: What is it for? Who [sic] does it benefit? Should it be changed?" That process of interrogation is an essential one for a healthy democracy, even if Gaitskell's criteria for answering those questions have been superseded by events. Moreover, Gaitskell, so far from his image of a dry technocrat, was a man of passion combined with a critical intellect. Though the collectivist ideology that informed his egalitarian principles has now (as Brivati again rightly comments) slipped into history, the wish for a more tolerant and gentle society has not. To that extent, Brivati's book is an inspiring as well as a scholarly and informative read.

An authentic and well written experience of eighteenth century Bath. An absolute treasure to own. A triumph.

Eglin's book is an excellent addition to eighteenth-century scholarship, especially on the ever fascinating topic of Bath. He sets the record straight on a number of issues regarding Nash, whose self-manufactured celebrity has helped to obscure the historical record. Previous biographers have relied on dubious sources--namely, earlier biographers--who have frequently simply rehashed old anecdotes and stories without proper scholarly attention. Eglin corrects this trend by delving deep into archival material such as collections of letters and period newspapers. Although written with rigorous scholarship, Eglin's style is not studded with difficult jargon or stuffed with ten-cent words. A fun read for the armchair historian as well as a valuable addition to period scholarship, Eglin's work presents true value for money--if a university press had published this work it would be twice the cost. This book is well worth the purchase.

During the four years of WWI while battles raged across the European continent, the Royal Navy quietly transformed itself from a largely amateurish, unskilled, and unimaginatively led force into a highly professional, increasingly technical, and totally dominant juggernaut. Very quickly political appointees ran aground in the wartime environment and were replaced by confident, daring commanders. These changes became immediately apparent to the officers and men serving aboard RN ships, whose fascinating letters we read throughout the book.

The book starts by describing the life of prospective officers attending naval cadet school and later their (typical) traumas serving as midshipmen - basically one hazing after another until they became sub-lieutenants. However difficult midshipmen had it generally paled in comparison to the subservient, demeaning, and physically demanding life many common sailors led. The captain unquestionably remained God aboard ship with dire consequences for those who fell foul of him. Fisher's navy was extraordinarily class-conscious and overly centralized (with commanders often awaiting orders from distant superiors in the midst of desperate battle).

Julian Thompson, the author, summarizes all the Royal Navy's main actions in the book - Heligoland, Coronel, the Falklands, Gallipoli, Jutland, Zeebrugge/Ostend - using both narration and eyewitness sources. But beyond these well-known actions, Thompson takes us aboard tin cans shipping hurricane-strength seas during U-boat patrols, flying recon & bombing runs over the North Sea & Germany, and audaciously torpedoing enemy warships in their home waters. These accounts are absolutely fascinating - especially the zeppelin hunting expeditions over the North Sea and the trials (and failures) of early naval aviation. Ever heard of launching a plane off of a lighter (barge) pulled by a destroyer? They did it!

For landlubbers, the book also has a naval glossary, a list of naval rankings & ratings, and a few general area maps. Also included are some rarely seen photos and an extensive bibliography with notes. Having read lots about WWI, I was happily surprised that I found much fresh material in this book. It was a pleasure to read, too. I highly recommend it!

Julian Thompson's "The War at Sea" is an excellent study for all World War-II collectors as well as researchers. In the book, there are selected memories which were taken from major and minor naval actions during the Second World War. The book has a valuable photo-archive of Royal Navy, including some opponents' photos. Although the information level was shadowed by book's visual effects (also have some color paintings), you can find good statistics. Ten chapters of book were formed in the chronological way, having struggle of Royal Navy, not only in the Atlantic and Mediterranean but also in the Pacific and Indian Ocean. Unfortunately, there are only five basic maps showing main naval bases and a detailed diagram. In sum, excellent and different.

The word "imperialism" today has become worn from misuse. Many of us have come to expect the word to signify that the speaker is a radical Marxist, or perhaps an embittered citizen of a defunct imperial power. Unfortunate indeed, because discussion of imperialism as a type of foreign policy decision has thereby been squelched.
But in 1902, when Hobson wrote Imperialism, it was not yet a term of odium. Imperialism was a foreign policy strategy advocated as a benefit to the colonial power and to the subjugated nation alike; one advocate referred to it as "...the greatest secular agency for good known to the world," and some of the greatest minds of the day--John Stuart Mill, John Ruskin, William Gladstone, Joseph Chamberlain and Alfred Milner--were "social imperialists," partisans of a mission to bring liberal institutions to the rest of the world, and create markets for British manufactured goods. More common by far were advocates of imperialism as an alternative to redistributive socialist policies, as an outlet for surplus population (Britain was widely regarded as being overpopulated), and as a backyard for flagship companies. Hobson was addressing these arguments without acrimony, and without assuming a radical agenda his readers were unlikely to share.

The fact that self-described socialists and lassez-faire dogmatics alike, in 1902, regarded "imperialism" as a means to their rival ends, shows that this was not merely a right-left debate, and Hobson attacks the idea of solving the problems of capitalist societies by making war on other nations. His analysis of imperialism and its allure for the industrialized world makes this one of the most revealing books on 19th century history. The effects of imperialism on the rest of the human race are spelled out with precision and clarity, as is his nuanced analysis of why it is doomed to fail. Hobson's forecasts of the future of imperialism is astonishingly prescient, especially his passage on China.

Hobson was a pioneer of the underconsumptionist theories, theories later advanced by Keynes, Samuelson, and Tobin. Underconsumption presupposes that mature economies are unlikely to be be able to consume all that they produce; as a result, more capital accumulates, the marginal return on that capital declines, and stagnation sets in. But while Hobson was a seminal mind in economics, this is not an economics book--it is overwhelmingly a historical survey of ideologies, propaganda and the harsh reality, a disciplined yet creatively assembled explanation of how the needs of industrial Britain were so woefully met by imperial dogma. With the terrifying triumph of neo conservative ideology in our era, it is an extremely relevant book for contemporary citizens of America, and of the world.

When a powerful country invades another with the express intention of changing their culture or system of government, there are several things that can happen. The invasion can be military, economic or various combinations of both. In the first case, the invaded country can mount armed resistance until the invaders eventually leave. For the second case, a small percentage of the natives can adopt the ways of the invaders and become the ruling class while the majority simply continues their lives. In the third case the invaded country can assimilate the ways of the invaders into their culture, becoming a synthesis. All three cases have happened in response to the policy that we now know as imperialism.
In the century since this book was written, imperialism has become somewhat of a derogatory term, so it is avoided when describing modern actions. The strategy advocated by the American group known as neo-cons is a modified version of what the European countries did a century ago under the banner of imperialism. Their policy is that the United States invades a Middle Eastern country and imposes a local democratic government. The country then becomes a powerful role model for others in the region and they also adopt a democratic government. Once democracy becomes the norm, the countries will be transformed into modern states that are friendly to the west.
Those who adhere to that thought should have read this book first. Hobson is very non-judgmental about the motives of people who advocated imperialism, but he is not restricted in his conclusions regarding the results. When the powerful states carved up Africa and Asia between them, imperialism was touted as an effective way to change the world for the better. Many of the best minds in the west supported imperialism as an effective way to increase the standards of living of the subjugated peoples. It was also considered as a way to provide outlets for the excess population and energy of the subjugators. However, in only a few cases were the results anywhere close to what was intended. One hundred years later, Africa still foments with tribal conflicts, with democracy a hypothetical rather than a reality.
Hobson also demonstrates a great deal of insight into what the future could bring. His statement on page 313, " . . . the pressure of working-class movements in politics and industry in the West can be met by a flood of Chinese goods . . . " On page 317 he also mentions the possibility of Japan embarking on an Asian version of Manifest Destiny and adopting an imperialist policy in Asia. In some sense he predicted the rise of the Empire of Japan and the current situation with the Peoples Republic of China rising to the status of a great economic power.
Although he occasionally adopts the terminology and arrogance of European cultural supremacy over "the natives", Hobson has written a well-balanced treatise on how imperialism was viewed and justified at the time it was the global norm. His statements on the results should be required reading for policy makers and business people who are required to deal with other cultures.