First published in 2004. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

The essays re-interpret the work of imperial heroes, eminent historians, and fictional heroines, and illustrate the variety of techniques used by British empire-builders and the explanations they gave to account for their sometimes infamous

These ten studies of decisions and decision-makers analyze the steps of the formation dance the British danced in the Middle Eastern international system from the late 18th century to the outbreak of the Cold War. Everything they did, they had done before; all the decisions they took, they had already taken. When they were not running harder in order to stand still, they turned in ever faster circles to avoid becoming dizzy.

This volume traces the effects of involvement in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars on the Ottoman Empire. The book analyzes Anglo-Ottoman relations in a series of studies of five British ambassadors at Constantinople and one Foreign Secretary, George Canning.

With little regard for the sacred cows of history in the popular imagination of the English, Edward Ingram reveals how the end of the British empire came about through the actions of Egyptians, Canadians and Indians.

The twelve studies of empire-building and empire-builders which make up this volume range widely across the dream world that was the British Empire from the late eighteenth century to the Second World War. The essays re-interpret the work of imperial heroes, eminent historians, and fictional heroines. They illustrate the variety of techniques used by British empire-builders and the variety of explanations they gave to account for their sometimes infamous behaviour.