A rich and varied collection from leading scholars and writers, edited with skill and sensitivity by one of the greatest historians of empire. It provides a vivid vignette of modern cultural, literary, intellectual and political life. Penultimate Adventures with Britannia takes the reader on an engaging and fascinating journey through British society and its interaction with other cultures. It covers the cultural and literary themes but also the political, and while the collection does not shrink from conflict, there are always fascinating by-ways.

The First World War is a...