Lawrence James
Personal Information
Description
Edwin James Lawrence, most commonly known as Lawrence James, born in Bath, Somerset, England, is an English historian and writer. James graduated with a BA in English & History from the University of York in 1966, and subsequently undertook a research degree at Merton College, Oxford. Following a career as a teacher, James became a full-time writer in 1985. James has written several works of popular history about the British Empire, and has contributed pieces for Daily Mail, The Times and the Literary Review. Source: [goodreads](
Books
On the nobility of the British gentry, or the political ranks and dignities of the British Empire, compared with those on the Continent
Aristocrats Power Grace And Decadence Britains Great Ruling Classes Since 1066
Aristocrats Power Grace And Decadence Britains Great Ruling Classes From 1066 To The Present
The golden warrior
The Golden Warrior is an historical novel, in the best sense of the word. It recreates, as no history could, the life of King Harold of England and it illumines what was perhaps the most climatic chapter of English history--the Norman Conquest.
Empires in the sun
In this compelling history of the men and ideas that radically changed the course of world history, Lawrence James investigates and analyzes how, within a hundred years, Europeans persuaded and coerced Africa into becoming a subordinate part of the modern world. His narrative is laced with the experiences of participants and onlookers and introduces the men and women who, for better or worse, stamped their wills on Africa. The continent was a magnet for the high-minded, the philanthropic, the unscrupulous and the insane. Visionary pro-consuls rubbed shoulders with missionaries, explorers, soldiers, adventurers, engineers, big-game hunters, entrepreneurs and physicians. Between 1830 and 1945, Britain, France, Belgium, Germany, Portugal, Italy and the United States exported their languages, laws, culture, religions, scientific and technical knowledge and economic systems to Africa. The colonial powers imposed administrations designed to bring stability and peace to a continent that seemed to lack both. The justification for occupation was emancipation from slavery - and the common assumption that late nineteenth-century Europe was the summit of civilization. By 1945 a transformed continent was preparing to take charge of its own affairs, a process of decolonization that took a mere twenty or so years. There remained areas where European influence was limited (Liberia, Abyssinia) - through inertia and a desire for a quiet time, Africa's new masters left much undisturbed. This magnificent history also pauses to ask: what did not happen and why?
The middle class
For Lawrence James, the middle class is the great powerhouse of British history. The death of feudalism, the advancement of democracy, the industrial revolutions, the development of mass media - the middle class is never far away, drawing up petitions, pushing for change in attitude and legislation, engaging in philanthropy.