British Africa

Southern Africa was once regarded as a worthless jumble of British colonies, Boer republics, and African chiefdoms, a troublesome region of little interest to the outside world. But then prospectors chanced upon the world’s richest deposits of diamonds and gold, setting off a titanic struggle between the British and the Boers for control of the land. The result was the costliest, bloodiest, and most humiliating war that Britain had waged in nearly a century, and the devastation of the Boer republics.

Surprisingly neglected in accounts of Allied wartime triumphs, in 1941 British and Commonwealth forces completed a stunning and important victory in East Africa against an overwhelmingly superior Italian opponent. A hastily formed British-led force, never larger than 70,000 strong, advanced along two fronts to defeat nearly 300,000 Italian and colonial troops.

Novelization of the Academy Award winning screenplay of the epic motion picture starring Charlton Heston and Sir Laurence Olivier. In 1883, a Holy War rages across Egypt. The Mahdi, devout prophet of Allah and leader of countless thousands of armed tribesman, is about to descend upon the city of Khartoum, in the Sudan. A city that has become the arsenal to Egypt and that the Mahdi pledges to kill ever man, woman, and child within it. William Gladstone, Britain's Prime Minister, vows that he will not send British troops to defend the city. Instead he would sacrifice one man and enlists the ...

Francis Hall's letters are among the earliest colonial record of daily life in British East Africa, now modern day Kenya. In 1892 Hall was posted to Fort Smith with orders to build 150 miles of road, to re-supply caravans between the coast and Uganda and to keep the peace between the Kikuyu and the Maasai. His was a hard life in difficult, dangerous conditions and every day was an adventure. He was gored by a rhino and mauled by a leopard, which he strangled with his rifle, and survived bush surgery and frequent bouts of malaria. While on leave in England he married Bee Russell, a ...

In The Taste of Empire, acclaimed historian Lizzie Collingham tells the story of how the British Empire's quest for food shaped the modern world. Told through 20 meals over the course of 450 years, from the Far East to the New World, Collingham explains how Africans taught Americans how to grow rice, how the East India Company turned opium into tea, and how Americans became the best-fed people in the world.

The Great Boer War (1899-1902) - more properly the Great Anglo-Boer War - was one of the last romantic wars, pitting a sturdy, stubborn pioneer people fighting to establish the independence of their tiny nation against the British Empire at its peak of power and self-confidence. It was fought in the barren vastness of the South African veldt, and it produced in almost equal measure extraordinary feats of personal heroism, unbelievable examples of folly and stupidity, and many incidents of humor and tragedy.

During the 1970s the continent of Africa was consumed by conflict. The many wars which were being fought attracted ex soldiers from far and wide who were prepared to fight for money. This is one man’s story. Blood Money is a sensational account of mercenary warfare at its most brutal, you are led on a heart-stopping journey through African civil war zones to the Rhodesian bush war. The author pulls no punches in his description of those times. It’s a terrific roller-coaster of a book which will leave the reader breathless as they are plunged headlong into the action. “The fear in the ...

A Historical Adventure NovelIn the tumultuous era of the early 20th century, nestled between the traditional world power of England and the untouched expanse of East Africa, unfolds the captivating saga of "From Dock to Dynasty". This gripping historical adventure mutates from the bustling piers of London to the treacherous landscapes of East Africa, spinning a tale of intrigue, camaraderie, and treachery. The Beginning...The narrative kicks off with the chance encounter of two unlikely allies - Frederick L.C. Hughes, an English aristocrat, and Cyrus "Sharkey" Murray, a rough-hewn American ...

Intriguing events happen in the bayou when Hollywood comes to town. Lauren’s gap year is supposed to be about making extra money and figuring out what to do with the next phase of her life. Realistically, it’s a break between taking care of her alcoholic brother and certified insane mother. She deserves to have some fun, and to find trouble. However, trouble follows Lauren, with its wicked sense of humor, and thought it would be fun to gift her two love interests, who happen to be rivals. Her first gift is Latin heartthrob Jackson Cruz. Along with his notorious reputation, he is a cocky...

Much is known about what Europeans did in Africa, yet very little is known about Africa's history before its colonization. In this surprising exploration, Max Siollun uncovers societies that were not part of a backward "Dark Continent," but which instead had rich lore to rival the ancient Greeks and Romans. This story of a dynamic and artistic people is a vital listen for those who want to discover a forgotten era of West Africa.

Unflinching and revealing, Black and British is a vital history that reveals how black British lives have been woven into the fabric of the nation for centuries – from Roman Britain to the Black Lives Matter protests. 'Groundbreaking' – The Observer ‘A radical reappraisal’ – The...

'The Manual For Good Wives, a fast-paced tale of courage and resilience is beautifully written and remarkably moving. An absolute masterpiece' - Mike Gayle, author of All the Lonely People 'Simply brilliant' - Alexandra Potter, bestselling author of Confessions of a Forty-Something F**k Up *****...

Three Empires on the Nile tells of the rise of the first modern Islamic state and its fateful encounter with the British Empire of Queen Victoria. Ever since the self-proclaimed Islamic messiah known as the Mahdi gathered an army in the Sudan and besieged and captured Khartoum under its British overlord Charles Gordon, the dream of a new caliphate has haunted modern Islamists. The 19th-century origins of it all were even more dramatic and strange than today's headlines.

A historical exploration book set in Mashonaland during the late 19th century. Join an unforgettable journey into the heart of Africa's ancient realms with "Whispers From Ruins." This gripping expedition narrative transports you to the rugged landscapes and intricate cultures of late 19th century Mashonaland. Guided by the eyewitness accounts of an intrepid trio – the narrator, his resilient wife, and their steadfast cartographer, Robert McNair Wilson Swan – this tale unfolds with vivid descriptions of the African terrain, teeming with ancient ruins and the mystique of Zimbabwe's lost ...

The modern history of Africa was, until very recently, written on behalf of the indigenous races by the white man, who had forcefully entered the continent during a particularly hubristic and dynamic phase of European history. In 1884, Prince Otto von Bismarck, the German chancellor, brought the plenipotentiaries of all major powers of Europe together, to deal with Africa's colonization in such a manner as to avoid provocation of war. This event - known as the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 - galvanized a phenomenon that came to be known as the Scramble for Africa.

If you were black in America at the start of the Revolutionary War, whom would you want to win? In response to a declaration by the last governor of Virginia that any rebel-owned slave who escaped and served the King would be emancpated, tens of thousands of blacks voted with feet, escaping to fight beside the British. Originally designed to break the plantations of the American South, this military strategy instead unleashed one of the great exoduses in American history.

On November 29, 1781, Captain Collingwood of the British ship Zong commanded his crew to throw overboard one-third of his cargo: a shipment of Africans bound for slavery in America. The captain believed his ship was off course, and he feared there was not enough drinking water to last until landfall. This book is the first to examine in detail the deplorable killings on the Zong, the lawsuit that ensued, how the murder of 132 slaves affected debates about slavery, and the way we remember the infamous Zong today.

Ashanti Cry is a historically accurate account of slavery in the Caribbean. It tells story of five siblings who were captured from their village in Ghana, in 1807, and brought to the island of Jamaica, where they were separated from each other and sold into forced servitude. After several years, enduring the atrocities of the sugar plantation system, as fate would have it, Adisa, the main character in this story, found himself destined to cross path with the sumptuous mistress of the plantation. She was a very pretty woman, a lot younger than her husband, but who had placed her on the shelf...

Cary and Jackson’s secrets are out, and both men are willing to break all the rules for the woman they love. However, the secrets, lies, and cravings that follow, fuel the embers inside Lauren into a raging inferno. The darker side that is smothered by loyalty, sacrifice, and love, smolders . . . then burns into resentment, desire, and revenge. Lauren may be forced to come to grips with the truth, to accept her fate, but you can bet, she will also make sure they pay.

This is not a true story; I hope it never becomes one. In the summer of 1956, sixteen-year-old Marguerite Stearle, daughter of a housekeeper, falls in love with the squire of Mirelton’s nephew, Myles Featherstone. A delightful romance ensues, but in a class-conscious society, Myles has no choice but to end the liaison. With few prospects, a wretched Marguerite embarks on a new life in London, hoping her heart will mend. Unexpectedly, Marguerite is introduced to a tobacco farmer from the British colony of Rhodesia. Falling in love yet again, a new future beckons, one full of excitement as ...