By comparison with the United States, the history of the United Kingdom as an undivided entity has been quite short. This book describes the history of each constituent part, their interaction, and the effect of external events. As soon as British history is seen as an integral part of world (especially European) history, the perspective alters drastically.
Until 1803 France was optimistically assumed to be part of the realm. Less than a century elapsed between 1829, when the grant of a very restricted franchise to Catholics made the inclusion of Ireland more than a political fiction, to 1922, when the Irish Free State emerged. Scotland, with England the main constituent of the UK since 1707, has retained its own legal system, administration and established church (the Queen changes her religion each time she passes Berwick). Wales retains a distinctive culture and language, albeit one on an expensive life-support machine.

Throughout its turbulent history, South Africa has frequently been the focus of worldwide attention – usually hostile. Yet prejudice and ignorance about the country are widespread. The evolution of the present-day 'Rainbow Nation' has taken place under conditions of sometimes extreme pressure. Since long before the arrival of the first European settlers in the seventeenth century, the country has been home to a complex and uneasily co-existing blend of races and cultures, and successive waves of immigrants have added to the already volatile mixture. Despite the optimism and euphoria which greeted the final dismantling of the apartheid system and the election as President of Nelson Mandela in April 1994, South Africa's history, racial mix and recent political upheavals suggest it will not easily free itself from the legacy of its tumultuous past.

Newly revised and updated to include the retirement of Mandela, Frank Welsh's vividly written, even-handed and authoritative history casts new light on many of South Africa's most cherished myths. Like his 'A History of Hong Kong', it will surely come to be regarded as definitive.

'Sweeping, exhaustive and masterly'
SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY

'Excellent … a balanced account of a very complex story'
STEPHEN FLEMING, 'Irish Independent'

'Vital to an understanding of modern South Africa
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

'His assessments are judicious, his opinions fair … Welsh maintains a clear narrative thread through this hugely complex story'
STEPHEN TAYLOR, 'New York Times Book Review'

"Not long from now, archaeologists traversing China's Pearl River delta will stumble onto the ruins of what was once one of man's most glorious civilizations. 'How could this have been allowed to happen?' one will certainly ask. Frank Welsh's 'History of Hong Kong' is the complete answer to that question in our time."
FRED C. SHAPIRO

"Masterly"
THE ECONOMIST

"There is no account of the colony as comprehensive, detailed and up-to-date as this. It will be an excellent guide for those who wish to follow events up to the British withdrawal in 1997 and afterwards… This is the best survey I have read of the gradual transformation of British rule as its inevitable end came into sight."
MICHAEL FRY, 'Scotland on Sunday'

"Authoritative and absorbing"
NEW STATESMAN & SOCIETY

"Mr Welsh writes with affection, insight and verve … narrative history in the best sense… He has written a book from which I have learned a great deal."
RICHARD TAMES, 'Times Educational Supplement'

"Richly detailed, informative and entertaining."
ASIAWEEK

"The ideal reading matter for anyone embarking upon the long flight to Hong Kong … impressive clarity and a sharp sense of ironic humour… Welsh's book is not merely a history of the tiny island of Hong Kong; it is a vast tapestry that traces the trajectory of the Western colonial adventure in Asia."
JONATHAN KIRSCH, 'Los Angeles Times'

"Anyone who reads it will be the better for this vigorous and convincing account of a unique creation."
GLASGOW HERALD

In a narrative beginning almost 1.5 million years ago with the emergence of Homo erectus, Frank Welsh takes the reader from the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment, from the Industrial Revolution to the age of terrorism. Using his masterly storytelling skills, he recounts the epic story of human growth, survival and achievement across all continents and ages. Providing insight into the lives of ordinary people in every corner of the globe, this comprehensive book is the perfect introduction to the human history of our planet.

Comprehensive guide to the Lake District, fully revised and updated. Unimprovably good JOHN LANCHESTER, LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS There is hardly a stone in the Lake District that Frank Welsh leaves unturned. From the particular delights of the places with which the Lake Poets are associated - Dove Cottage, Grasmere, Buttermere, Cockermouth - to the remoter parts of the Eden Valley and Furness, over the fells, beside the lakes, through history, topography, archaeology, literature, geology and even bakery, Frank Welsh is the consummate guide and companion, writing with wit, intelligence and true skill. He covers both the less visited, and, in the author's view, unappreciated, parts of the Lake District, as well as those which no visitor will want to miss.