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Modern Britain is a nation shaped by wars. The boundaries of its separate parts are the outcome of conquest and resistance. The essence of its identity are the warrior heroes, both real and imagined, who still capture the national imagination; from Boudicca to King Arthur, William Wallace to Henry V, the Duke of Wellington to Winston Churchill. In WARRIOR RACE, Lawrence James investigates the role played by war in the making of Britain. Drawing on the latest historical and archaeological research, as well as numerous unfamiliar and untapped resources, he charts the full reach of British military history: the physical and psychological impact of Roman military occupation; the monarchy's struggle for mastery of the British Isles; the civil wars of the seventeenth century; the 'total war' experience of twentieth century conflict.
WARRIOR RACE is popular history at its very best: immaculately researched and hugely readable. Balancing the broad sweep of history with an acute attention to detail, Lawrence James never loses sight of this most fascinating and enduring of subjects: the question of British national identity and character.
book reviews
- Saul David, Sunday Telegraph
"...this majestic survey of war from Roman times to the present day. In his previous two books, The Rise and Fall of the British Empire and Raj James proved himself a master of the grand sweep of history. Warrior Race - with its clever balance between perspective and detail - is more of the same. This is a marvellous book: impeccably researched, expertly written and awash with telling insights."
- John Keegan, Daily Telegraph
"Highly entertaining...the anecdotes are wonderful.Lawrence James has assembled more stories about British sailors, soldiers and airmen than any previous author."
- Allan Mallinson, The Times
"He humanises the work by reference to individuals...The Warrior Race is first and foremost a book about people - how the British fare as warriors, and why...thoughtful yet sweeping...His perspective on the Jacobite wars is one of the delights of this book."
- Times Literary Supplement
"James's well-researched book...humanizes this history through vivid and telling vignettes."
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