Imperial Vanities: The Adventures of the Baker Brothers and Gordon of Khartoum"Imperial Vanities is an adventure story in the high tradition, ranging from the upper Nile to Ceylon, Egypt and the slave markets of the Balkans. Wilful, profoundly eccentric and driven by the sort of idealism we no longer consider an heroic virtue, the lives of these men combine to make a tragi-comic commentary on the most widely-held conviction of their times: that God himself was an Englishman. 'Better a ball in the brain than to flicker out unheeded', Gordon wrote in his journal. Written with Thompson's masterly touch, this is history at its best."--BOOK JACKET. |
Contents
Old Map of Ceylon from Skinner T Fifty Years in Ceylon | 62 |
Nile map from Elton Fifty Years in Ceylon 1954 | 77 |
Samuel and Lady Baker welcomed by natives near | 124 |
Copyright | |
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Imperial Vanities: The Adventures of the Baker Brothers and Gordon of Khartoum Brian Thompson No preview available - 2003 |
Common terms and phrases
10th Hussars Africa Arab Arabi army arrived Berber boats British brother Burnaby Burton Cairo called Captain cavalry Ceylon civilisation Colonel colony command consul death Duke of Cambridge Duleep Singh Egypt Egyptian England English European expedition explorer Florence French garrison Gladstone Gondokoro Gordon governor guns hand Hicks honour huge India island Jamaica Khartoum khedive knew Lake Victoria land Laurence Oliphant Livingstone London looked Lord Mahdi Mauritius ment miles military missionary Murchison never Newera Nile officers Oliphant once Pasha Petherick political Prince of Wales queen regiment rifles river Royal Royal Geographical Society Russian sail Sam Baker Sam's Samuel Baker sent servants shooting slavery slaves society soldiers Speke steamer story Suakin Sudan sultan things took trade troops Turkish Val Baker Val's Valentine Baker wanted Wolseley wrote young Zobeir