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The Scramble for Africa

On sale

30th January 2025

Price: £18.99

Selected: ebook / ISBN-13: 9781399632454

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The Scramble for Africa astonished everyone.

In 1880 most of the continent was ruled by Africans, and barely explored. By 1902, five European Powers (and one extraordinary individual) had grabbed almost the whole continent, giving themselves 30 new colonies and protectorates and 10 million square miles of new territory, and 110 million bewildered new subjects. Thomas Pakenham’s story of the conquest of Africa is recognised as one of the finest narrative histories of the last few decades.

Reviews

Magnificent, swashbuckling . . . epic
Observer
Vast, scholarly and delightful
Spectator
Pakenham tells the story with pace and compulsive readability . . . conceived on a grand scale with all the colour and control of a master artist
Evening Standard
Masterly, full of pace and character
TLS
Once again Pakenham shows a dazzling, almost filmic ability to tell a good story
Independent on Sunday