London 1900: The Imperial Metropolis

London in 1900 was the greatest city on earth-the capital of an empire on which the sun never set. This book is the first to examine this powerful and influential city at the turn of the century and to investigate its relationship with Britain's far-flung empire. Jonathan Schneer focuses on the diverse, contentious, contradictory personalities of London and its inhabitants, showing the many ways that the empire impinged on them. He describes how a range of citizens-from architects to zoologists, from financiers to striking dockers-helped to define and shape the imperial metropolis. He also shows how the city was influenced by people other than native-born male Anglo-Saxons. Schneer traces the attempts of some of these overlooked peoples to delineate its boundaries: four extraordinary women-two political hostesses, a journalist, and an explorer-ethnologist-as well as anti-imperialist Irish, South Asians, West Indians, and Africans living in London at this time. In a concluding chapter, Schneer examines the general election of 1900 in London, in which the ruling Conservative government successfully defended its imperialist policies. The people of London, says Schneer, made their city and continually remade and reshaped it-as they continue to do today.

About the Author :
Jonathan Schneer is professor of history at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Review :
"A very rich and wide-ranging book. The evocation of a great city is vivid and memorable." David Cannadine "This work of magisterial scholarship is a portrait of the city at that empire's zenith and turning-point." Janet Watts, Sunday Times "Jonathan Schneer... vividly displays the inhabitants and leaders of the capital of the world's greatest empire at the apogee of its self-regarding glory." Ben Pimlott, Independent "Specialists will certainly be amused, enterained and informed by Jonathan Schneer's presentation of fascinating information, as he creates a kaleidoscope of images and impressions of London in 1900." Martin Daunton, Times Literary Supplement "What is fascinating in Schneer's book is not how much has changed about London over the century but how little." Simon Jenkins, Evening Standard "... a work of persuasive scholarship, written with verve and insight... this rich and original study..." The Economist "A thorough, impressive tour of imperial London a century ago and of the dissenting voices that finally helped the sun set on this bastion of Eurocentrism. Schneer lets readers view the grimy streets, polished offices, and dockside warehouses of old London, as well as the hearts and minds of its elitist, racist denizens... [A] masterful work." Kirkus Reviews "Elegantly and imaginatively written, [this book] adds a new dimension to the history of the metropolis and to our understanding of the imperial idea at its zenith. It offers instruction and entertainment in equal measure." Peter Cain, International History Review"