One Fine Day

The story of the British Empire at its maximum territorial extent, including a wider range of voices of the colonised than have ever been recorded before A Book of the Year in The Times, Sunday Times, Spectator, Irish Times and History TodayThe story of the British Empire at its maximum territorial extent On Saturday 29 September 1923, the Palestine Mandate became law and the British Empire reached what would prove to be its maximum territorial extent, covering a scarcely credible quarter of the world's land mass, containing 460 million people. But it was beset with debt and doubts. This book is a new way of looking at the British Empire. It immerses the reader in the contemporary moment, focusing on particular people and stories from that day, gleaned from newspapers, letters, diaries, official documents, magazines, films and novels: from a remote Pacific Island facing the removal of its entire soil, across Australia, Burma, India and Kenya to London and the West Indies.'Marvellous . . . escapes the inane, balance-sheet view of Empire and see it in its full complexity' Sathnam Sanghera'Brilliant . . . Extraordinary . . . It is a book for serious people who can handle difficult moral contradictions and will undoubtedly annoy zealots of all stripes' Daily Telegraph'Breathtaking, extraordinarily rich and beautifully written. One Fine Day is a vital and important history that is truly global in scope and ambition. A wonderful read' Peter Frankopanmatthewparker.co.uk 'Breathtaking... vital and important. A wonderful read' PETER FRANKOPAN'Marvellous... escapes the inane, balance-sheet view of Empire and sees its full complexity' SATHNAM SANGHERA'Excellent... his mastery of detail is impeccable' DOMINIC SANDBROOK, Sunday Times'Extraordinary... [brings] the world of a century ago to fresh, vivid life' ALEX VON TUNZELMANNTHE STORY OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE AT ITS MAXIMUM TERRITORIAL EXTENTOn Saturday 29 September 1923, the Palestine Mandate became law and the British Empire now covered a scarcely credible quarter of the world's land mass, containing 460 million people. It was the largest empire the world had ever seen. But it was beset by debt and doubts. This book is a new way of looking at the British Empire. It immerses the reader in the contemporary moment, focusing on particular people and stories from that day, gleaned from newspapers, letters, diaries, official documents, magazines, films and novels: from a remote Pacific island facing the removal of its entire soil, across Australia, Burma, India and Kenya to London and the West Indies.In some ways, the issues of a hundred years ago are with us still: debates around cultural and ethnic identity in a globalised world; how to manage multi-ethnic political entities; racism; the divisive co-opting of religion for political purposes; the dangers of ignorance. In others, it is totally alien. What remains extraordinary is the Empire's ability to reveal the most compelling human stories. Never before has there been a book which contains such a wide spread of vivid experiences from both colonised and coloniser: from the grandest governors to the humblest migrants, policemen and nurses.