What do you think?
Rate this book
The Indian Mutiny
In The Indian Mutiny: 1857 Saul David explores one of Britain's most harrowing colonial battles.
In 1857 the native troops of the Bengal army rose against their colonial masters. The ensuing insurrection was to become the bloodiest in the history of the British Empire.Combining formidable storytelling with ground-breaking research, Saul David narrates a tale at once heart-rendingly tragic and extraordinarily compelling. David provides new and convincing evidence that the true causes of the mutiny were much more complex, and disturbing, than previously assumed.
'A fine achievement by a huge new talent' William Dalrymple, Sunday Times
Saul David is Professor of War Studies at the University of Buckingham and the author of several critically acclaimed history books, including The Indian Mutiny: 1857 (shortlisted for the Westminster Medal for Military Literature), Zulu: The Heroism and Tragedy of the Zulu War of 1879 (a Waterstone's Military History Book of the Year) and, most recently, Victoria's Wars: The Rise of Empire.
In 1857 the native troops of the Bengal army rose against their colonial masters. The ensuing insurrection was to become the bloodiest in the history of the British Empire.Combining formidable storytelling with ground-breaking research, Saul David narrates a tale at once heart-rendingly tragic and extraordinarily compelling. David provides new and convincing evidence that the true causes of the mutiny were much more complex, and disturbing, than previously assumed.
'A fine achievement by a huge new talent' William Dalrymple, Sunday Times
Saul David is Professor of War Studies at the University of Buckingham and the author of several critically acclaimed history books, including The Indian Mutiny: 1857 (shortlisted for the Westminster Medal for Military Literature), Zulu: The Heroism and Tragedy of the Zulu War of 1879 (a Waterstone's Military History Book of the Year) and, most recently, Victoria's Wars: The Rise of Empire.
544 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
29 people are currently reading
454 people want to read
About the author
Saul David
53 books176 followersSAUL DAVID was born in Monmouth in 1966 and educated at Ampleforth College and Edinburgh and Glasgow Universities (History MA and PhD).
An expert in the wars of the Victorian period, he began writing his first history book when he was twenty-five and has since completed eight more. They include: The Homicidal Earl: The Life of Lord Cardigan (1997), a critically-acclaimed biography of the man who led the Charge of the Light Brigade; The Indian Mutiny:1857 (2002), shortlisted for the Westminster Medal for Military Literature; Zulu: The Heroism and Tragedy of the Zulu War of 1879 (2004), a Waterstone's Military History Book of the Year; and the bestselling Victoria's Wars: The Rise of Empire (2006). In 2007 he signed a three book deal with Hodder & Stoughton to write a series of historical novels set in the late Victorian period. The first, Zulu Hart, was published on 5 March 2009 to critical acclaim with The Times describing it as a 'rattling good yarn' with 'a compelling, sexy hero who could give Cornwell's Sharpe a run for his money'. He is currently writing a history of the British Army.
An expert in the wars of the Victorian period, he began writing his first history book when he was twenty-five and has since completed eight more. They include: The Homicidal Earl: The Life of Lord Cardigan (1997), a critically-acclaimed biography of the man who led the Charge of the Light Brigade; The Indian Mutiny:1857 (2002), shortlisted for the Westminster Medal for Military Literature; Zulu: The Heroism and Tragedy of the Zulu War of 1879 (2004), a Waterstone's Military History Book of the Year; and the bestselling Victoria's Wars: The Rise of Empire (2006). In 2007 he signed a three book deal with Hodder & Stoughton to write a series of historical novels set in the late Victorian period. The first, Zulu Hart, was published on 5 March 2009 to critical acclaim with The Times describing it as a 'rattling good yarn' with 'a compelling, sexy hero who could give Cornwell's Sharpe a run for his money'. He is currently writing a history of the British Army.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
February 27, 2021
“The execution of the forty mutineers of the 55th [Infantry Regiment] took place…on the parade-ground of the 87th Foot. The whole Peshawar garrison had been formed into three sides of an open square. The fourth was made up of forty cannons. Watching eagerly from the edge of the parade-ground were thousands of civilian spectators. Once the sentence had been read, the guns were primed with powder but no shot, and the prisoners were led forward. Each one was tied by the wrist to the upper part of the gun’s wheels so that the muzzle pressed into the pit of his stomach. The artillery officer then gave the word and the guns were fired simultaneously. At first the smoke obscured all view. As it cleared, the only visible remnants of the prisoners were their arms, still attached to the guns. Then here and there, having been shot hundreds of feet into the air, fell a number of slightly blackened but otherwise intact heads…”
- Saul David, The Indian Mutiny
In 1857, vast swaths of India were ruled by the East India Company, a British joint stock company that took corporate violence to a whole other level, exercising both military and administrative functions, as it sought to control trade and enrich itself. On May 10 of that year, however, after years of growing tensions, Indian soldiers revolted in Meerut, and then headed to Delhi, where they proclaimed the aging Bahadur Shah as the new Mogul Emperor. From there, the rebellion spread, threatening to kick Great Britain off the subcontinent.
This event goes by many names. In Great Britain, it was viewed as an insurrection, and referred to as “the Indian Mutiny” or “the Sepoy Mutiny.” For many in India, however, it was the First War of Independence, beginning a movement that would reach its apogee some ninety years later.
Whatever it is called (for simplicity’s sake, I’ll refer to it as a mutiny), it was a bloody and vicious affair. Thousands of British soldiers and civilians were killed, while Indian casualties have been estimated as reaching into the hundreds of thousands. The war was marked by incredibly cruel acts, encompassing the murder of noncombatant women and children, the destruction of cities, and the macabre execution of alleged mutineers by being blown from cannons.
In The Indian Mutiny, Saul David attempts to capture this momentous struggle in just over four-hundred dense pages of text. Though devoid of any literary flair, and workmanlike in its presentation, I found this book to be a valuable overview of a complex subject. With maps, appendixes, a timeline, and a glossary, The Indian Mutiny does its best to be accessible without sacrificing its academic underpinnings.
Utilizing a chronological approach, David starts with an introduction to the East India Company, and then proceeds methodically through the sequence of events from 1857 to 1859, discussing the causes of the mutiny, how it was organized, and how it ultimately played out across the country.
For the most part, this book reads like a military history. There is a lot of focus on the battles, and a somewhat obsessive accounting for all the various units involved. While David tries to touch on just about everything, the narrative coalesces around several major clashes, including the initial uprising in Delhi, along with its subsequent retaking; the siege of Lucknow; and the massacre at Cawnpore.
(As an aside, some of the names used in the book have changed over time. For instance, Cawnpore is now Kanpur. David uses the 19th century English spellings).
Despite battles being the centerpiece, the most interesting parts of The Indian Mutiny consist of David’s analysis of the mutiny’s origins. The list of Indian grievances against the East India Company was long. Not surprisingly, being ruled by a brutal for-profit foreign corporation topped that list. However, as David notes, the revolt began with Indian soldiers, and was motivated by such professional concerns as low pay, lack of advancement, disinterested British officers (who often left on detached duty to make more money), and a widening chasm between British and Indian society. Outside of that, the recent annexation of Oudh, a state in Northern India, also caused friction, especially for the troops from that region.
Put simply, the situation in India resembled a tinder-dry forest, waiting for a spark.
Historically, that spark has been identified as the pre-greased cartridges used in the new Enfield rifles being supplied to the troops. Specifically, rumors abounded that the cartridges were greased with either tallow derived from beef or pork lard. (David believes those rumors to be based in truth). As a soldier had to tear the cartridge open with his teeth, exposing himself to either beef or pork grease, the cartridges were offensive to Hindus and Muslims respectively.
Certainly, the belief in the animal-greased cartridges was real enough. And it definitely feels like the kind of ignorant, culturally insensitive move for which the British Empire was known. Yet, as David points out, Great Britain was actually quite responsive to Indian complaints, and went to pains to ensure that Indian soldiers could grease the cartridges themselves, to satisfy any doubts that animal fat was being used.
To David, the fact that this did not quiet the storm demonstrates that the greased cartridge controversy is a bit of a red herring. The real heart of the story is that the rebellion, far from being a spontaneous event, was the culmination of a carefully planned conspiracy. Though many of the members remain unknown, and some can only be speculated, David (who completed a PhD on the war’s beginning) argues that outside influencers fanned discontent within Indian Army ranks in order to overthrow the East India Company. Thus, though it did not necessarily begin out of nationalist sentiment, it seems fair to say that the mutiny sought a nationalist outcome.
The challenge in a book like this is to recognize that the mutiny rests on the foundation of dual tragedies. The first, overarching tragedy is that of colonization, in which one group of people benefits at the expense of a lot of other people. The East India Company was a ruthlessly exploitative organization, and you can’t tell this tale without acknowledging that. The second tragedy belongs to the individuals, both Indian and British, who were caught in the world as it existed at that time. The trick is in balancing these two realities, of describing – for instance – the horrors of the captive British women and children murdered at the Savada Kothi, while also recognizing the larger reasons while such a thing occurred.
Though he succeeds imperfectly, David attempts to thread this particular needle by relying on a lot of different perspectives. This is important. Many histories of the Indian Mutiny/First War of Independence relied heavily on English-language accounts. For those Britons who survived, the war had been a traumatic experience, and they wrote about it. A lot. The obvious result of Anglo-centric interpretations is that Indian atrocities were given center stage, while British atrocities were minimalized, rationalized, or simply ignored.
David does not fall into this trap. Indeed, part of the reason I chose to read The Indian Mutiny is because it was suggested by William Dalrymple, a well-respected historian of this era who is known for his dogged research into non-English sources. Though David is no Dalrymple, he does his level best to provide Indian viewpoints, so this does not become one more example of pro-Empire propaganda.
One of the interesting observations that David makes regarding the mutiny is how close it came to succeeding. With each town captured by Indian soldiers, with each garrison put to the torch, with every defeat of British troops, the rebellion grew. The East India Company could only hold India by exerting enough authority over its people to convince them that it was best to remain quiescent. As British losses started to mount, it became conceivable that a “critical mass” of Indians would decide the time had come to join. That it did not happen was a result of the lack of strong central leadership. In the end, the choice to rally around the elderly, vacillating Bahadur Shah in Delhi doomed the enterprise.
Still, a seed had been germinated that would, in time, mean the end of British rule in India.
- Saul David, The Indian Mutiny
In 1857, vast swaths of India were ruled by the East India Company, a British joint stock company that took corporate violence to a whole other level, exercising both military and administrative functions, as it sought to control trade and enrich itself. On May 10 of that year, however, after years of growing tensions, Indian soldiers revolted in Meerut, and then headed to Delhi, where they proclaimed the aging Bahadur Shah as the new Mogul Emperor. From there, the rebellion spread, threatening to kick Great Britain off the subcontinent.
This event goes by many names. In Great Britain, it was viewed as an insurrection, and referred to as “the Indian Mutiny” or “the Sepoy Mutiny.” For many in India, however, it was the First War of Independence, beginning a movement that would reach its apogee some ninety years later.
Whatever it is called (for simplicity’s sake, I’ll refer to it as a mutiny), it was a bloody and vicious affair. Thousands of British soldiers and civilians were killed, while Indian casualties have been estimated as reaching into the hundreds of thousands. The war was marked by incredibly cruel acts, encompassing the murder of noncombatant women and children, the destruction of cities, and the macabre execution of alleged mutineers by being blown from cannons.
In The Indian Mutiny, Saul David attempts to capture this momentous struggle in just over four-hundred dense pages of text. Though devoid of any literary flair, and workmanlike in its presentation, I found this book to be a valuable overview of a complex subject. With maps, appendixes, a timeline, and a glossary, The Indian Mutiny does its best to be accessible without sacrificing its academic underpinnings.
Utilizing a chronological approach, David starts with an introduction to the East India Company, and then proceeds methodically through the sequence of events from 1857 to 1859, discussing the causes of the mutiny, how it was organized, and how it ultimately played out across the country.
For the most part, this book reads like a military history. There is a lot of focus on the battles, and a somewhat obsessive accounting for all the various units involved. While David tries to touch on just about everything, the narrative coalesces around several major clashes, including the initial uprising in Delhi, along with its subsequent retaking; the siege of Lucknow; and the massacre at Cawnpore.
(As an aside, some of the names used in the book have changed over time. For instance, Cawnpore is now Kanpur. David uses the 19th century English spellings).
Despite battles being the centerpiece, the most interesting parts of The Indian Mutiny consist of David’s analysis of the mutiny’s origins. The list of Indian grievances against the East India Company was long. Not surprisingly, being ruled by a brutal for-profit foreign corporation topped that list. However, as David notes, the revolt began with Indian soldiers, and was motivated by such professional concerns as low pay, lack of advancement, disinterested British officers (who often left on detached duty to make more money), and a widening chasm between British and Indian society. Outside of that, the recent annexation of Oudh, a state in Northern India, also caused friction, especially for the troops from that region.
Put simply, the situation in India resembled a tinder-dry forest, waiting for a spark.
Historically, that spark has been identified as the pre-greased cartridges used in the new Enfield rifles being supplied to the troops. Specifically, rumors abounded that the cartridges were greased with either tallow derived from beef or pork lard. (David believes those rumors to be based in truth). As a soldier had to tear the cartridge open with his teeth, exposing himself to either beef or pork grease, the cartridges were offensive to Hindus and Muslims respectively.
Certainly, the belief in the animal-greased cartridges was real enough. And it definitely feels like the kind of ignorant, culturally insensitive move for which the British Empire was known. Yet, as David points out, Great Britain was actually quite responsive to Indian complaints, and went to pains to ensure that Indian soldiers could grease the cartridges themselves, to satisfy any doubts that animal fat was being used.
To David, the fact that this did not quiet the storm demonstrates that the greased cartridge controversy is a bit of a red herring. The real heart of the story is that the rebellion, far from being a spontaneous event, was the culmination of a carefully planned conspiracy. Though many of the members remain unknown, and some can only be speculated, David (who completed a PhD on the war’s beginning) argues that outside influencers fanned discontent within Indian Army ranks in order to overthrow the East India Company. Thus, though it did not necessarily begin out of nationalist sentiment, it seems fair to say that the mutiny sought a nationalist outcome.
The challenge in a book like this is to recognize that the mutiny rests on the foundation of dual tragedies. The first, overarching tragedy is that of colonization, in which one group of people benefits at the expense of a lot of other people. The East India Company was a ruthlessly exploitative organization, and you can’t tell this tale without acknowledging that. The second tragedy belongs to the individuals, both Indian and British, who were caught in the world as it existed at that time. The trick is in balancing these two realities, of describing – for instance – the horrors of the captive British women and children murdered at the Savada Kothi, while also recognizing the larger reasons while such a thing occurred.
Though he succeeds imperfectly, David attempts to thread this particular needle by relying on a lot of different perspectives. This is important. Many histories of the Indian Mutiny/First War of Independence relied heavily on English-language accounts. For those Britons who survived, the war had been a traumatic experience, and they wrote about it. A lot. The obvious result of Anglo-centric interpretations is that Indian atrocities were given center stage, while British atrocities were minimalized, rationalized, or simply ignored.
David does not fall into this trap. Indeed, part of the reason I chose to read The Indian Mutiny is because it was suggested by William Dalrymple, a well-respected historian of this era who is known for his dogged research into non-English sources. Though David is no Dalrymple, he does his level best to provide Indian viewpoints, so this does not become one more example of pro-Empire propaganda.
One of the interesting observations that David makes regarding the mutiny is how close it came to succeeding. With each town captured by Indian soldiers, with each garrison put to the torch, with every defeat of British troops, the rebellion grew. The East India Company could only hold India by exerting enough authority over its people to convince them that it was best to remain quiescent. As British losses started to mount, it became conceivable that a “critical mass” of Indians would decide the time had come to join. That it did not happen was a result of the lack of strong central leadership. In the end, the choice to rally around the elderly, vacillating Bahadur Shah in Delhi doomed the enterprise.
Still, a seed had been germinated that would, in time, mean the end of British rule in India.
August 24, 2019
Why did I read this? I guess I was ready for a change of pace. I had been reading about WWI and II and Korea and Vietnam. I have dedicated a lot of study to the US Civil and Revolutionary Wars. I wanted to read something completely different. How about a book on the Mutiny of 1857 India? This was the wild, wild East of the British Empire and it was ripe for a mutiny.
India has a fascinating and complicated history. This book is not the place to start. I did listen to an audio book about the Rise and fall of the British Empire prior to choosing this book. There was a section on India and the mutiny. I thought it was very interesting so I gave this book a try.
The reasons for the mutiny were convoluted. So much of this was new to me that I had (and still have) some challenges understanding the complexities of Indian society. It is easy to blame the new cartridge and the rumor that pig fat and cow fat was being used to grease the cartridge. This is easy to understand. However, this was just a rallying point for the mutineers. It is not even clear if pig or cow fat was used to grease the cartridge and the high command had a work around where the Indians could tear the cartridge with their fingers. The cause of the mutiny was more about the upheaval in Indian society and perceived changes that would cause the Brahmans and others to lose caste.
The author was brutally honest and spared no details about the bloodshed. Regardless of where you stand on Imperial rule, I can’t look past the duplicity of some of the mutineers and the massacres that they willfully committed on man, woman, and child. I found myself cheering for the British and their Indian allies to take revenge and they did. Often they would stuff the mutineer with pork prior to hanging them or make the Hindu clean-up blood which caused them to lose cast prior to hanging. Executions were summary.
An interesting execution method was to be blown away by the guns. This was where a man was chained to the wheels of a cannon so that the barrel of the gun was placed against the man’s abdomen. The gun, which only had a powder charge, was fired and when the smoke cleared, the only thing left of the man would be the chains holding each of his dangling arms. Please note that this death was instantaneous and considered an honor by the Indians.
The mutinous Indians are a study upon themselves. British India is such a hodgepodge of ethnicities and religions that it is very difficult to comprehend. Indians, in many cases acted like you would anticipate. Many stayed loyal. Some fervently joined the mutiny and others felt like they had no choice and went along halfheartedly. There were natural rifts between the Muslim and Hindu Indians. Some murdered their officers but others, out of respect, warned their British officers to go, and there is one odd case where the mutineers begged their British officers to mutiny with them and lead them. Some British officers refused to disarm their troops. In one case, an officer thought that disarming his Indian troops was such a disgrace to his unit that he committed suicide instead.
There was no unified command of the Indian mutineers. They mutinied in the name of the King of India (a descendant of one of the Mogul conquerors– a figurehead living off a substantial British pension) but he really wasn’t for the mutiny either. He had no choice just like many Indians that were caught up in it. There is a great part of the book where a prominent Indian official realized the long term futility and stopped the massacre of Christians. He told the mutineers who were considering the atrocity that this was wrong and it would only spur reprisals and that the Christians were far more valuable to hold hostage. He told the mutineers to consult their religious leaders before committing any atrocity and stalled while he pleaded for mercy for the Christians with the King. He told the King that the British are only going to come back with a vengeance and that these people should be spared. The King agreed but he said what am I to do? I have no real authority to enforce anything. During the consultation with the king the Christians were murdered by some other faction within the mutiny and this is the way the sad story goes.
Have Google on hand for definitions of the Indian military. I understood Sepoy but there are other ranks in the Indian army such as Sower, Subedar, Jemildar, and Havildar and castes like Brahmans. All this, you will have to look up. The book needed a glossary of terms.
I like to read about Anglo wars. I am an anglophile. Reading about the British and their subjects is a great exercise in leadership. The British seem to always offer the best and worst examples of how to do anything. They make some of the biggest blunders but they always seem to right the ship. They did so in this one and made several reforms after the mutiny
All in all a good read.
India has a fascinating and complicated history. This book is not the place to start. I did listen to an audio book about the Rise and fall of the British Empire prior to choosing this book. There was a section on India and the mutiny. I thought it was very interesting so I gave this book a try.
The reasons for the mutiny were convoluted. So much of this was new to me that I had (and still have) some challenges understanding the complexities of Indian society. It is easy to blame the new cartridge and the rumor that pig fat and cow fat was being used to grease the cartridge. This is easy to understand. However, this was just a rallying point for the mutineers. It is not even clear if pig or cow fat was used to grease the cartridge and the high command had a work around where the Indians could tear the cartridge with their fingers. The cause of the mutiny was more about the upheaval in Indian society and perceived changes that would cause the Brahmans and others to lose caste.
The author was brutally honest and spared no details about the bloodshed. Regardless of where you stand on Imperial rule, I can’t look past the duplicity of some of the mutineers and the massacres that they willfully committed on man, woman, and child. I found myself cheering for the British and their Indian allies to take revenge and they did. Often they would stuff the mutineer with pork prior to hanging them or make the Hindu clean-up blood which caused them to lose cast prior to hanging. Executions were summary.
An interesting execution method was to be blown away by the guns. This was where a man was chained to the wheels of a cannon so that the barrel of the gun was placed against the man’s abdomen. The gun, which only had a powder charge, was fired and when the smoke cleared, the only thing left of the man would be the chains holding each of his dangling arms. Please note that this death was instantaneous and considered an honor by the Indians.
The mutinous Indians are a study upon themselves. British India is such a hodgepodge of ethnicities and religions that it is very difficult to comprehend. Indians, in many cases acted like you would anticipate. Many stayed loyal. Some fervently joined the mutiny and others felt like they had no choice and went along halfheartedly. There were natural rifts between the Muslim and Hindu Indians. Some murdered their officers but others, out of respect, warned their British officers to go, and there is one odd case where the mutineers begged their British officers to mutiny with them and lead them. Some British officers refused to disarm their troops. In one case, an officer thought that disarming his Indian troops was such a disgrace to his unit that he committed suicide instead.
There was no unified command of the Indian mutineers. They mutinied in the name of the King of India (a descendant of one of the Mogul conquerors– a figurehead living off a substantial British pension) but he really wasn’t for the mutiny either. He had no choice just like many Indians that were caught up in it. There is a great part of the book where a prominent Indian official realized the long term futility and stopped the massacre of Christians. He told the mutineers who were considering the atrocity that this was wrong and it would only spur reprisals and that the Christians were far more valuable to hold hostage. He told the mutineers to consult their religious leaders before committing any atrocity and stalled while he pleaded for mercy for the Christians with the King. He told the King that the British are only going to come back with a vengeance and that these people should be spared. The King agreed but he said what am I to do? I have no real authority to enforce anything. During the consultation with the king the Christians were murdered by some other faction within the mutiny and this is the way the sad story goes.
Have Google on hand for definitions of the Indian military. I understood Sepoy but there are other ranks in the Indian army such as Sower, Subedar, Jemildar, and Havildar and castes like Brahmans. All this, you will have to look up. The book needed a glossary of terms.
I like to read about Anglo wars. I am an anglophile. Reading about the British and their subjects is a great exercise in leadership. The British seem to always offer the best and worst examples of how to do anything. They make some of the biggest blunders but they always seem to right the ship. They did so in this one and made several reforms after the mutiny
All in all a good read.
August 19, 2014
“War, anyways, is made up of a bit of slaughter and a bit of routine and doesn’t bear being looked into too closely,” wrote Italo Calvino in a short satire of medieval romanticism entitled “The Nonexistent Knight.” Representing both a provocative sentiment and an important warning to any who delves into the more vivid and violent episodes of history, these words might usefully be applied to Saul David’s recent work on the Indian Mutiny of 1857. Building upon an impressive array of primary sources and new scholarship, David weaves analysis together with a detailed narrative of the complex and violent series of events that, within a few short months, shocked the very core of the British Empire and permanently transformed the nature of British rule in India.
Saul David presents a number of distinct and interesting arguments. He deals convincingly with the traditional perception of the cause of the mutiny: the British distribution of new ammunition cartridges greased with pork and beef fat. He summarizes evidence to show that the “contaminated” cartridges operated as a pretext, albeit an important signal and unifying symbol for both Muslim and Hindu alike, concealing a deeper and more complex agenda of politics and grievance. David also documents the long, steady breakdown of trust between the Indian sepoys and their British officers in the decades leading up to the Mutiny with both sympathy and nuance. He corrects the notion that the East India Company’s Officers were of the same class as the British Army, noting that “In truth they came ‘from the pseudo gentry,’ from the genteel poor and from the sons of East India Company servants…” Such details make more poignant the moments in the later narrative, as when Queen Victoria declares that, “There is not a family hardly who is not in sorrow and anxiety about their children, and in all ranks – India being the place where everyone was anxious to place a son!”
However, the quality of analysis and insight that begins to emerge from the initial chapters and from the several written appendices stands awkwardly beside the emotional, graphically detailed treatment of the Mutiny itself. David focuses upon the mutinies that occurred in Delhi, Lucknow, and Cawnpore, locations of critical importance in the Mutiny’s progress, yet dwelling on events seemingly selected for their cold-thrill of horror. He describes the massacres of Fatehgarh and Satichaura Ghat at great length and detail. While sensational and significant in their own time, David’s palpable and recurrent emphasis on the “white women and children” angle critically unbalances the rest of the work. An invisible knight of a different order, the historian should know that the tragedies of history are sometimes better served by distance than by romance.
Saul David presents a number of distinct and interesting arguments. He deals convincingly with the traditional perception of the cause of the mutiny: the British distribution of new ammunition cartridges greased with pork and beef fat. He summarizes evidence to show that the “contaminated” cartridges operated as a pretext, albeit an important signal and unifying symbol for both Muslim and Hindu alike, concealing a deeper and more complex agenda of politics and grievance. David also documents the long, steady breakdown of trust between the Indian sepoys and their British officers in the decades leading up to the Mutiny with both sympathy and nuance. He corrects the notion that the East India Company’s Officers were of the same class as the British Army, noting that “In truth they came ‘from the pseudo gentry,’ from the genteel poor and from the sons of East India Company servants…” Such details make more poignant the moments in the later narrative, as when Queen Victoria declares that, “There is not a family hardly who is not in sorrow and anxiety about their children, and in all ranks – India being the place where everyone was anxious to place a son!”
However, the quality of analysis and insight that begins to emerge from the initial chapters and from the several written appendices stands awkwardly beside the emotional, graphically detailed treatment of the Mutiny itself. David focuses upon the mutinies that occurred in Delhi, Lucknow, and Cawnpore, locations of critical importance in the Mutiny’s progress, yet dwelling on events seemingly selected for their cold-thrill of horror. He describes the massacres of Fatehgarh and Satichaura Ghat at great length and detail. While sensational and significant in their own time, David’s palpable and recurrent emphasis on the “white women and children” angle critically unbalances the rest of the work. An invisible knight of a different order, the historian should know that the tragedies of history are sometimes better served by distance than by romance.
November 5, 2023
Borrow.
David paints detailed pictures of horrific battles, sieges and massacres but never succeeds in holding my attention for more than a chapter at a time. Something about the writing here is a little disjointed.
David paints detailed pictures of horrific battles, sieges and massacres but never succeeds in holding my attention for more than a chapter at a time. Something about the writing here is a little disjointed.
October 15, 2007
Saul David does a sterling job of providing an entertaining and gripping account of the Indian mutiny which all but sealed the fate of the East India Company which was subsequently dissolved in 1858.
Once the narrative gets going it becomes very hard to put down this book and very little foreknowledge of the subject matter is demanded. There are sections when the some of the seiges and battles can get a bit repetitive but luckily those sections are few and far between.
I would recommend this as a starting point for anyone who wants to find out more about this pivotal event in both Indian and British history. The mutiny inspired the first serious attempts at independance from British rule but it also strengthened the British Empire when they were victorious.
The book focuses on the title so if you are looking for more background on the events leading upto the mutiny, British India or the East India Company this would not be the book for you. However, if you wanted to know about how the mutiny started, the misrepresentations in the British press and a very well put together account of the mutiny and subsequent rebellion attempts then jump straight in, you won't regret it.
Once the narrative gets going it becomes very hard to put down this book and very little foreknowledge of the subject matter is demanded. There are sections when the some of the seiges and battles can get a bit repetitive but luckily those sections are few and far between.
I would recommend this as a starting point for anyone who wants to find out more about this pivotal event in both Indian and British history. The mutiny inspired the first serious attempts at independance from British rule but it also strengthened the British Empire when they were victorious.
The book focuses on the title so if you are looking for more background on the events leading upto the mutiny, British India or the East India Company this would not be the book for you. However, if you wanted to know about how the mutiny started, the misrepresentations in the British press and a very well put together account of the mutiny and subsequent rebellion attempts then jump straight in, you won't regret it.
April 26, 2015
What with Post-Colonialism, the rise of Asia, and the sputtering BRICs reviewing a book such as The Indian Mutiny: 1857 is a challenge. Nonetheless, Saul David's introduction to the Indian Mutiny, or the First War of Indian Independence [perspective is everything], is an excellent example of Narrative History -- history where character, incident, plot, story, and crisis, rather than analysis, are brought to the foreground. This is not to say there is no analysis, this is, however, kept to a minimum. What Mr. David does is to bring the story to the foreground and from this point the reader can engage with an analysis of the causes and moral interpretations of the event and the British Raj [The British Empire in India].
On the whole, no matter what one reviewer, Jvalant N. Sampat, on Amazon suggests [Modern Mein Kampf is the title of the review], the author's text is a balanced, unemotional reading of the Mutiny and its consequences. Even Mr. Sampat in the comments section of his review concedes that he "may have gone overboard". This is to be expected in a world where India is now a power to be reckoned with and has issues with the hundreds of years [1526-1947] they were ruled by foreigners [Mongols/Mughal Empire and Ferenghi - Europeans...Ferenghi is also spelt Ferengi and, yes, this is where Star Trek took the name...Ferenghi was a bastardization of Franks via the Arabs and to India. Ferenghi were European Traders].
Nonetheless, The Indian Mutiny: 1857 is an excellent introduction to the subject and is reasonably fair to both sides. That said, many post-colonialists will take issue with the reading, as has been mentioned above.
Recommended for readers of history with a special emphasis on the British Empire and the British Raj as well as those interested in The East India Company.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
On the whole, no matter what one reviewer, Jvalant N. Sampat, on Amazon suggests [Modern Mein Kampf is the title of the review], the author's text is a balanced, unemotional reading of the Mutiny and its consequences. Even Mr. Sampat in the comments section of his review concedes that he "may have gone overboard". This is to be expected in a world where India is now a power to be reckoned with and has issues with the hundreds of years [1526-1947] they were ruled by foreigners [Mongols/Mughal Empire and Ferenghi - Europeans...Ferenghi is also spelt Ferengi and, yes, this is where Star Trek took the name...Ferenghi was a bastardization of Franks via the Arabs and to India. Ferenghi were European Traders].
Nonetheless, The Indian Mutiny: 1857 is an excellent introduction to the subject and is reasonably fair to both sides. That said, many post-colonialists will take issue with the reading, as has been mentioned above.
Recommended for readers of history with a special emphasis on the British Empire and the British Raj as well as those interested in The East India Company.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
February 17, 2009
Not nearly as swashbuckling as David's Victoria's Wars, but then the Indian Mutiny wasn't particularly glorious, for either side.
However saul david does an interesting thing with his history; a bit like niall ferguson's empire, he makes a convincing case for some surprising reasons for the mutiny that don't follow the usual theories of the Empire being evil and the Sepoy's being an oppressed multitude.
It's one of those books where you need at least three different bookmarks to mark your place, the maps section, the glossary and the timeline, which surely is the sign of a great book?
However saul david does an interesting thing with his history; a bit like niall ferguson's empire, he makes a convincing case for some surprising reasons for the mutiny that don't follow the usual theories of the Empire being evil and the Sepoy's being an oppressed multitude.
It's one of those books where you need at least three different bookmarks to mark your place, the maps section, the glossary and the timeline, which surely is the sign of a great book?
October 16, 2024
Saul David is an excellent writer, but it is evident that this work occurred early in his writing career. It is not nearly as polished as his book on the Zulu war. I found myself lost at times due to a lack of knowledge of some of the terminology, Indian geography, and prior history. The glossary in the back of the book was helpful but not nearly extensive enough. The maps at the beginning of the book were fine for the cities and battles, but trying to use the subcontinent map to get my bearings was impossible. Lastly, I felt lost at times and had to reference Wikipedia multiple times when David would mention past events and assumed his reader knew what he was talking about. I teach high school world history, but I am lost in Indian history between the battle of Plassey and Ghandi. Hence, the reason I picked this book up.
In short, this is a solid book that I learned a lot from. It just left me wanting a bit more for a novice in Indian history.
In short, this is a solid book that I learned a lot from. It just left me wanting a bit more for a novice in Indian history.
January 4, 2015
This is an extremely good introduction to the Indian Mutiny of 1857. The story is well told, and is told with a rare pace that kept me hooked throughout. The book seems to have been extremely well researched, and the causes for the mutiny well analysed.
In the end, the chief conspirators remain in the shadow, and the British Empire reigned supreme. Maybe, as he said, India was not ready. we sometimes forget that mutinies and their spread are extremely complex stories, and that they cannot be ascribed to simple, single incidents as they are in schools.
He seems to have a great deal of admiration for the Rani of Jhansi, and it shows.
My only quibble, is that there is a lot of material about the atrocities that the British people suffered at the hands of the Indians, and not enough about the other way around. This could be because of the paucity of material from the Indian perspective.
Having said that, the book is very well balanced, and finely nuanced. This is a complex bit of Indian history, and he has done a fantastic job in bringing it to life.
In the end, the chief conspirators remain in the shadow, and the British Empire reigned supreme. Maybe, as he said, India was not ready. we sometimes forget that mutinies and their spread are extremely complex stories, and that they cannot be ascribed to simple, single incidents as they are in schools.
He seems to have a great deal of admiration for the Rani of Jhansi, and it shows.
My only quibble, is that there is a lot of material about the atrocities that the British people suffered at the hands of the Indians, and not enough about the other way around. This could be because of the paucity of material from the Indian perspective.
Having said that, the book is very well balanced, and finely nuanced. This is a complex bit of Indian history, and he has done a fantastic job in bringing it to life.
February 28, 2013
I love history books but I have to admit I sometimes struggle to read them from cover to cover. That was not a problem with Saul David's account of the Indian Mutiny. Saul's writing makes the history as gripping as any novel and I devoured the book loving every minute. With historians as good as this it really makes a novelist's life hard.
December 23, 2017
Well-researched and well-paced, it feels more like fiction than the fantastic historical report that it really is. Its an excellent read. Only criticism - and only since I am Indian - is the relative lack of accounts from the Indian perspective.
March 2, 2015
Well written and readable Saul David does a great job of a complex topic.
May 7, 2017
Extremely interesting if a bit difficult to read at times. Love Saul David books.
June 15, 2018
Well written and researched. I enjoyed this insight into the mutiny and the conflict. The mismanagement of the Indian soldiers by the East India Company played i the hand of the mutineers.
Want to read
October 17, 2007let's take bets on whether i will ever read this book!
October 14, 2024
David Saul’s history of the Indian Mutiny of 1857 is a partial military history, strong on troop movements and names of commanders where available. It is weak on strategy and tactics, mainly because the East India Company had no strategy, and their tactics were mainly a reaction to Indian movements. There is no account of the political, economic and social background of the events leading up to 1857.
Saul does the best he can from the letters, diaries and official communications of the day, and builds an exhaustive and at times exhausting picture of the day to day events and crises. The picture he paints is limited to the perspective of the European and Eurasian community, and therefore the title of his book seems justified. There is little or no written documentation from the Indian side, all of whom are painted as demons incarnate, traitors and savages. This record thus appears one-sided and biased. It is also the fact that the average reader who comes to this chronicle will be bewildered by their ignorance of Indian geography, religions and caste divisions, languages, including nomenclature and various terms pertaining to military ranks, to say nothing of Indian history preceding the Mutiny, all of which Saul sees little need to explain.
Since India was not a Crown colony until 1858, the government of the day in London had other matters to keep it busy than a local revolt on the other side of the globe - it was still recovering from Waterloo and the Crimean war of 1854, and was engaged in the Opium War with China, to say nothing of its own political and economic reform bills. It was not until the Queen herself rebuked the government for its tardy reaction to events in India that it awoke to its responsibilities.
While ‘The Indian Mutiny 1857’ has its weak points, Saul does make a few telling observations about Company officials:
‘[Lord] Dalhousie revealed the cynical thinking behind such appropriations when he told a family friend that the huge state of Nagpur, with its annual revenue of £400,000 a year, was ‘too good a “plum” not to pick out of the “Christmas pie”.’
Later, when the Mutiny had been put down with violence and harsh repercussions, “He (Sir John Lawrence) had become increasingly convinced that British rule in India was part of God’s purpose. ‘We have not been elected or placed in power by the people,’ he wrote, ‘but we are here through our moral superiority, by the force of circumstances and by the will of Providence.’ Lawrence’s views were representative of the shift in the British perception of Empire from trading opportunity to civilizing mission (or ‘white man’s burden’).”
And that perhaps is why in the eyes of Indians today, the events of 1857 are regarded as the struggle of the First War of Independence, and the ‘traitors’ hanged or shot by the British without a trial are venerated as martyrs.
Saul does the best he can from the letters, diaries and official communications of the day, and builds an exhaustive and at times exhausting picture of the day to day events and crises. The picture he paints is limited to the perspective of the European and Eurasian community, and therefore the title of his book seems justified. There is little or no written documentation from the Indian side, all of whom are painted as demons incarnate, traitors and savages. This record thus appears one-sided and biased. It is also the fact that the average reader who comes to this chronicle will be bewildered by their ignorance of Indian geography, religions and caste divisions, languages, including nomenclature and various terms pertaining to military ranks, to say nothing of Indian history preceding the Mutiny, all of which Saul sees little need to explain.
Since India was not a Crown colony until 1858, the government of the day in London had other matters to keep it busy than a local revolt on the other side of the globe - it was still recovering from Waterloo and the Crimean war of 1854, and was engaged in the Opium War with China, to say nothing of its own political and economic reform bills. It was not until the Queen herself rebuked the government for its tardy reaction to events in India that it awoke to its responsibilities.
While ‘The Indian Mutiny 1857’ has its weak points, Saul does make a few telling observations about Company officials:
‘[Lord] Dalhousie revealed the cynical thinking behind such appropriations when he told a family friend that the huge state of Nagpur, with its annual revenue of £400,000 a year, was ‘too good a “plum” not to pick out of the “Christmas pie”.’
Later, when the Mutiny had been put down with violence and harsh repercussions, “He (Sir John Lawrence) had become increasingly convinced that British rule in India was part of God’s purpose. ‘We have not been elected or placed in power by the people,’ he wrote, ‘but we are here through our moral superiority, by the force of circumstances and by the will of Providence.’ Lawrence’s views were representative of the shift in the British perception of Empire from trading opportunity to civilizing mission (or ‘white man’s burden’).”
And that perhaps is why in the eyes of Indians today, the events of 1857 are regarded as the struggle of the First War of Independence, and the ‘traitors’ hanged or shot by the British without a trial are venerated as martyrs.
March 13, 2022
Also called the first war of Independence. To be classified as a "war of Independence" I believe we need to have 2 minimum criteria, one whom are we fighting for, what's the entity, and two- where is the boundary of the current Occupiers. Both of which were very very vague during this period of time. What was clear however was that the East India Company running the affairs in the country were an extremely ruthless and money making machine and exploited the people .
This created a general hatred and distrust for them. There was no employment. There were no large military employer, the british were the only ones hiring. Payment was a key issue, whoever paid more, the soldiers joined them.
This Book provides a view of the Incident from a British perspective, its timelines when did it start and end. It also shows how the british rule over India changed after this. The Empire became more deeply entrenched.
The Mughal rulers were no more than few sq km in Delhi with no locos standi. The indian princes in the north were all puppets who lived off the money from the East Indian Com and didn’t want to offend them. They also knew that the British will remain and its better not to go against them. The Nawab of Oudh was the only one who felt he was ill treated and his kingdom was attached to the British Empire. Thus he had some reasons to gather the forces around him. Most of the mutineers assumed the Delhi Ruler would stand up for them, which he did reluctantly , his sons were useless and got killed. Nana Tatya tope was the only one who created some sort of leadership but he was not strong enough in the end. Neither do Rani of Jhansee have a plan in place, she also didn’t have any support, all she wanted was to have her kingdom back .
More than 8000 british were killed, men women and children, many of them very very brutally . It was a war in which the british didn’t realize it coming , their civilians were targeted. The whole pork and beef fat cartridge was a ruse and never really happen. Most of the Mutineers were Muslims whos loyalty lay with the Nawab of Oudh or Mughals. The Sikhs and Gurkhas did not take part in the Mutiny. The Mutiny happened in current Day UP. Mostly between Cawnpore and Allahabad. Meerut and towards Delhi. It did spread to Peshawar and Northern Punjab, it didn’t happen in Calcutta or Bombay or the Southern states. This was a local uprising with no leaders and no direction . Mangal Pandey was a drunk who just killed a brit soldier when he was under the influence of Bhang , It doesn’t look like he was the hero he was made out to be.
This created a general hatred and distrust for them. There was no employment. There were no large military employer, the british were the only ones hiring. Payment was a key issue, whoever paid more, the soldiers joined them.
This Book provides a view of the Incident from a British perspective, its timelines when did it start and end. It also shows how the british rule over India changed after this. The Empire became more deeply entrenched.
The Mughal rulers were no more than few sq km in Delhi with no locos standi. The indian princes in the north were all puppets who lived off the money from the East Indian Com and didn’t want to offend them. They also knew that the British will remain and its better not to go against them. The Nawab of Oudh was the only one who felt he was ill treated and his kingdom was attached to the British Empire. Thus he had some reasons to gather the forces around him. Most of the mutineers assumed the Delhi Ruler would stand up for them, which he did reluctantly , his sons were useless and got killed. Nana Tatya tope was the only one who created some sort of leadership but he was not strong enough in the end. Neither do Rani of Jhansee have a plan in place, she also didn’t have any support, all she wanted was to have her kingdom back .
More than 8000 british were killed, men women and children, many of them very very brutally . It was a war in which the british didn’t realize it coming , their civilians were targeted. The whole pork and beef fat cartridge was a ruse and never really happen. Most of the Mutineers were Muslims whos loyalty lay with the Nawab of Oudh or Mughals. The Sikhs and Gurkhas did not take part in the Mutiny. The Mutiny happened in current Day UP. Mostly between Cawnpore and Allahabad. Meerut and towards Delhi. It did spread to Peshawar and Northern Punjab, it didn’t happen in Calcutta or Bombay or the Southern states. This was a local uprising with no leaders and no direction . Mangal Pandey was a drunk who just killed a brit soldier when he was under the influence of Bhang , It doesn’t look like he was the hero he was made out to be.
March 12, 2020
This book's strength, no doubt is pace. It runs like a racy novel. David drags us into the scene and keeps us on the edge of our seat as did the officers and administrators of India as they watched in shock British rule collapse within days across North India since the cantonment of Meerut first mutinied on the 10th May. Also obvious from this book, is the tedious research put in by the historian: his obsession with the military orders, the dates and times that decisions were taken and to me the hardest of all to stomach, war plans and operation schemes. In this aspect, this book is the typical war history and a feast for the military junkie. 'The Indian Mutiny' should also be appreciated for its portrayal of some of its characters. One is made to weep like the rest of the Residency with the fall of Commissioner Henry Lawrence. Or - let out a sigh of relief like the men in the war rooms in the British Isles after Colin Campbell is sent for the job. My favourite meat in the book were the politics and intrigues around the responsibility in recapturing of Awadh. David sure dealt with the archives, it made me think.
If the review were to impress upon one's mind that the book is obsessed with the White man, then sure it has served its object. It is, for one, called a 'Mutiny' - hence a history of the event as the Britisher saw it. This book is rather the history of the suppression of the 'mutiny' and the recapture of Northern India rather than the various fascinating and bloody aspects of the rebellion itself. Just as I am tired of scholars and laymen repeatedly attributing the movement to greased cartridges alone, the author indulges in the same again. What were the structural phenomena and forces that allowed the rebellion to occur? The author does not ask. In other words, could the rule of the British have failed in significant ways? He does not even pause to wonder. Finally the landscape is deemed foreign. It is Cawnpore throughout, and Subzeemundee and Dureagunj?
If the review were to impress upon one's mind that the book is obsessed with the White man, then sure it has served its object. It is, for one, called a 'Mutiny' - hence a history of the event as the Britisher saw it. This book is rather the history of the suppression of the 'mutiny' and the recapture of Northern India rather than the various fascinating and bloody aspects of the rebellion itself. Just as I am tired of scholars and laymen repeatedly attributing the movement to greased cartridges alone, the author indulges in the same again. What were the structural phenomena and forces that allowed the rebellion to occur? The author does not ask. In other words, could the rule of the British have failed in significant ways? He does not even pause to wonder. Finally the landscape is deemed foreign. It is Cawnpore throughout, and Subzeemundee and Dureagunj?
November 5, 2022
The Indian Mutiny by Saul David looks at the complex uprising by the Sepoy soldiers in India during the 1850’s. It tracks the various political dissident groups that arose around certain Raj’s and the spreading of rumors like pigs’ grease being used on the cartridges to rile up the Hindu and Muslim soldiers of the time. This book also follows how the British were able to prevail against a numerically superior foe and regain control of the country in what should have rightly been the end of British Rule in India given the discrepancy of numbers. It is not just a story of superior technology since many of the rebels had British weaponry. The divisions between Hind and Muslim as well as between feuding territories undermined cohesion which the British maintained. As in the case of most colonial uprisings there are atrocities abound on both sides. David does an excellent job at covering this topic with the depth it deserves but keeping it one volume. If you have an interest in British Colonial history or history of India this is not one to miss.
August 23, 2020
Best I have read.
What an under taking this must have been. What an incredible effort the author has made with the amount of research that has gone into the writing of this book.
I have read other accounts of the Indian mutiny but this is by far the best.
Very well balanced with both the cause and effect covered.
You certainly get to understand why it happen and realize that the British where very much responsible for the outbreak.
The dreadful slaughter then carried out firstly by the mutineers, and then by the avenging British was truly shocking.
How close the British where to being thrown out of India is something that I certainly didn't realise.
If you want a well balance superbly well written history of the Mutiny, this is it.
What an under taking this must have been. What an incredible effort the author has made with the amount of research that has gone into the writing of this book.
I have read other accounts of the Indian mutiny but this is by far the best.
Very well balanced with both the cause and effect covered.
You certainly get to understand why it happen and realize that the British where very much responsible for the outbreak.
The dreadful slaughter then carried out firstly by the mutineers, and then by the avenging British was truly shocking.
How close the British where to being thrown out of India is something that I certainly didn't realise.
If you want a well balance superbly well written history of the Mutiny, this is it.
March 3, 2023
Disappointing book - I wanted some understanding of the Sepoy Mutiny, but just got a poorly digested overview of largely British memoirs. Rich in such detail, but poor for understanding the motivation of any side in the conflict. Rather' boy's own' when it comes to details of combat and atrocities. No analysis of why the revolt was so bloody nor why the rebels so misused their captives. Also very poor on the military campaigns side - hard to follow what and how the British were able to reestablish control and zip on the Indian strategies. If you know nothing of the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, then you could learn something of the defeats and massacres of the British here - but nothing except the bare bones of why it happened or how the British suppressed the mutiny.
Read
June 22, 2024This book is an in-depth look at the Indian Mutiny. It underscores the incompetence of the East India Company that ruled India at that time, as well as the unpreparedness of the British Army. There is much to be learned in this book, but sadly it is only from the British point of view. It would be fascinating to read the history of the rebellion from the Indian perspective. It was a very bloody and unsuccessful rebellion, but a try at independence nonetheless.
October 2, 2019
Andy's review
Downloaded this as it is a campaign I know little about. I'm glad I did - learnt facts I never knew, & one could almost feel the heat & hear the battle cries. A thoroughly good book.
Downloaded this as it is a campaign I know little about. I'm glad I did - learnt facts I never knew, & one could almost feel the heat & hear the battle cries. A thoroughly good book.
July 21, 2020
Have put it on hold for the moment as it's not quite bedtime reading. Now reading "Heroines of the SOE " feel this is a bit neglected and my French friends uncle was executed by the Nazis for refusing to betray his leader.
June 12, 2022
One sided perspective. Did not dwell on the complexities of racism, pre and post event excesses of the British army. Events such as these are not the result of a single activity or even a series of few activities - they build up over time and then explode.
June 5, 2023
A very well-written, well-researched and (rare for books on the Indian Mutiny) fair-handed account.
September 23, 2019
The books explains the possible reasons of the Mutiny in the Bengal Army. This is then followed by the recorded details of the mutiny with focus on the major events and centres of the mutiny. While the book does an excellent job of explaining the events the took place in 1857-58, however it would have been more intresting had the reader been able to understand about the mutineers strategy and plans, especially during decisive battles. What plans had they made, what converstions did they have, how did they plan their attacks, why would they run away from battle fields at decisive moments even after having the greater numeral strength?
I think these questions are still unaswered. I do understand since the primary source for this novel is the records maintains by the British, it is bound to have more details of their thought process but this restriction does make you feel the book as a bit one sided read.
Great reasearch though!
I think these questions are still unaswered. I do understand since the primary source for this novel is the records maintains by the British, it is bound to have more details of their thought process but this restriction does make you feel the book as a bit one sided read.
Great reasearch though!
December 21, 2010
Saul David does a good job explaining both big and small matters - everything from the complicated causes of the uprising to what exactly was "grape-shot"? But Christopher Hibbert tells this fascinating story with more flare and more humour.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews