As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Affiliate disclosure.

Home / Books / Plain Tales from the British Empire
Plain Tales from the British Empire cover

Book

Plain Tales from the British Empire

by Charles Allen

First published 2008

Amazon
3.9(25)

This omnibus brings together Charles Allen's oral histories Plain Tales from the Raj, Tales from the Dark Continent and Tales from the South China Seas. Based on interviews with people who lived and worked across Britain's twentieth-century empire, it records daily routines, administration, domestic life, travel, clubs, schools, plantations, military service and the social hierarchies that shaped colonial communities.

Placed side by side, the recollections show both the similarities and the regional differences of imperial rule in India, Africa and South-East Asia. The speakers remember privilege, isolation, danger, friendship and upheaval from personal perspectives that are often partial or nostalgic. Allen's value lies in preserving those voices while giving readers a large body of firsthand testimony about colonial life before decolonisation.

Historical Periods

British Raj1858–1947 CE British Hong Kong1841–1997 CE British Malaya and the Straits Settlements1786–1957 CE European Colonial Rule in Africa1900–1939 CE

Genres

Political History

More from this period

5 more top-rated novels about British Raj

Ranked by rating and voting volume; books already shown on this page are omitted.

Best novels about British Raj

More from this period

4 more top-rated novels about British Hong Kong

Ranked by rating and voting volume; books already shown on this page are omitted.

Best novels about British Hong Kong

More from this period

1 more top-rated novel about British Malaya and the Straits Settlements

Ranked by rating and voting volume; books already shown on this page are omitted.

Best novels about British Malaya and the Straits Settlements

More from this period

5 more top-rated novels about European Colonial Rule in Africa

Ranked by rating and voting volume; books already shown on this page are omitted.

Best novels about European Colonial Rule in Africa

Discover more

Authors similar to Charles Allen

Recommended from shared genres and periods.

William Dalrymple

Historical scholarship focused on Indian Rebellion of 1857 and the British Raj

Kim A. Wagner

Political and military history covering Indian Rebellion of 1857 and East India Company Rule

Lawrence James

Historical scholarship focused on Indian Rebellion of 1857 and East India Company Rule

Saul David 3 books

Historical scholarship focused on Late Victorian Empire and Indian Rebellion of 1857