Imperial Vanities: The Adventures of the Baker Brothers and Gordon of Khartoum

(Paperback)

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This is the entwined story of three Victorians. Two of these men were brothers - Sir Samuel Baker, the irrepressible explorer; and Valentine Baker, reckoned to be the leading cavalry officer of the British Army before disgrace overwhelmed him. The third is the troubled Charles "Chinese" Gordon, murdered by the Mahdi's forces in Khartoum. "Imperial Vanities" is an adventure story in the high tradition, ranging from the Upper Nile, to Ceylon, Egypt and the slave markets of the Balkans. In his second book on Victorian life, Brian Thompson recounts the beginnings of the end of British Empire through the story of three men - the explorer Samuel Baker, whose second wife was a slave; his brother Valentine, who indecently assaulted a girl on a train and their friend Gordon of Khartoum, who preferred the company of men and the Bible.

Reviews

On Brian Thompson's previous book: 'Georgina Weldon's life is a story so richly worth telling as to make the common run of biographies seem sadly dull. Elegant in style, at once sensational and substantial in content, this book is a surprise and delight.'' Lucy Hughes Hallet, Sunday Times 'One of the funniest books of the year. It would take a heart of stone not to laugh at Mrs Weldon's disastrous career.' Miranda Seymour, TLS 'Georgina Weldon is the kind of subject biographers dream about...But what makes Thompson's extraordinarily accomplished book so marvellous is his ability to get inside her preposterous skin.' Kathryn Hughes, Sunday Telegraph

Author Bio

Brian Thompson was born in London and read English at Cambridge. He has written for radio and television, as well as for stage. His work of non-fiction includesA Monkey Among Crocodiles and Imperial Vanities. He lives in Oxford and France. Brian Thompson is the most hilariously funny and innovative voice in non-fiction for ages.