The Victorian Empire and Britain's Maritime World, 1837-1901: The Sea and Global History [Paperback]

A wide-ranging new survey of the role of the sea in Britain's global presence in the 19th century. Mostly at peace, but sometimes at war, Britain grew as a maritime empire in the Victorian era. This collection looks at British sea-power as a strategic, moral and cultural force.Introduction; Miles Taylor 1. 'Now is come a darker day': Britain, Venice and the meaning of sea power; Andrew Lambert 2. After emancipation: slavery, freedom and the Victorian empire; John Oldfield 3. Cultural, intellectual and religious networks: Britain's maritime exchanges in the 19th and 20th centuries; John Mackenzie 4. 'We never make mistakes': the empire of the Pacific Steam Navigation Company; Crosbie Smith 5. Crossing the seas: problems and possibilities for Queen Victoria's; Indian subjects Judith Brown 6. Three weeks' post apart: British children travel the empire ; Liz Buettner 7. Insularity and empire; Jan R?ger 8. The Victorian empire in its global context; Jeremy Black

'Taken together, the chapters collected here show how the Royal Navy secured the Pax Britannica of trade and diplomacy in the Victorian period, while British domination of global shipping lanes simultaneously created an international traffic in people, goods and ideas. As a result, this collection highlights the key role played by the maritime world in the Victorian British Empire.'

- John McAleer, University of Southampton, UK

'Miles Taylor's excellent edited collection on the Victorian maritime world is an encouraging indication of a new level of interest in this important period of the history of the oceans.' - Jonathan Hyslop, Journal of British Studies

Jeremy Black, University of Exeter, UKJudith Brown, University of Oxford, UKElizabeth Buettner, University of York, UKAndrew Lambert, King's College, London, UKJohn Mackenzie, Lancaster University, UKJohn Oldfield, University of Hull, UKJan R?ger, Birkbeck College, London, UKCrosbie Smith, University of Kentlch