Spoils of War

The Treasures, Trophies, & Trivia of the British Empire

Christopher Joll author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Nine Elms Books

Published:21st Apr '20

Should be back in stock very soon

Spoils of War cover

Over the last seven hundred years the United Kingdom has acquired a staggering array of treasures as a direct result of its military activities – from Joan of Arc’s ring to the Rock of Gibraltar to Hitler’s desk. Spoils of War describes these spoils and how they came to be acquired as well as telling the tales of some of the extraordinary (and extraordinarily incompetent) men and women, now mostly forgotten, who had a hand in the rise and fall of the British Empire. Along the way the book debunks a significant number of myths, exposes a major fraud perpetrated on a leading London museum, reveals previously unknown spoils of war and casts light on some very dark corners of Britain’s military history.

“Christopher Joll’s original and entertaining book focuses on some of the remarkable spoils of war seized during the age of empire by British soldiers, sailors and airmen. Each of these tangible trophies of victory, ranging from the priceless to the valueless, has a story which Joll recounts, and sometimes debunks, with style, humour and insight.” Michael Portillo (broadcaster and former Secretary of State for Defence)

ISBN: 9781910533468

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

304 pages