British Colonies books

[Sandhu45]

Hi guys, I'm looking atm for books about social-economic development in British Colonies to read over the summer, in preparation for coursework I have to do next year.
Anything from 1800 to around 1950 would be great! Cheers in advance

 

[GreatUberGeek]

I don't know if this really socio-economic, but Piers Brendon, Decline and Fall of the British Empire 1781-1997 is good.

 

[Sandhu45]

I don't know if this really socio-economic, but Piers Brendon, Decline and Fall of the British Empire 1781-1997 is good.

I already own this book, but I will give it a re-read to find out some more. Thank you anyway for replying

 

[profxyz]

If you want books on Hong Kong, which to be fair is not exactly a typical British colony and mostly out of 1950s timeframe...

Governing Hong Kong, Steve Tsang
Uneasy Partners - the Conflict between Public Interest and Private Partners in Hong Kong, Leo Goodstadt
Land and the Ruling Class of Hong Kong, Alice Poon
The 1967 Riots - A Watershed in Hong Kong History, Gary Cheung

 

[Easy-Kill]

Lawrence James's 'The Rise and Fall of the British Empire' and 'Warrior Race' are very good. The second in particular examines the role of the 'officer/gentleman' in British/colonial culture.

However, they are more narrative books than reference books.

 

[Milites]

Raj by Lawrence James is a really great book on the history of British rule in India - including some very interesting chapters on namely the social-economic developments.

 

[Sandhu45]

Thanks guys, will give them all a look!