Author:Isabel Hilton,Isabel Hilton
1911 saw the fall of the Qing Dynasty and the abdication of the last Emperor in China. 100 years on, Isabel Hilton describes how China coped with the collapse and looks for any lingering legacy in this BBC Radio 3 report originally broadcast as the 'Sunday Feature' on 23 January 2011. After living under the comparative stability of an Imperial system for so long, Isabel explains what happened when the young Emperor, Puyi, was forced to stand down. She reports from the Chinese capital, Beijing, on how China set about finding a new system to govern. 100 years on, she asks whether the country has fully recovered from the trauma of this rupture from such an ancient past, and if it has finally settled on its replacement. Isabel goes in search of the shadow of the emperor, and describes China's current relationship with its Imperial past.
A fascinating, minutely researched and ground breaking new book ... which turns out to be a tale of adventure, honour and raw courage quite as exciting as anything found in fiction or on the silver screen
—— Andrew Roberts , Daily MailFerguson's account of both sets of operations is exciting and his enthusiasm is infectious
—— Alan Judd , Sunday TelegraphThis is an excellent book and thoroughly recommended
—— Journal of the Victoria Cross SocietyExcellent, entertaining and informative ... It is genuinely hard to put down
—— Navy NewsGood, pacy stuff and impressively researched
—— Professor Keith Jeffery, official historian of MI6An extradordinary story, told for the first time
—— Today, Radio 4Their gung-ho story is told with much buckle and swash
—— The TimesA barnstorming history
—— i IndependentThis true story has all the ingredients of a John Buchan 1920s thriller
—— Country LifeWhatever your views on Grant's own creative output which I find both dazzling and, on occasions, daunting, no one can deny the man's blistering intelligence and throughout his career he has never ceased from innovation. Each new project makes readers sit up and think and I imagine many of his peers have felt the same way. Similarly this 400-page history of and tribute to this medium's meta - humans will give you much to ponder, and I don't think any true fan of the genre, as I have been since five, can afford to be without its illuminating torch
—— Page 45If this were just Morrison's story, the reminiscences of an original Scots thinker who works in a medium that silly people scorn, it would be worth your time. The sections detailing the writer's relationship with his father are especially touching. What makes this book exceptional is the history of comics that comes with the history of Morrison... As a superhero fan, I found this a diverting read. As a people fan, I found it unputdownable
—— ScotsmanAuthoritative overview of the genre...detailed and thoughtful
—— SpectatorMorrison's analysis of how comic books have reflected and influenced mainstream culture is never less than intriguing, and his turn of phrase is often a joy
—— Robert Colville , Daily TelegraphThis is entertaining stuff
—— Sunday Times, Christmas Round UpButterworth's fascination with his subject drips from the page...this is entertaining stuff
—— Dominic Sandbrook , Sunday TimesAn astounding story of bitter civil warfare that raged across many countries for decades. Butterworth's passionate account of the anarchist movements born in the late 19th century describes a conflict that spawned its own "war on terror"
—— Steve Burniston , Guardian