Sir Samuel White Baker is one of those larger-than-life heroes only the Victorians could invent. For too long, the British Empire has been denigrated and equated with arrogance at best and racial bigotry at worst. Samuel Baker transcends that. He was an explorer and naturalist, recording new species on his many travels; a big game hunter with huge expertise across continents; an engineer of skill and ingenuity; a general of ability; an administrator second to none; and an ardent opponent of African slavery. M. J. Trow, in this the first biography of Baker for twenty years, draws heavily on Baker s prolific writings to bring the extraordinary character of this Victorian adventurer and his achievements to life. AUTHOR: M.J. Trow has written highly praised historical biographies as well as studies of true crime. He is also a very successful novelist. Among his recent publications are lives of Boudicca, Vlad the Impaler, Kit Marlowe, the hero of the Charge of the Light Brigade, Captain William Morris, War Crimes: Underworld Britain in the Second World War and The Cato Street Conspiracy. He has produced several best-selling accounts of criminal cases, in particular volumes on Derek Bentley, the Wigwam Murder and Jack the Ripper, but he is perhaps best known for his many novels which include the Lestrade and Maxwell series. SELLING POINTS: Full biography of one of the most remarkable and versatile heroes of Victorian England Vivid account of Baker as explorer, hunter, soldier, engineer, administrator and writer 20 illustrations
