This is a refreshingly original collection shedding new light on how western colonialism powerfully shaped the modern world. Both students and seasoned specialists will find it an excellent inroad into what is now one of the most innovative areas of historical scholarship. Themes are illustrated in both pithy overviews and new case studies ranging from the Arctic to Australia and Istanbul to India. Scholarly arguments abound but are always underpinned with experiences from the lives of often forgotten men and women, making this both a guidebook of Baedeker quality and a cracking good read.Nigel Worden, University of Cape Town, South AfricaThe Routledge History of Western Empires makes a valuable and effective contribution to our understanding of colonial and imperial history.Robert Fulton, Northern Illinois University, USA