Under Every Leaf

How Britain Played the Greater Game from Afghanistan to Africa

William Beaver

• Publisher: Biteback Publishing
• Year: 2012
• ISBN:
  9781849543491
• Topic: Histoire
• Subtopic: Histoire sociale

Delving into an encyclopaedic array of little-known primary sources, William Beaver uncovers a vigorous intelligence function at the heart of Victoria's Empire. A cadre of exceptionally able and dedicated officers, they formed the War Office Intelligence Division, which gave Britain's foreign policy its backbone in the heyday of imperial acquisition.Under Every Leaf is the first major study to examine the seminal role of intelligence gathering and analysis in 'England's era'. So well did Great Britain play her hand, it seemed to all the world that, as the Farsi expression goes, 'Anywhere a leaf moves, underneath you will find an Englishman.'The historian William Beaver is also a soldier, corporate communicator, arts editor and Anglican priest.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Maps
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Chapter One: My duty must in conscience be performed
• Chapter Two: Something more is necessary
• Chapter Three: We must see these islands
• Chapter Four: Held up the Khedive? You have picked him up
• Chapter Five: A most valuable department of state
• Chapter Six: The Mutual Laudation Society
• Chapter Seven: We had the French ‘on toast’
• Chapter Eight: Please lay in some champagne
• Chapter Nine: A vox clamantis in deserto
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index
• Plates
• Copyright
• Advertisement