BIBLIO is the largest independent book marketplace in the world, with over 100 million books.

Skip to content

Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya
Stock photo: cover may vary

Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya Paperback - 2005

by Caroline Elkins

Add to wish list

This unforgettable account of the unraveling of the British colonial empire in Kenya is a major work of history detailing the prisons, work camps, and terror that the British imposed on millions just after World War II. It has chilling parallels to America's own imperial project.

Reader reviews for Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya

Write a review for this book

There are no reviews for this book yet. Be the first to write a review!

Your review will be anonymous unless you login or create an account first.

Overall rating
Remember: You’re rating the book as a work, not the seller or the condition of the specific copy you purchased!

Important Terms and Guidelines

  • Please focus on the book’s content and context. Also, add any personal comments as to how you enjoyed the book. Substantiate your likes and dislikes. You may make comparisons to other books.
  • Reviews must be at least 140 characters in length.
  • Please do not reveal critical plot elements.
  • This is not a help line. Contact customer support if you need help.
Your review must not include:
  • Obscenities, discriminatory language, or other insulting language not suitable for public domain
  • Advertisements, “spam” content, or references to other products, offers or websites.
  • Email addresses, URLs, phone numbers, physical addresses or other contact information.
  • Overly critical comments about other reviews or reviewers
  • Time-sensitive material (i.e. promotional tours, seminars, lectures, etc.)
  • Availability, price, or alternative ordering/shipping information

From the publisher

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction

"Caroline Elkins has written an important book that can change our understanding not just of Africa but of ourselves. --Bill Berkeley, author of The Graves Are Not Yet Full: Race, Tribe and Power in the Heart of Africa

A major work of history that for the first time reveals the violence and terror at the heart of Britain's civilizing mission in Kenya.

As part of the Allied forces, thousands of Kenyans fought alongside the British in World War II. But just a few years after the defeat of Hitler, the British colonial government detained nearly the entire population of Kenya's largest ethnic minority, the Kikuyu--some one and a half million people.

The compelling story of the system of prisons and work camps where thousands met their deaths has remained largely untold--the victim of a determined effort by the British to destroy all official records of their attempts to stop the Mau Mau uprising, the Kikuyu people's ultimately successful bid for Kenyan independence.

Caroline Elkins, an assistant professor of history at Harvard University, spent a decade in London, Nairobi, and the Kenyan countryside interviewing hundreds of Kikuyu men and women who survived the British camps, as well as the British and African loyalists who detained them.

The result is an unforgettable account of the unraveling of the British colonial empire in Kenya--a pivotal moment in twentieth-century history with chilling parallels to America's own imperial project.

Details

  • Title Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya
  • Author Caroline Elkins
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Reprint
  • Pages 496
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Holt Paperbacks, New York, New York, U.S.A.
  • Publication date 2005-12-27
  • Illustrated Yes
  • Features Bibliography, Illustrated, Index, Maps, Table of Contents
  • ISBN 9780805080018 / 0805080015
  • Weight 1.5 lbs (0.68 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.9 x 5.9 x 1.3 in (22.61 x 14.99 x 3.30 cm)
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: 20th Century
    • Cultural Region: African
    • Cultural Region: British
    • Cultural Region: East Africa
    • Cultural Region: Western Europe
  • Category History - General History
  • Library of Congress subjects Kenya - History - Mau Mau Emergency,, Nationalism - Kenya - History - 20th century
  • Library of Congress Catalogue Number 2004053961
  • Dewey Decimal Code 967.620

Media reviews

Citations

  • New York Times, 06/11/2006, Page 32

About the author

Caroline Elkins is an assistant professor of history at Harvard University. Conversant in Swahili and some Kikuyu, she has spent nearly a decade traveling and working in rural Africa. She and her research were the subjects of a 2002 BBC documentary entitled Kenya: White Terror. Imperial Reckoning is her first book. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Back to top↑

More Copies for Sale

Show all copies
Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya

Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya

by Elkins, Caroline

  • Used
  • Very good
  • Paperback
Condition
Very good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780805080018 / 0805080015
Quantity available
2
Seller
World of Books Ltd
Item price
A$9.11
A$16.76 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Paperback. Very Good.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$9.11
A$16.76 Delivery to USA
Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya
Stock photo: cover may vary

Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya

by Elkins, Caroline

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Used
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780805080018 / 0805080015
Quantity available
1
Seller
St. Vinnie's Charitable Books
Biblio Top Seller
Item price
A$8.00
A$5.81 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Holt Paperbacks. Used - Acceptable. COVER SHOWS SOME GENERAL WEAR, SUCH AS SCRATCHES, RUBBING AND CREASES. EXTERIOR PAGE EDGES HAVE SOME STAINING/SMUDGING. Paperback 100% of proceeds go to charity! Acceptable reading copy with obvious signs of use, wear, and/or cosmetic issues. Item is complete and remains readable despite notable condition issues.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$8.00
A$5.81 Delivery to USA
Imperial Reckoning : The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya

Imperial Reckoning : The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya

by Caroline Elkins

  • Used
  • Good
  • Paperback
Condition
Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780805080018 / 0805080015
Quantity available
1
Seller
ThriftBooks
Biblio Top Seller
Item price
A$12.09
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Holt & Company, Henry, 2005. Paperback. Good. Disclaimer:A copy that has been read, but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact. The spine may show signs of wear. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include previous owner inscriptions. An ex-library book and may have standard library stamps and/or stickers. At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$12.09
Free Delivery to USA
Imperial Reckoning

Imperial Reckoning

by Caroline Elkins

  • Used
  • Good
  • Paperback
Condition
Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780805080018 / 0805080015
Quantity available
2
Seller
ThriftBooks
Biblio Top Seller
Item price
A$12.09
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Holt & Company, Henry, 2005. Paperback. Good. Disclaimer:A copy that has been read, but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact. The spine may show signs of wear. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include previous owner inscriptions. At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$12.09
Free Delivery to USA
Imperial Reckoning

Imperial Reckoning

by Caroline Elkins

  • Used
  • Very good
  • Paperback
Condition
Very good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780805080018 / 0805080015
Quantity available
1
Seller
ThriftBooks
Biblio Top Seller
Item price
A$12.09
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Holt & Company, Henry, 2005. Paperback. Very Good. Disclaimer:A copy that has been read, but remains in excellent condition. Pages are intact and are not marred by notes or highlighting, but may contain a neat previous owner name. The spine remains undamaged. At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$12.09
Free Delivery to USA
IMPERIAL RECKONING : THE UNTOLD STORY OF BRITAIN'S GULAG IN KENYA
Stock photo: cover may vary

IMPERIAL RECKONING : THE UNTOLD STORY OF BRITAIN'S GULAG IN KENYA

by ELKINS, CAROLINE

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Used
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780805080018 / 0805080015
Quantity available
1
Seller
Magers and Quinn Booksellers
Biblio Top Seller
Item price
A$16.38
A$5.81 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Henry Holt & Co. Used - Very Good. May have light to moderate shelf wear and/or a remainder mark. Complete. Clean pages. paperback
Add to wish list
Item price
A$16.38
A$5.81 Delivery to USA
Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story Of Britain's Gulag in Kenya
Stock photo: cover may vary

Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story Of Britain's Gulag in Kenya

by Elkins, Caroline

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Used
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780805080018 / 0805080015
Quantity available
1
Seller
Bookman
Item price
A$17.49
A$7.27 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
2005. paperback. Used-Very Good/n/a.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$17.49
A$7.27 Delivery to USA
Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya
Stock photo: cover may vary

Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya

by Elkins, Caroline

  • Used
  • Good
  • Paperback
  • first
Condition
Good
Edition
First Edition
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780805080018 / 0805080015
Quantity available
1
Seller
Ausvora INC
Item price
A$18.52
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Holt Paperbacks, 2005-12-27. First Edition. paperback. Good. 23.3x15.5x2.5. Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$18.52
Free Delivery to USA
Imperial Reckoning : The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya
Stock photo: cover may vary

Imperial Reckoning : The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya

by Elkins, Caroline

  • Used
Condition
Used
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780805080018 / 0805080015
Quantity available
1
Seller
Better World Books
Biblio Top Seller
Item price
A$18.85
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Holt & Company, Henry. Used - Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$18.85
Free Delivery to USA
Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya
Stock photo: cover may vary

Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya

by Elkins, Caroline

  • Used
  • Paperback
  • first
Condition
Used
Edition
First Edition
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780805080018 / 0805080015
Quantity available
1
Seller
Ergodebooks
Item price
A$19.29
A$21.86 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Henry Holt, 2005-12-27. First Edition. paperback. Used: Good. 6.00x1.10x9.00. Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$19.29
A$21.86 Delivery to USA
Show all copies
Back to top↑

Please wait a moment while we load the requested page.