A. Egmont Hake

This hagiography serves two purposes for the contemporary reader. First, it supplies us with an account of Charles "Chinese" Gordon's life while he was still living; Gordon had less than a year to live when the book was published (he would die at the siege of Khartoum). Second, it gives us direct insight into the Victorian mindset of empire and the role of heroes in the empire. It's a fascinating volume, as much a document of its time as a serviceable biography. My copy has the original purchaser's name on the flyleaf along with the date of purchase, March 3, 1884. Better, the original owner took the time to make notes on separate pieces of paper and insert them among the pages. A true look at the world of the late nineteenth century.… (mer)