The Prince and the Plunder

How Britain took one small boy and hundreds of treasures from Ethiopia

The Prince and the Plunder
Andrew Heavens
RRP:
NZ$ 62.99
Our Price:
NZ$ 50.39
Hardback
h234 x 156mm - 272pg
2 Jun 2022 UK
International import eta 10-19 days
9780750997362
Out Of Stock
Currently no stock in-store, stock is sourced to your order
Part revisionist history, part treasure hunt, this is the forgotten story of a young prince taken out of Africa and abandoned in Victorian Britain. Drawing on primary sources and extensive original research, The Plundered Prince brings to light a dark chapter of Victorian imperialism. Andrew Heavens reveals the full story of Prince Alemayehu and tracks down the plunder Ethiopia' s ' Elgin Marbles' in bank vaults, storerooms and a hidden cavity in Westminster Abbey. At the dawn of 1868, Britain invaded Ethiopia with 13,000 soldiers and a crack unit of collectors, oddballs and boffins. As the troops advanced, the force' s zoologists shot and stuffed anything that moved, while its archaeologists carried out hitand- run digs along the way. The British Museum librarian who was hitching a ride on the raid loaded up with crosses and crowns plundered during the mission' s final battle. And a redheaded, 6ft-7in intelligence officer called Captain Speedy picked up a young prince called Alemayehu and took him back to England, where he was coddled by Queen Victoria, studied by Darwin and dragged through the public school system. AUTHOR: Andrew Heavens is a senior editor at Reuters. Before joining the news desk, he was the agency' s correspondent in Sudan and Ethiopia. He grew up in Nigeria, Kenya and Egypt, and lives in London. The Plundered Prince is his first book. 38 b/w illustrations
' The Prince and the Plunder unravels the mystery and disappearances at the Battle of Magdala and reveals the most comprehensive inventory of the loot to date. That alone makes it worth a read, but there is so much more. Andrew Heavens casts a critical eye over events, exploring the pretext for Britain' s ' punitive expedition' and how it culminated in an Ethiopian Emperor shooting himself with the gun which was a gift from Queen Victoria. Part adventure story, part tragedy and part love story, The Prince and the Plunder takes us from the mountaintops of Abyssinia to Malta, Penang, Scotland, the Isle of Wight, London and St Georges Chapel in Windsor Castle, where young Prince Alamayu remains today. I am very excited about this extraordinary and thrilling book and more importantly by the thought of everyone who will read it. The Battle of Maqdala and its fallout should be known to every man, woman and child. One day this story will be taught in all schools, colleges and universities throughout the world. And you, dear reader, are part of that process. ' -- Lemn Sissay
Andrew Heavens has worked for newspapers and press agencies for almost thirty years, including six years as a reporter and photographer in Ethiopia and Sudan. He grew up in Nigeria, Kenya and Egypt, and lives in London.
Status: No local stock, title imported to order
ISBN-13: 9780750997362
Published: 2 Jun 2022
Published In: United Kingdom
Imprint: The History Press
Publisher: The History Press
Format: Hardback
Height: 234mm
Width: 156mm
Pages: 272

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