Outposts: Journeys to the Surviving Relics of the British Empire – The Last Account of the Vanishing Empire

This is a terrifically entertaining book. I recently went to hear Simon Winchester speak about his latest book "The Men Who United the States" and was so captivated by his personality and the glimpses of his own life that he offered during the talk that I began searching through his other titles and decided that this one would be a book that I'd enjoy because it would take me to exotic locations, provide me with a history lesson at each location, and entertain me at the same time. I was not disappointed. Mr. Winchester has a keen eye for the small telling detail as well as for the larger picture. Having visited some of the locations in the book, it was very apparent that the things he observed in 1984 when he wrote this book, in many instances, are still true today. Many times the statement is made that on any journey -- many times it's the "getting there" that is half the fun and that's true in this book also because Mr. Winchester certainly had to expend a lot of effort and endured some very interesting circumstances while attempting to get where he was going. Mr. Winchester isn't the first writer to try to determine why the British Empire melted away until now there are only remnants of it scattered around the world but I believe that he is the first writer to visit those distant and scattered and in some instances almost forgotten shores and to report back on what remains at the end of the day.

I love Simon Winchester's writing and his topics. He is simply fantastic. This was not one of my favourites but still well worth reading. I highly recommend it and all his other books.

Love this book. You are always going to get great quality writing from Simon Winchester. The question with Winchester is whether or not the story he is telling is of interest to you specifically. This one shifts gears so many times that there is no question but that there will be something of great interest to you. Also, the story of the journey itself is inherently interesting. One thing that I would love to have from Winchester, that he hints at toward the beginning, is a full blown book on Northern Ireland.

Outposts is perhaps the oddest of Winchester's many books; surely it is the most melancholy. The three years of journeys that were required to complete the book--which took Winchester to dozens of far-flung destinations spattered across the globe--was apparently both exhausting and disheartening. Or, perhaps we should dispense with the word "apparently": Winchester makes his exhaustion (with the travel, with the topic) and his disappointment more than clear. His typical humor is largely absent and, when it is not, it is decidedly brittle. Indeed, in the end Winchester finds himself in a territory that is truly unfamiliar to him: that of acting as a political and cultural critic of his own country and his own times. The reader, meanwhile, realizing that Winchester completed the manuscript some 24 years ago and that the dire situations he described can only have gotten worse, feels Winchester's melancholy all the more. (In 2004, Harper brought out a new edition of the book with an updated introduction; I have not read it.) This is perhaps among the more obscure of Winchester's books; it is, in any case, one of the few whose destination is not the past. I have always had the sense that Winchester was more in his element when he was delving into history, but the present in Outposts seems a particularly unhappy destination.

I picked this book for adventure, perhaps travel, a bit of learning. I am so glad that my small wishes were so exceeded by the great and great many stories. There is too little space here to wax on,, so I must say that here is a book that should be required reading for most all of us out here, especially politicians, travelers, Naval persons, and all who might be, or are not. It is a warm book you need for a long winter's night. And if you have lived in the West of the USA outside of all the cities, maybe on a ranch or farm or small struggling town of 287 souls, it is perfect, for the vast plains and desert are much like the great oceans. A place for the mind, home for the soul and a purpose for the life too many others see as small. Wade Rumney Camano Island

Much as I love Simon Winchester he is a bit of a bleeding heart. Did the British Empire do more harm than good? Simon says yes!

I was surprised and pleased to read this collection of journeys to out of the way outposts of the British Empire. Winchester personally visited each place and wrote an interesting and entertaining recount of his visit to each one. In the audio version, he reads his stories, making them particularly enjoyable. This book is one of my favorites! Don't miss it!

Excellent overview , bearing in mind things get a bit dated.

There was a time when the sun didn't set on the British Empire. It controlled twenty five percent of the world`s land mass and twenty five percent of it`s population. By 1983 this had been reduced to a number of scattered islands with a population of less than two hundred thousand. So in that year, Winchester set out to visit a number of these locations including the Indian Ocean Territory, Gibraltar, St. Helena, Hong Kong, Bermuda, the Falklands and British West Indies. It makes for a fascinating travelogue. Although somewhat outdated, the author revised it in 2003, the book records the colorful pasts of these islands, making it both informative and entertaining.

A really good read. Highly recommended. 5 stars all the way.

Well written like all of Winchester’s books with good stories of the little visited outposts of empire. A sensitive and balanced treatment, good to read.

Very interesting book. Not the first by Simon Winchester that I've read, and he does choose intriguing subjects. He is also an amazing traveller so you know you're getting a first hand account. Don't always agree with his leftish views but they haven't spoilt this book for me.

perhaps my rating is a kit severe,as SW is such a fine author. Interesting, rather less than his other works. Some excellent observations