Ben Tillet gives a compelling, brilliant portrait of an important man in an important position. This is a must-read for any history major anywhere.

Professor Schneer has done an outstanding job in emphasizing the dominance of Great Britain in the first year of the twentieth century. And he has been able to convey that dominance through a profile of significant events that occurred at the heart of the largest empire in history. "The Sun Never Sets on the British Empire," so goes the quote to phrase the period and one can see how expansive that empire is by studying this book. This is, however, a very scholarly book and may not be suitable to the "armchair anglophile" or beginning historian. It helps to have a basis of British history before reading this book.

Jonathan Schneer offers a vivid and unusual vision of Imperial Metropolis London. After a quick review of how the city looked like in 1900 he offers us a visit of the London docks, the nexus of Empire with products coming all over the globe, the contrast between earthly richness of the warehouses and the poor condition of the Dockers. We go through the City with brokers's daily live, main financial figures, companies and corporations, how the City is involved in World trade and its influence through global investments. And complete the London official tour with the culture of the metropolis, daily life affected by exotic animals, exotic exhibition and the imaginary visions of dark Africa and Asia.

Alternative London is a great surprise. First, the growing women's role in Imperial Britain through the life of several ladies: The life of a politician's wife, Lady Dorothy Nevill; the life of the most astonishing Marchioness of Londonderry, unofficial secretary of state of the British Empire through her many and influential connections; an activist woman, Flora Shaw; and an admirable protector of African society against Western prejudice and ignorance, Mary Kingsley. One also discovers London radical and Celtic fringe, oppositions to Imperial rule in the World or against Protestant power in Catholic Ireland. It describes the fight of non-Whites, in this case educated Indians, to obtain the same rights and recognition than the Whites. To complete Alternative London, the Pan-African Conference of 1900, the first global reaction of Africans against Caucasian prejudice.

As a conclusion, author describes the Khaki election of 1900, a way to show the various political trends in the Imperial City: Sir Alfred Newton, Lord Mayor and favourable for London to be an Imperial reservoir for soldiers, anti-Semitism of Major Evans-Gordon and its Anti-Alien League, Sir Mancherjee Merwanjee Bhownaggree, a fully integrated Indian adopting the Imperial cause, Burns, a real cockney fighting against Imperialism and advocating for workers right but anti-Semite himself because the fear of loss of London's identity.

A fascinating and unexpected voyage in the first truly global city of World's history whose destiny affected all of us.