Barefoot Emperor

A fascinating narrative excursion into a bizarre episode in 19th century Ethiopian and British imperial history featuring a remote African despot and his monstrous European-built gun.

Reviews

‘A masterly account…Marsden's compelling narrative is full of gems… “The Barefoot Emperor” 'warms the insides' in specifically Ethiopian ways. It's a triumph; a work of entirely unpredicted necessity.’ Independent
‘Compelling…a balanced, full-bodied account…of these extraordinary events…Marsden, an expert on Ethiopia, is also a gifted storyteller and his narrative has pace and, above all, suspense.’ Sunday Times
‘Marsden has done an amazing job of reconstruction… wonderfully strange.’ Daily Express
‘An amazing story…a page-turning narrative of a sort I haven't read in years.’ Spectator
‘Marsden has combined his outstanding skills as a travel writer – his intimate knowledge of a foreign clime, his instinctive sympathy for a lost culture, his wonderfully evocative, almost poetic prose style – with the research talents of a first-rate sleuth to produce a quite spellbinding work of historical biography ’ Sunday Telegraph
‘Marsden first visited Ethiopia in the 1980s; his understanding of the country is manifest on every page. His narrative … is beautifully paced, and his story is incredible.’ Daily Telegraph
‘It is Philip Marsden's achievement that he has made Theodore central to his theme…as always, Marsden manages to handle his research material with a light touch and lets the story develop its own momentum. This is imperial history told without an imperial perspective.’ TLS
‘There are few, if any, historians who can match the wit, pace and flair of Philip Marsden. It reads less like history than a rip-roaring novel with a cast of chatracters as extraordinary as any fiction-writer could devise.’ Mail on Sunday
‘Philip Marsden is a wonderful writer who tells the tragic story of Tewodros with sympathy, elegance and a knowledge of Ethiopia that few Western writers can match. His book makes a fine present for Christmas.’ Literary Review