I should not have judged the book by its title.

I assumed that Heroes & Villains of the British Empire: Their Lives & Legends would be a collection of biographies detailing the lives of Nelson and Wellesley, Pitt and Cornwallis, Wolfe and Raffles, Stanley and Livingstone ... perhaps even Gandhi. But no, author Stephen Basdeo had another topic in mind.

Heroes & Villains of the British Empire delves more into the common attitudes of the British people during the height of its empire, stretching from the 16th to the early 20th century. The book explores the ways -- from popular fiction to school athletics -- that British imperialism was encouraged, even celebrated ... and then, as attitudes changed, mocked and criticized.

The author, who himself was a product of British imperialism (he explains the details of his heritage in the preface), isn't shy about showing his own biases at times, referencing, for example, "journalists of the liberal media" and claiming that, "then, as now, journalists were prone to exaggerating...."

It wasn't what I was looking for, but I found Heroes & Villains to be a quick and engaging read about a pivotal period in British history. It's interesting to learn how the population viewed the empire from within, as it grew, thrived and eventually collapsed.