Last Khedive of Egypt Memoirs of Abbas Halmi II

These memoirs -- dictated by Abbas II to his secretary several decades after he had been exiled from Egypt in 1914 -- provide a fascinating window on the mechanics of the strained relations between a sovereign and the power occupying his country. They reveal a caring man, desirous of reform, with definite progressive ideas. He was disillusioned by sycophantic Egyptian politicians who, fearing British wrath, rarely supported their monarch. Abbas's belief that he owed it to his country to rule to the best of his ability brought him under constant threat of deposition from the British authorities. Rich in personal accounts, this book provides a unique piece of history, and is a valuable primary source both for historians of Egypt and those of colonialism.