Tim Butcher is a best-selling author who blends travel with history. His first book, Blood River, was a number one bestseller, a Richard & Judy Book Club selection and was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize, while his next, Chasing the Devil, was longlisted for the George Orwell Prize. A journalist with the Daily Telegraph from 1990 to 2009, in 2010 he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Northampton for services to writing. Born in Great Britain, he is based in Cape Town with his family.
The most original of First World War centenary books; it is a travel narrative of rare resonance and insight * Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times * Superb... Highly readable but profoundly researched -- Ben Macintyre * The Times, Books of the Year * A triumph... A marvellously absorbing book on the nature of one man's political grievance and its terrible aftermath -- Ian Thomson * Observer Books of the Year * The most imaginative and singular book on the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War to date... This is expeditionary journalism at its best - a historical inquest radiated through the mind and experience of an outstanding reporter -- Robert Fox * Evening Standard * A masterpiece of historical empathy and evocation... This book is a tour de force -- Christopher Clark * Guardian *