Richard Bosworth's overview of Italy's role in European and world politics from 1860 to 1960 is lively and iconclastic. Based on a combination of primary research and secondary material he examines Italian diplomacy, military power, commerce, culture, tourism and ideology. His account challenges many aspects of current Italian historiography and offers an original vision of the place of Italy in modern history.

R.J.B. Bosworth is Professor of History at the University of Western Australia. He has published widely on modern Italian political and social history, including emigration history, and on historiography.