This is a small book on a very large subject. It is written for the general reader and for students who want an overview of modern European imperialism and an indication of some of the major issues with which historians of imperialism are currently concerned. Obviously, such a book cannot go into detail on any aspect of the subject. I have attempted wherever possible to use particular cases of imperialism to represent larger phenomena that occurred in many different places and at different times. I have also included references to important works on the subjects discussed in each section of the book; preference has been given to recently published studies and to those in English which are most likely to be available to the reader. Although the book is not purely a narrative and is organized around a number of theses, the presentation of the theses is necessarily abbreviated and the support for them incomplete. They should be considered as means of structuring the material; fuller exposition must awaith future publications. - Preface.