Buy new:
-21% $19.62
FREE delivery Wednesday, May 15 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
$19.62 with 21 percent savings
List Price: $24.95

The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price.
Learn more
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Wednesday, May 15 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery Friday, May 10. Order within 14 hrs 2 mins
Only 4 left in stock - order soon.
$$19.62 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$19.62
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$17.35
Unread copy in mint condition Unread copy in mint condition See less
$3.99 delivery May 20 - 28. Details
In stock
$$19.62 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$19.62
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Ships from and sold by indoobestsellers.
Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Jonathan Dimbleby
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Last Governor: Chris Patten and the Handover of Hong Kong Paperback – November 16, 2018

by Jonathan Dimbleby (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 43 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$19.62","priceAmount":19.62,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"19","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"62","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"JGm9MDueSxRQhPdzsWctWXjsy77iYaJvfj%2FbDqfFUjomQKjV2exWmWkUdFQRQFHyNrkRQ4pRvAdGqXvelMwtc%2FiXtbJHfemfJVfS4B8kqfFK6Dq9woz6eLIPVHdHe5XSJyX5jZGAngtnlii%2BCYWT1A%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$17.35","priceAmount":17.35,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"17","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"35","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"JGm9MDueSxRQhPdzsWctWXjsy77iYaJvYq65HzkuSUsN51rIcLV48AW4kFdLnfwRivrYhifkv%2B6H%2FqRTXeb%2BmG5NEjqxnvFlR21EtNnWhQQLN7sraJBVo%2BjPn5p7XTD%2B0cYU1ebUyRXthXTi4YdUY%2FtNXtiU%2Bzf6jaS%2BKlVM6jWyK4NfWieCpg%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

1 July 1997 marked the end of British rule of Hong Kong, whereby this territory was passed into the hands of the People’s Republic of China.

In 1992, Chris Patten, former chairman of the Conservative Party, was appointed Hong Kong's last governor, and was the man to oversee the handover ceremony of this former British colony.

Within the last five years of British rule, acclaimed journalist Jonathan Dimbleby was given unique access to the governor which enabled him to document the twists and turns of such an extraordinary diplomatic, political and personal drama.

As Governor, Patten encouraged the necessary expansion of Hong Kong's social welfare system, striving to reconcile the basic rights and freedom of over 6 million people with the unpredictable imperatives of Beijing.

Drawing on the insights of a host of senior figures, the author places the crisis in both its human and historical contexts, and presents some startling arguments about the conduct of British foreign policy on Hong Kong before and during Patten's tenure.
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    576 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Pen and Sword History
  4. Publication date
    November 16, 2018
  5. Dimensions
    6.1 x 1.7 x 9.2 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1526701839
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1526701831
  8. See all details
Next page
The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Frequently bought together

The Last Governor: Chris Patten and the Handover of Hong Kong
$19.62
Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 15
Only 4 left in stock - order soon.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
The Hong Kong Diaries
$36.66
Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 15
Only 5 left in stock - order soon.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
First Confession: A Sort of Memoir
$14.97
Get it May 17 - 23
In stock
Usually ships within 2 to 3 days.
Ships from and sold by SuperBookDeals-.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Some of these items ship sooner than the others.
Show details Hide details
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jonathan Dimbleby is an historian and broadcaster, a political commentator and a writer. He also acts as president of Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO), Vice-President and past President of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), president of the South Hams Society and is a trustee of Dimbleby Cancer Care.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pen and Sword History (November 16, 2018)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 576 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1526701839
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1526701831
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.1 x 1.7 x 9.2 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 43 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Jonathan Dimbleby

Jonathan Dimbleby

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
43 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Prodrummer
5.0 out of 5 stars Some Hong Kong History
Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2017
Verified Purchase
Great insight into what Chris Zpatton was going through at the time of the final handover of Hong Kong to the Chinese government.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Koala
5.0 out of 5 stars Great political history of Hong Kong
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2009
The Last Governor is an encyclopedic account of Chris Patten's governorship in Hong Kong (1992-1997). Dimbleby was given unprecedented access to the inner working of HK Government House, as well as back-stage passes to some of its top bureaucrats. The author's view was very clear and he made no apology for it. Patten's adversaries were often dismissed as "apologists" or "self-proclaimed experts". Despite the author's obvious bias, the book was meticulously researched, engaging and a worthy collection for anyone interested in the history of this part of the world. Dimbleby has donated all the research material, including notes, interviews, tape recordings, to the University of Hong Kong for future researchers. A BBC documentary was made based on the same material.

Chris Patten was a very popular governor. Hong Kong people loved him. His affection for Hong Kong was also obvious, I remembered watching the live coverage of the hand-over on Australian TV. I didn't realise it until quite recently - how often does Australian TV cover an overseas "political" event LIVE ? The 2008 Obama's election was a rarity. Patten was a down-to-earth and personable governor. There were numerous stories of him having "egg tart" for lunch at a local bakery, or chatting to shop keepers while casually strolling down the street. I am a little disappointed that Dimbleby didn't say much about the rest of the family though. What was it like for Patten's wife and daughters ? What was on their mind when they boarded the royal yacht after the ceremony ? They were leaving their friends behind, the daughters were leaving part of their childhood in HK. They couldn't have known if anyone of them would ever be welcome back to the Island again. It must have been such raw emotion. One can sense some of this emotion in the writing, the author wrote in his very last paragraph,

"Chris Patten had fought a sustained public and private battle.......It had been a gruelling and often lonely five years. The scale of his purpose and the character of his responsibility had required rare qualities of leadership: a clear vision, an abnormal resolve and a profound sense of public duty. The last governor of Hong Kong had arrived in the colony as a politician, hopeful of success. He would depart as a statesman, knowing failure as well as victory, but in dignity and with honour."
4 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Brandon Meyer
4.0 out of 5 stars Patten struggles for Hong Kong
Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2000
Jonathan Dimbleby's The Last Governor is a tour de force that gives the reader an insider's perspective into the tenure of Hong Kong's last colonial leader, Chris Patten. Dimbleby treats the reader to a narrative account of the trials and tribulations that Patten faced as he attempted to enact democratic reforms in Great Britain's last colonial jewel. Although one would undoubtedly expect the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) to be vociferously opposed to any belated attempt by the British colonial authorities to bequeath a semblance of democracy on Hong Kong, Dimbleby makes the case that Patten's biggest enemies often came from within his own government. Dimbleby's revelations that selected British cabinet and Foreign Office officials shamelessly sought to downgrade the importance of Hong Kong and sacrifice Patten's proposed reforms on the alter of commercial relations with the PRC, resulted in Dimbleby being investigated by the Foreign Office for possible receipt of secret intelligence materials. Dimbleby was cleared of these allegations, but the vast array of insider information that Dimbleby amassed for this book strengthens the strident arguments that Dimbleby advances. Only a handful of participants in The Last Governor emerge with their reputations unscathed. Hong Kong's local and international business elite is portrayed as willing supplicants in the PRC's efforts to scale back personal and political liberties after Hong Kong's reversion to PRC sovereignty, a position easily enforced by PRC threats to their commercial interests. Martin Lee and Emily Lau, two of Hong Kong's leading democracy advocates, are portrayed as actually weakening Patten's push for democratic reforms through their uncompromising approach. The various representatives of the PRC are painted as unbending ideologues with little appreciation of Hong Kong's way of life. Dimbleby is most critical of the British officials, past and present, who acted to either inadvertently or deliberately sabotage Patten's governorship. Most prominent on this list is Sir Percy Cradock, Great Britain's lead negotiator in the 1984 Joint Declaration and former Ambassador to the PRC. Cradock comes off as a modern-day Neville Chamberlain, willing to cut a bad deal with an unsavory power for the sake of diplomatic expediency. Cradock compounded this error by working both privately and publically to weaken Patten's political position and policies. Dimbleby also argues that the Cradock mentality had infected the entire Foreign Office and selected members of John Major's cabinet, who worked to undercut Patten and sell-out Hong Kong in favor of better commercial relations with the PRC. The greatest strength of The Last Governor is also its greatest weakness. While such open access to Patten gives this book the necessary dramatic propulsion, it also strikes the reader as serving as Patten's mouthpiece. While Dimbleby does downgrade Patten for underestimating the challenges he was to face as Governor, Dimbleby's portrayal of Patten as the lonely David fighting against the multi-headed Goliath seems to diminish the numerous allies Patten needed to help him accomplish the limited reforms he was able to enact. Dimbleby could have also delved deeper into the political rationale behind the PRC's bargaining position and policies regarding Hong Kong. The Last Governor is highly recommended reading for anyone interested in Hong Kong, Chinese, or British affairs and to readers interested in how bureaucratic politics affects international diplomacy. Dimbleby's prose is brisk and should easily captivate and entrance the reader. Keep in mind that this is not an academic tome, so Dimbleby's point of view is repeatedly expressed without reservation or apology.
12 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Cho Lam (cholam@earthlink.net)
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!
Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 1998
After reading the online review of Theroux's Kowloon Tong (a fictional account of the 1997 Handover of Hong Kong), I am surprised to find that only one customer have contributed a review to Dimbleby's marvelous work on the historical events. Dimbleby provided an excellent and comprehensive account of the political events that led to the signing of the 1984 Sino-British agreement, the arrival of Chris Patten, the introduction of legislative reform, and the eventual derailment of the democratic movement by the Communist Chinese Government. Dimbleby also tell the stories of several Hong Kong citizens and their views of the Handover. Being a native of Hong Kong who have spent my last 12 years in the States, Dimbleby's book brought me up-to-date on the big political stride taken by and the obstacles awaiting the people of Hong Kong.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Zero
5.0 out of 5 stars Fast delivery, but not happy the way it was delivered.
Reviewed in Canada on October 6, 2022
Verified Purchase
Like the fast delivery. Don't like the way it was delivered. This is just a book, can perfectly put inside my mail box. Instead, it was lying on the front porch. It can easily be stolen.
Report
Alex Cheng
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in Canada on December 28, 2014
Verified Purchase
good
Report