&gt; And since when is that a credible work of historical scholarship, rather than a (not very subtle) apology of British imperialism (England the new Rome)?<p>Since always. I&#x27;m not sure where you&#x27;re going with this since it&#x27;s received innumerable accolades and been considered an exemplary classic for hundreds of years. You must be aware that criticism such as you just gave is a minority view, but you didn&#x27;t present it as such.<p>D&amp;F is very well sourced, cited, and footnoted from primary and secondary Roman sources. There are criticisms to be made of it, and there are a few things that modern discoveries have shed more light on, but by-and-large reading Decline and Fall gets you a decent grounding.<p>I&#x27;m afraid I did not read at all an apology of British imperialism; if anything, a criticism of it, but I wouldn&#x27;t go so far as to say that either. Historians still recommend reading Decline and Fall.