Alexander William Kinglake (1809-1891) was a travel writer and historian. He witnessed the battle of the Alma and the Charge of the Light Brigade, and became well acquainted with the British commander, Lord Raglan. This work was commissioned by Lady Raglan to repair her husband's reputation, and Kinglake was given access to Raglan's papers, and to private and confidential state records. The eight volumes were published between 1863 and 1887. They were extremely successful commercially, but received mixed critical reviews, owing to the bias and prejudice shown by the author, and serious questions were raised about his use of the sources to which he was given exclusive access. However, the breadth of his research, corresponding with or interviewing participants in the war, and use of French, Turkish and Russian sources as well as British, gives lasting value to the work. Volume 1 covers the background to the war.