How did great academics come to love their subjects? How do they see their roles as educators? In this series of beautifully crafted autobiographies, "Burnt Orange Britannia" illuminates the forces that drive some of America's brightest minds. Through personal stories of remarkable ambition, resilience and achievement, top historians of the British experience at the University of Texas such as Elizabeth Fernea, former President of the Middle East Studies Association, and Toyin Falola a prolific author on Africa, reflect on their careers, students, and the sweeping changes in academic life that have changed the face of university education in the last 50 years. "Burnt Orange Britannia" is a candid and absorbing insight into life in the academic fast-stream, that will appeal to all those with an interest in history and the methods and philosophy of its teaching.