G. R. Berridge is professor emeritus of international politics at the University of Leicester and a senior fellow of the Geneva-based DiploFoundation. He was associate editor of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, to which he still contributes, and his most recent book is the sixth edition of Diplomacy: Theory and Practice.

"Outposts of diplomacy traces the evolution of the embassy from its ancient origins to its enduring presence in the modern world. Beginning with the embassy's precursors in antiquity, this book explores its emergence on the cusp of the Italian Renaissance, its pinnacle during the nineteenth century and its navigation through the challenges of twentieth-century conference diplomacy"--Front jacket flap.