Albion

Highly original and magnificent in scope, <i>Albion- The Origins of the English</i> Imagination discovers the roots of English cultural history in the Anglo-Saxon period, and traces it through the centuries.<br> <br> What does it mean to be English? This dazzling book demonstrates that a quintessentially English quality can be discovered in all forms of English culture, not only in literature but also in painting, music, architecture, philosophy and science.<br> <br> Just as <i>London- The Biography</i> guided the reader through the capital city with a mixture of narrative and theme, so Albion, employing the same techniques, engages the reader with stories and surprises - From Beowulf to King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, via Chaucer and Shakespeare, to the Bronte sisters, <i>Alice through the Looking Glass</i> and <i>Lord of the Rings</i><br> <br> Witty, provocative and anecdotal, this is Peter Ackroyd at his most brilliant and exuberant.