British Greats: The Triumphs and Treasures of a Nation

'British Greats' is a roll-call of some of the things that make up our image of Britain. In eighty beautifully illustrated essays, some of the leading figures in our national life take a lively, personal and often provocative look at events, achievements and ideas which have helped to shape our sense of what it means to be British.

The book includes inventions such as the longbows of Agincourt, trial by jury, and the London cab; cultural artefacts such as the 'Canterbury Tales', the letters page of 'The Times', and the Ealing comedies; key events - the defeat of the Spanish Armada, the abolition of slavery, the voyage of the "Endurance"; essays on such quintessentially British pastimes as queuing, teatime and our obsession with pets; and much more.

From the Mini Minor to the miniskirt, from Robin Hood to the British bobby, from the plays of Shakespeare to the music of the Beatles, this fascinating book celebrates, through the words of some of our best-known writers and commentators, the eclectic, quirky, inimitable cocktail that is Britishness at the start of the third millennium.