Anglia

In Anglia, Simon Winder, the bestselling author of Germania and Lotharingia turns his attention toward home, untangling the strange and complicated history of a country defined by its traditions, obsessions, and contradictions.

Traversing England from the industrial shipyards of Barrow-in-Furness, to the wind-whipped shores of Great Yarmouth, and the smoky jazz clubs of 1940s Soho, he reveals a place irrevocably shaped by its imperial past, and by all of those who, for better or worse, have called it home.

Winder leads us expertly through the country's modern history, beginning with the bizarre quirks of the Victorian era (warning: rats), through the crucible of two world wars, to the bright lights and mammoth change of the 1980s. This is no dry history of monarchs, governments or battles, but a hugely entertaining, personal romp through the nation's lesser-known back catalogue - and a testament to the fact that any place can be interesting if you are willing to take a closer look.