These Isles: A People’s History...
Brian Groom
An inventive new look at the entwined histories of Britain and Ireland’s nations – and the people who have called them home.
Acclaimed author and journalist Brian Groom reveals the colourful and often-contested history of the Celts, Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, Normans and others who have occupied these islands, along with their culture, languages and passions.
Packed with surprise and insight, These Isles explores the role of religion, the British Empire, international diasporas and internal migration, gender relations and war in a nuanced and entertaining narrative.
With forays into popular culture, sport, music, language, literature and art, These Isles stretches from 800,000-year-old footprints on a Norfolk beach to the changing fortunes of the early twenty-first century. It offers a uniquely rich and kaleidoscopic vision of the shared stories of people across Britain and Ireland – past and present.
As historical, political non-fiction, These Isles follows the shifting geography of power across Britain and Ireland and their place in Europe, illuminating the roots of nationalism, patriotism and rival ideologies. It moves with a travel narrative’s range and pace, delivering a top, latest synthesis of what has made these islands—and keeps remaking them.
For fans of Emma Bennett (The Bristol and Bath Art Book), Rick Broadbent (Jessica Ennis), Robin Ince (Normally Weird and Weirdly Normal), Jonn Elledge (A History of the World in 47 Borders), and Michael Palin (Travelling to Work).
HarperCollins 2026
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