Join us on a literary world trip!
Add this book to bookshelf
Grey
Write a new comment Default profile 50px
Grey
Subscribe to read the full book or read the first pages for free!
All characters reduced
Everything You Know About England is Wrong - cover

Everything You Know About England is Wrong

Matt Brown

Publisher: Batsford

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Summary

A highly entertaining read for anyone interested in English history and culture, this great myth-busting book takes you on a great ride through history and the national character. Think we're the land of Punch and Judy and Morris Dancing? Think again as both traditions started in southern Europe. Love Winston Churchill's wartime speeches? Well, they were recorded by an actor.
Packed with details on real English history, the book explodes a range of national myths from bluebirds in Dover (they are not indigenous European birds) to the origin of the Cornish pasty (they might have been invented in London), from our stiff upper lip (an Americanism) to where you can spend a Scottish bank note. English arts, entertainment, food, drink, kings and queens, traditions as well as politics are all covered to give you a fascinating insight into the true England.
Includes an additional chapter on Scottish, Welsh and Irish myths that we've been peddling in England for decades and need to be laid to rest. 
Available since: 08/03/2023.
Print length: 160 pages.

Other books that might interest you

  • A Reading of the Inaugural Address of President Thomas Jefferson - cover

    A Reading of the Inaugural...

    President Thomas Jefferson

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 - July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence. Following the American Revolutionary War and prior to becoming president in 1801, Jefferson was the nation's first U.S. secretary of state under George Washington and then the nation's second vice president under John Adams. Jefferson was a leading proponent of democracy, republicanism, and natural rights, and he produced formative documents and decisions at the state, national, and international levels.
    Show book
  • Plagues and Their Aftermath - How Societies Recover from Pandemics - cover

    Plagues and Their Aftermath -...

    Brian Michael Jenkins

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    From a plague in Athens during the Peloponnesian War in 430 BCE, to another in 540 that wiped out half the population of the Roman empire, down through the Black Death in the Middle Ages and on through the 1918 flu epidemic (which killed between 50 and 100 million people) and this century's deadly SARS outbreak, plagues have been a much more relentless fact of life than many realize. 
     
     
      
    The legacy of epidemics, Brian Michael Jenkins observes, is not only one of lives lost but of devastated economies and social disorder, all of which have severe political repercussions. 
     
     
      
    Thus, each chapter of Plagues and Their Aftermath draws on those historical precursors to focus on one particular aspect of their aftermath: What happens to political systems? What happens in the area of crime and terrorism? Do wars happen? What are the effects on cultures? What was the impact of widespread fear and public hysteria, of increased suspicion and scapegoating, of the spread of rumors and conspiracy theories? 
     
     
      
    Jenkins's sobering analysis is riveting and thought-provoking listening for general listeners and specialists alike, and throws welcome light into what many fear is a dark future.
    Show book
  • The Tempest - cover

    The Tempest

    William Shakespeare

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    "We are such stuff as dreams are made on."
    
    Transport yourself to a remote, enchanted island in William Shakespeare's final masterpiece, The Tempest. Prospero, the usurped Duke of Milan, has spent twelve years in exile, mastering the occult arts and commanding the spirits of the isle. When a magical storm brings his treacherous enemies to his shores, Prospero finally has the chance to settle the score.
    
    The play is a breathtaking blend of spectacle and soul-searching. Guided by the ethereal spirit Ariel and hindered by the earthy, resentful Caliban, Prospero orchestrates a series of illusions to confront his brother's betrayal. Yet, amid the schemes of revenge, a tender romance blossoms between his daughter, Miranda, and the shipwrecked Prince Ferdinand.
    
    A profound meditation on the nature of authority, the bond of family, and the power of mercy, The Tempest is often seen as Shakespeare's farewell to the stage. This definitive edition captures the play's unique atmospheric beauty and its timeless message of reconciliation.
    
    Surrender to the magic of the isle. Buy "The Tempest" today and experience the Bard's final, visionary work.
    Show book
  • George Washington - The Patriot Who Was the First President of the United States - cover

    George Washington - The Patriot...

    Kelly Mass

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    George Washington was an American soldier, statesman, and Founding Father who worked as the nation's first president from 1789 to 1797. Washington was called leader of the Continental Army by the Continental Congress, and he led the Patriot forces to triumph in the American Revolutionary War. 
    He also commanded the Constitutional Convention of 1787, which developed the USA Constitution and a federal government. For his different management throughout the nation's developmental years, Washington has been called the "Father of the Country" 
    George Washington has obviously meant a lot to the United States, to the law, the founding documents, and the expansion of the country. Let’s take a look at his life and his legacy.
    Show book
  • Baptist War The: A Captivating Guide to the Origins Events and Legacy of the Great Jamaican Slave Revolt - cover

    Baptist War The: A Captivating...

    Captivating History

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    The Unforgettable Uprising: The Baptist War 
    Discover the exciting story of the Baptist War, the biggest and most important slave rebellion in Great Britain’s Caribbean colonies. This audiobook tells you all about the Christmas War, Sam Sharpe’s War, and the Emancipation War, explaining why it is one of the greatest slave uprisings ever. 
    Here’s what you’ll learn:Jamaica’s Maroons: A free Afro-Jamaican community that started in slavery, won a war against the British, and stayed strong for over three hundred yearsLoyalist Preachers: How African American preachers, loyal to the king, left the American colonies and brought the Baptist faith to JamaicaPlantation Owners’ Hatred: Why Jamaican plantation owners hated Baptist missionaries and how a simple plan by a slave deacon for a sit-down strike shook the British EmpireSir Hans Sloane’s Legacy: How he used his wealth from slave-produced sugar to start the British MuseumThe Power of Reading: Why teaching slaves to read was such a big threat to the slave systemSugar’s Danger: The dangers slaves faced while making sugarPirate Henry Morgan: The story of a pirate who was supposed to be hanged but was knighted and became lieutenant governor of JamaicaBlood Sugar Movement: How a movement started by a Quaker woman led to a boycott of slave-made sugarEscape to Freedom: The tale of a slave who escaped, pretended to be white, and joined the Coldstream Guards in England 
    Dive into this thrilling journey through a key moment in history Scroll up and click the “add to cart” button to uncover the untold stories of bravery, strength, and rebellion that changed the Caribbean and beyond!
    Show book
  • How to Be Caring - An Ancient Guide to a Compassionate Life - cover

    How to Be Caring - An Ancient...

    Shantideva

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    Written by the medieval Indian Buddhist monk Shantideva, The Bodhicaryavatara is one of the most beloved and frequently taught works in Buddhism and a favorite of the Dalai Lama. An inspiring and powerful poem that uses a gripping, first-person, confessional voice, it is the most systematic work of ethical thought in the Indo-Tibetan Buddhist tradition. And its invaluable insights, exhortations, and encouragements about how we can relieve suffering by becoming more caring and compassionate are universal. In How to Be Caring, philosopher and Buddhist scholar Jay Garfield presents a lively new translation of selected verses from Shantideva’s text that capture its powerful lessons for all of us. The result is the clearest, most concise, and most accessible introduction to this masterful Buddhist guidebook about how we can change the world by changing ourselves.Focusing on the life of a bodhisattva, a person committed to attaining awakening for the benefit of all beings, Shantideva argues that the first step to reducing suffering and making the world better is to conquer our own psychopathologies. Urging us to remember that we won’t live forever and therefore need to think about what is most important, the work seeks to inspire us and teach us how to be more generous, thoughtful, polite, patient, committed, and self-aware.
    Show book