The Discovery of Britain: An Accidental History

A surprising history of Britain, from 500 million BC to the next election

Taking the reader on a time-travelling adventure around the ‘spindly, sea-wracked islands’ we call home, The Discovery of Britain is history that's panoramic and intimate, poignant and shocking, seriously funny, and enlightening in the most surprising way.

In the assured hands of the prize-winning author of The Discovery of France, and often from the unique vantage point of his bicycle, we encounter an entertaining cast of characters foreign and homegrown, drop in on places and events, and dwell on the successes and catastrophes across British history, seeing it all as it’s never been seen before.

Personal, political, geographical and social in scope, and with intriguing maps and illustrations throughout, The Discovery of Britain can be devoured whole or each chapter read in the time it takes to change a bicycle tyre or roll and smoke a cigarette. The wonderful choice of how to enjoy this original and sweeping history of Britain – from ancient settlements swallowed up by the sea and the creation of Stonehenge to the advent of multiculturalism and recent political earthquakes – is yours.