England My England: A Treasury of All Things English

 

A delightful anthology about England and the English over the centuries—songs, poems, hymns, letters, and prose—this collection is entertaining, witty, lyrical, and heartwarming. With contributions from Dickens, Shakespeare, Sir Thomas Beecham, Rupert Brooke, William Blake, Noel Coward, Rudyard Kipling, John Betjeman, Bill Bryson, and many more, there is also a chapter entitled "As Others See Us," which includes George Mikes' observation, "An Englishman, even if he is alone, forms an orderly queue of one." With chapters on the English garden, language, institutions, and heritage, this is a comprehensive treasury of the country and its people. An entertaining, eclectic, and serendipitious collection, it will delight and surprise in equal measure.