Description

‘An entertaining tour of British history filled with delightful stories, witty anecdotes and an abundance of remarkable paintings’ TERRY DEARY
‘A champion of British heritage’ LUKE SHERLOCK
‘Alice Loxton has a brilliant talent for digging out history’s most extraordinary stories and bringing them to life’ JACK CHESHER
‘A pleasurable and quirky voyage through the hidden corners of British history’ SIMON JENKINS

A LIVELY AND ILLUMINATING HISTORY OF BRITAIN FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF ELEANOR AND EIGHTEEN, ALICE LOXTON

From an image carried by St Augustine when he landed on our shores in 597AD and a glittering portrait of a Tudor queen to Stubbs’ majestic rendering of Whistlejacket and L.S. Lowry’s depictions of daily life in Bolton, each painting in this transformative history illuminates key moments in our island’s story. These are tales of foundation, revolution, upheaval and resilience.

Along the way, Loxton visits locations that have shaped the lives of these extraordinary works of art: a winding riverbank, a local supermarket, a secret mountain quarry, a bustling hospital. She is joined by a rich cast of characters, including conservators, pub locals and a fearsome dragon, and discovers the stories behind some of Britain’s most fascinating myths (who really was St George? Did the people of the Middle Ages think the world was flat? What was the Pineapple Craze? Why do Scots wear tartan?).

This is a sweeping, joyful history that will inspire you to explore the wonders of Britain and change the way you look at paintings for ever.

More Praise for A History of Britain in 21 Paintings’Warm, curious and full of wit, this is a history of great scope, brought vividly to life and delivered with considerable panache’ Andrew Ziminski

‘Alice Loxton is a boots on the ground, nose on the glass case sort of historian – she takes you immediately and vividly to some of the most interesting sights in Britain’ Philippa Gregory

‘A glittering jewel-box of a book . . . Delightful, engaging, packed with surprising by-ways and endlessly illuminating’ Sinclair McKay

‘Fascinating, superbly researched, beautifully written, this is a majestic book’ Kate Williams

‘A delightful romp through more than one thousand years of British art and history’ Elizabeth Goldring

‘A sumptuous, glittering treasure trove of a book laced with clarity and warmth … Alice Loxton is a national treasure just like the paintings she uncovers’ Emily Hauser

Publisher Review

An entertaining, illuminating tour of British history filled with delightful stories, witty anecdotes and an abundance of remarkable paintings — Terry Deary * author of A History of Britain in Ten Enemies * A champion of British heritage in full voice… Join the most enthusiastic of tour guides, Alice Loxton, as she highlights the profound visual histories to be found in every corner of the land. — Luke Sherlock * author of Forgotten Churches * Alice Loxton has a brilliant talent for digging out history’s most extraordinary stories and bringing them to life. This is a fascinating journey through Britain’s past, told in her characteristically engaging and witty style. Coming to the end, you are left wanting 21 more! — Jack Chesher * author of London: A Guide for Curious Wanderers * Alongside landscapes by artists such as Monet, Lowry and Turner, Alice Loxton uses ancient manuscripts, medieval maps, church wall paintings and even pub signs as windows onto our island’s past. Along the way, she brings to life not only the people who created these works but also the conservators and custodians who have cared for them. Warm, curious and full of wit, this is a history of great scope, brought vividly to life and delivered with considerable panache. It’s a book that will make you look at Britain and the artworks that tell its story in a completely new way. — Andrew Ziminski * author of Church Going * Alice Loxton is a boots on the ground, nose on the glass case sort of historian – she takes you immediately and vividly to some of the most interesting sights in Britain — Philippa Gregory A pleasurable and quirky voyage through the hidden corners of British history — Simon Jenkins * author of A Short History of England * A glittering jewel-box of a book. From exquisite Dark Ages gospels to a sacred white horse, from the fogs of Claude Monet to LS Lowry’s football visions, via Queen Elizabeth’s rainbow and the unearthly light and science of Joseph Wright of Derby, Alice Loxton guides us not only through national history, but also the amazing stories of the nation’s most enduring art-works and their preservation. Delightful, engaging, packed with surprising by-ways and endlessly illuminating. — Sinclair McKay * author of Dad’s Army * A delightful romp through more than one thousand years of British art and history — Elizabeth Goldring * author of Holbein: Renaissance Master * Absolutely brilliant! Loxton triumphs again with this dazzling history of Britain and its art. Fascinating, superbly researched, beautifully written, this is a majestic book — Kate Williams * author of Regina: A New History of Women and Power * A sumptuous, glittering treasure trove of a book laced with clarity and warmth – reading this is like being led through an art gallery by a friend, stepping into history through the portals of the paintings and objects she reveals. Brilliantly and lightly told, filled with wonder and endlessly enjoyable, Alice Loxton is a national treasure like the paintings she uncovers. — Emily Hauser * author of Mythica *