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.