A brilliant new collection of stereotypes from the long running Daily Telegraph series.In this hilariously mordant, yet touchingly sympathetic, book, no aspect of English life is spared. Victoria Mather and Sue Macartney-Snape return in sparkling form to immortalize those very English characters and situations we come across every day. For all of us, there_ll always be an England, and, we_re afraid, this is it...Stereotypes include:The Post Office QueueThe Cheryl Cole WannabeThe Rebellious CongregationThe Pub Quiz TeamThe Comical Dog ShowThe Hateful HostsThe MilkmanThe Village OrganistThe Pet FuneralPraise for previous collections:_Mather and Macartney-Snape are not so much observers, more collectors, pinning their victims like butterflies in a display cabinet ... Very enjoyable._ - Michael Parkinson_With consummate skill the authors have once again skewered our national smugness_ - Nicky Haslam_A dazzling combination_ - Jilly Cooper

"Since its publication in 1954-55, J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings continues to be one of the most popular works ever published. Although there are scores of critical studies which examine this classic three-volume novel and its author, none of them make full use of three evident facts about Tolkien's life: 1) that he was raised in Edwardian England, 2) that he was a philologist, and 3) that he was a Roman Catholic. Jared Lobdell here creatively uses these facts to define the mode of The Lord of the Rings, examine the appeal of its language, and explore its religious structure. In his final essay he reviews his conclusions in an attempt to define Tolkien's genius and universal appeal." --

The revised edition of England and Always: Tolkien's World of the RingsEerdmans, 1981) adds a chapter on the metaphorical significance of Tolkien'santasy stories being set in "the North-west of the old World, east of theea." Lobdell's study--which rejects the common interpretation of the cycles a medieval quest narrative---follows the threa

From the Mediterranean to the Alps, from fine art to fine pasta, experience Italy with the most up-to-date 2021 guide from Rick Steves! Inside Rick Steves Italy you'll find: Comprehensive coverage for planning a multi-week trip to Italy Rick's strategic advice on how to get the most out of your time and money, with rankings of his must-see favorites Top sights and hidden gems, from the Colosseum and Michelangelo's David to corner trattorias and that perfect scoop of gelato How to connect with local culture: Walk in Caesar's footsteps through the ruins of the Forum, discover the relaxed rhythms of sunny Cinque Terre, or chat with fans about the latest soccer match (calcio, to locals) Beat the crowds, skip the lines, and avoid tourist traps with Rick's candid, humorous insight The best places to eat, sleep, and experience la dolce far niente Self-guided walking tours of lively neighborhoods and museums Vital trip-planning tools, like how to link destinations, build your itinerary, and get from place to place Detailed maps, including a fold-out map for exploring on the go Useful resources including a packing list, Italian phrase book, historical overview, and recommended reading Updated to reflect changes that occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic up to the date of publication Over 1,000 bible-thin pages include everything worth seeing without weighing you down Coverage of Venice, Padua, the Dolomites, Lake Country, Milan, the Italian Riviera, Florence, Pisa, Lucca, Hill Towns of Central Italy, Siena, Tuscany, Rome, Naples, Pompeii, Capri, the Amalfi Coast, and much more Make the most of every day and every dollar with Rick Steves Italy. Planning a one- to two-week trip? Check out Rick Steves Best of Italy.

*MATT HAIG’S NEW NOVEL THE LIFE IMPOSSIBLE IS AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW * FROM THE NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR Meet the Hunter family: Adam, Kate, and their children Hal and Charlotte. And Prince, their Labrador. Prince is an earnest young dog, striving hard to live up to the tenets of the Labrador Pact (Remain Loyal to Your Human Masters, Serve and Protect Your Family at Any Cost). Other dogs, led by the Springer Spaniels, have revolted. As things in the Hunter family begin to go badly awry – marital breakdown, rowdy teenage parties, attempted suicide – Prince’s responsibilities threaten to overwhelm him and he is forced to break the Labrador Pact and take desperate action to save his Family.

How the most powerful country in the UK was forged by invasion and conquest, and is fractured by its north-south divide. The Shortest History books deliver thousands of years of history in one riveting, fast-paced read. England—begetter of parliaments and globe-spanning empires, star of beloved period dramas, and home of the House of Windsor—is not quite the stalwart island fortress that many of us imagine. Riven by an ancient fault line that predates even the Romans, its fate has ever been bound up with that of its neighbors; and for the past millennia, it has harbored a class system like nowhere else on Earth. This bracing tour of the most powerful country in the United Kingdom reveals an England repeatedly invaded and constantly reinvented—yet always fractured by its very own Mason-Dixon Line. It carries us swiftly through centuries of conflict between Crown and Parliament (starring the Magna Carta), America’s War of Independence, the rise and fall of empire, two World Wars, and England’s break from the EU. We discover: why the American colonists of 1776 believed that they were the true Anglo-Saxons how the British Empire was undermined from within why Winston Churchill said the UK could only be saved by splitting up England itself and how populism spawned Brexit and its “new elite.” The Shortest History of England brings all this and more to prescient life—offering the most direct, compelling route to understanding the country behind today’s headlines.

England, says Matthew Engel, is the most complicated place in the world. And, as he travels through each of the historic English counties, he discovers that's just the start of it. Every county is fascinating, the product of a millennium or more of history: still a unique slice of a nation that has not quite lost its ancient diversity. He finds the well-dressers of Derbyshire and the pyromaniacs of Sussex; the Hindus and huntsmen of Leicestershire; the goddess-worshippers of Somerset. He tracks down the real Lancashire, hedonistic Essex, and the most mysterious house in Middlesex. In Durham he goes straight from choral evensong to the dog track. As he seeks out the essence of each county - from Yorkshire's broad acres to the microdot of Rutland - Engel always finds the unexpected . Engel's England is a totally original look at a confused country: a guidebook for people who don't think they need a guidebook. It is always quirky, sometimes poignant and often extremely funny.

Eugene England championed an optimistic Mormon faith open to liberalizing ideas from American culture. At the same time, he remained devoted to a conservative Mormonism that he saw as a vehicle for progress even as it narrowed the range of acceptable belief. Kristine L. Haglund views England’s writing through the tensions produced by his often-opposed intellectual and spiritual commitments. Though labeled a liberal, England had a traditional Latter-day Saint background and always sought to address fundamental questions in Mormon terms. His intellectually adventurous essays sometimes put him at odds with Church authorities and fellow believers. But he also influenced a generation of thinkers and cofounded Dialogue, a Mormon academic and literary journal acclaimed for the broad range of its thought. A fascinating portrait of a Mormon intellectual and his times, Eugene England reveals a believing scholar who emerged from the lived experiences of his faith to engage with the changes roiling Mormonism in the twentieth century.

An exploration of white working-class English men, showing how and why some have been captured by the far-right and what the left can do about it. IS THE WHITE WORKING CLASS RIGHT-WING? AND IS IT RIGHT-WING TO EVEN SPEAK OF A "WHITE WORKING CLASS"? In recent decades, as class consciousness has been suppressed and eroded, many white working-class men have turned their backs on the left in favour of the right and the far-right. Why is this? A Small Man's England is a polemic aimed at the structures of hierarchy that ceaselessly maintain power across Britain and elsewhere, and a call for multicultural solidarity amongst the working class. In analysing the roles that class, race, masculinity and nationality play in neoliberal Britain, Sissons offers a solution to the indoctrination of white working-class English men by the right and the far-right, and explores how working-class people can collectively shape a "Common England" -- a country based on equality and justice for all.