Albion: The Origins of the English Imagination

by PeterAckroyd (Author)

• New

  Paperback
  2004

  $25.77

• Used

  Paperback
  2004

  $3.44

  Highly original and magnificent in scope, Albion: The Origins of the English Imagination discovers the roots of English cultural history in the Anglo-Saxon period, and traces it through the centuries. What does it mean to be English? This dazzling book demonstrates that a quintessentially English quality can be discovered in all forms of English culture, not only in literature but also in painting, music, architecture, philosophy and science. Just as London: The Biography guided the reader through the capital city with a mixture of narrative and theme, so Albion, employing the same techniques, engages the reader with stories and surprises - From Beowulf to King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, via Chaucer and Shakespeare, to the Bronte sisters, Alice through the Looking Glass and Lord of the Rings Witty, provocative and anecdotal, this is Peter Ackroyd at his most brilliant and exuberant.

• Used

  Hardcover
  2002

  $3.44

  This title covers the whole of English cultural history from its roots in the Anglo-Saxon period, through the centuries, to numerous examples from contemporary times. Explorations include: forgery and plagiarism; ruins and antiquarianism; the English love of miniatures; and drag acts.

• New

  Paperback
  2004

  $28.73

  Highly original and magnificent in scope, Albion: The Origins of the English Imagination discovers the roots of English cultural history in the Anglo-Saxon period, and traces it through the centuries. What does it mean to be English? This dazzling book demonstrates that a quintessentially English quality can be discovered in all forms of English culture, not only in literature but also in painting, music, architecture, philosophy and science. Just as London: The Biography guided the reader through the capital city with a mixture of narrative and theme, so Albion, employing the same techniques, engages the reader with stories and surprises - From Beowulf to King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, via Chaucer and Shakespeare, to the Bronte sisters, Alice through the Looking Glass and Lord of the Rings Witty, provocative and anecdotal, this is Peter Ackroyd at his most brilliant and exuberant.