Brilliant Isles: Art That Made Us

By James Hawes

EXPLORE THE HISTORY OF THE BRITISH ISLES THROUGH 80 EXTRAORDINARY CREATIONS, FROM BEOWULF AND THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY TO BANKSY, STORMZY, AND BEYOND
A companion book to the landmark BBC series, Brilliant Isles tells the story of these islands through art, music, buildings and literature – the creations of visionaries, mavericks and rule-breakers who responded to their times and shaped the future. Whether read cover-to-cover or dipped into, this is a vibrant, surprising and witty guide to a unique culture, by one of our sharpest writers
‘Hawes’s view of English history is sharp and vivid and extremely persuasive’
PHILIP PULLMAN
'At last a chance to get to grips with the entire history of England, and all in a few hours!’
MAIL ON SUNDAY
‘An engaging, informative sprint through the story of our little island’
INDEPENDENT
‘thorough and absorbing... [Hawes] brings the story right up to date, able to step back from the current madness with admirable clarity
NEW EUROPEAN
‘A fantastic read. I would recommend it to anyone.’
PAT KENNY, Newstalk Ireland
‘Such a thought-provoking read...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Old Street Publishing
• Release date: Apr 5, 2022
• ISBN: 9781913083298

James Hawes

James Hawes is the author of the internationally acclaimed Shortest History of Germany. He has published a biography of Kafka (‘absolutely brilliant and utterly infuriating’ –The Guardian) and Englanders & Huns, the real story of the fatal Anglo-German antagonism (‘full of enlightening surprises’ –The Times).