Product Description

A delightful, wide-ranging anthology about England and the English over the centuries - songs, poems, hymns, letters and prose - this ideal gift book is entertaining, witty, lyrical and heart-warming. With contributions from Sir Thomas Beecham, Rupert Brooke, William Blake, Noel Coward, Rudyard Kipling, John Betjeman and many more, there is also a chapter entitled 'As Others See Us', which includes George Mikes' observation, 'An Englishman, even if he is alone, forms an orderly queue of one.' With chapters on the English garden, language, institutions, our wars, heritage and how we see ourselves, this is a comprehensive account of the country and its people. A wide-ranging, eclectic and serendipitious collection that will delight and surprise in equal measure, 'England, My England' is a real treasure house of pleasing patriotism to savour and share.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #45157 in Books
• Published on: 2005-10-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 240 pages

Personal Letter
"England, My England is a joy!" - Alan Coren

The Oldie, Dec 2005
"A veritable feast of prose, poetry and song."

Freedom Today
"A witty and warmhearted collection"

Customer Reviews

A joy to read - a perfect present
A great discovery - a lovely mix of prose, poetry and information. Gerry Hanson has researched a wide variety of sources - from Shakespeare through to Jeremy Paxman. There's humour, pathos and tears, and the subjects vary from Cricket to Roast Beef.

It's not the sort of book you'd read from cover to cover in one sitting, but perfect for dipping into.

It also makes a great present - I've started to take it to dinner parties instead of that boring old bottle of Chardonnay -it's good value even at bookshop prices, and is a true bargain through Amazon

I'm English and proud of it - and so is this book. If, like me, you get fed up of accusations of Nationalism or even, god forbid, Racism just for expressing love for your country (an accusation which is never applied to the Scots, Welsh or Irish) then this is the book for you.

For the love of England
National pride in England is something of a contentious issue.
The lines of political correctness and a sense of patriotism have been blurred.

However this collection by Gerry Hanson is not in this frame, it is simply a lovely and passionate coffee table gem. And therefore a must have for all who feel English, whatever their creed or colour.

London
I bought this book as a Christmas present. The receipient could not put it down on Christmas Day and it has been on hand on his coffee table ever since.