"The power of The Enchanted Glass lies in its unsparing depiction of Britain as a cultural sarcophagus, packed with fossilised attitudes." The Guardian.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #112200 in Books
• Published on: 1989-03-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

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Customer Reviews

an persuasive critique of Britain's monarchy
The role of the crown in the UK is the same as the role of a toothpick in a submarine sandwich - to stick disparate elements of a pre-modern polity into a single element. Nairn's extraordinary critique explains how it does this (the monarchy, not the toothpick) and what the costs are - and it's got nothing to do with the civil list. Rather it's about the petrification of class into caste, the unhelpful investment policies of the 'off-shore' economy and its mercantile/financial core (ie, the City of London), and the Queen's job in filling the gap taken up by honest, hardworking nationalism in any other nation state. It is, furthermore, witty, aphoristic, allusive and a bloody good read. I defy any serious reader to come away none the wiser from this little excursion. It may also prompt you to read Nigel Denis' wonderful Cards of Identity (re-issued this year.