Christopher Hibbert was an acclaimed historian and widely published biographer, renowned for his ability to weave together political, social, and art historical narratives into a lively whole. Sean Lang is senior lecturer in History at Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge. He has published many books and articles and broadcasts regularly. John Broadley is a London-based illustrator. He has illustrated many books and his illustrations have appeared in the New York Times Book Review, Observer Food Monthly, Art Review, and the FT Weekend magazine.

A beautiful, quirky, illustrated edition of Phaidon's compelling bestseller, celebrating the book's 25th anniversary This concise and fast-paced introduction to English history keeps the reader enthralled through the entire course of the country's political, economic, and cultural landscape, covering the whole sweep of English history from the Stone Age to the present. Its flowing narrative style, character sketches, and lively anecdotes bring the people and places of the past to life. In this newly illustrated edition, John Broadley's unique tableaux-like illustrations capture the landscape, costumes, and characters of the history that Hibbert's text so vividly evokes.