Britain by the Book

Writer: Oliver Tearle

Publishing House: John Murray

Date of Publication: January 8, 2019

Rating: 5 stars

Scots playing tricks on an Englishman, resulting in linguistic misunderstandings. A ‘’poet’’ in love with himself, unaware of a frightful lack of any talent whatsoever publishing his ‘’gems’’ until his death. A book that practically predicted 80% of future inventions. The tremendous influence of Robert Burns in Literature and Culture and the impact of Sir Walter Scott that shaped an entire genre from scratch. Did you know that Tolkien did NOT invent the term ‘Middle – Earth’ or that the great Dr Johnson wanted to make amends for denying his father help? Discover the mysteries of haunting Whitby, the moors adored by Emily Bronte, the nostalgia of Beatrix Porter’s world, the seventeen days on Morecambe pier that have us John Osborne’s masterpiece Look Back in Anger.

Trace the bond between Ivanhoe and Robin Hood, witness the premiere of Christie’s The Mousetrap in Nottingham and the origins of the British National Anthem. I was amazed to learn about Marie Corelli in a chapter where Oliver Tearle skins the idiots who refuse to accept that Shakespeare IS actually…Shakespeare and I am SO here for it! Discover little stories about the pub where Christopher Lee met Tolkien, how Bletchley Park gave us our freedom from the Nazi monsters, how Anna Sewell’s mother, Mary, contributed to the creation of one of the finest books in Children’s Literature.

What is Britain’s most unfortunate town? Why is Fleet Street so laden with dark stories? Who was Anne Anskw, a prisoner in Newgate and one of the first female poets to compose in the English language? We will walk through London from Paternoster Square, Westminster Abbey, and Brick Lane. What were the secrets of Robert Browning’s haunting poetry?

From Applegarth and Burgess’s home to Milne’s Hartfield, the Welsh coast and Dylan Thomas, to Austen’s Bath. From Lady Charlotte Guest and The Mabinogion to the tragic life of Thomas Chatterton, John Aubrey’s love for Stonehenge and Avebury, Winston Churchill’s affinity for ‘kisses xxx’. Walk with Thomas Hardy into his Wessex, visit Stinsford where his heart lies and discover Cecil Day-Lewis’s final resting place. Find out how crazed fans exasperated Tolkien and the rumblings of a ‘prophetess’ who actually thought she was the real deal. Marvel at du Maurier’s Cornwall and finish your journey looking for King Arthur as his voice echoes through the mists.

This is only a handful of the places Oliver Tearle calls us to discover in his beautiful book, on a journey in the land of Literature. Written with vividness, gusto and utmost respect, you need this book in your life if you want to be called a true lover of books.