Our Book of the Month for August is Small Island: A History of Britain in 12 Maps by Philip Parker.
A fascinating analysis of a dozen maps from critical points in British history over the last 2,000 years, from the Celtic period when ‘Britain’ was just a patchwork of tribal kingdoms, to a century ago when the whole of Ireland, India, Australia, much of Africa, Asia and the Americas were also marked as British.
Charting the assembling and disassembling of regions under British rule, this book features maps that teach us about the political and cultural evolution of the nation, and much of our past that we often forget. With current borders being disputed and, with them, identities challenged, this book will provide a reassuring insight into how our country’s borders have always been, and always will be, in a state of flux.
About the author:
Philip Parker is a writer, consultant and publisher specialising in ancient and medieval political and military systems. He studied history at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, and is the author of A History of Britain in Maps (2016), the DK Eyewitness Companion Guide to World History (2010) and many more.
He was the general editor of Anova’s Great Trade Routes (2010), and winner of a Certificate of Merit for the Mountbatten Maritime Award in Maritime Media Awards 2013. As a publisher he ran The Times books list, including works on ancient civilisations and The Times History of the World.
Small Island: 12 Maps That Explain the History of Britain by Philip Parker is available now for £25
STANFORDS LONDON IN STORE EVENT
Please join us at Stanfords on Thursday 4th August 19:00 as we celebrate the launch of Small Island with a talk by Philip Parker.
Tickets £5
Includes glass of wine/soft drink
(£5.00 off the published price of Small Island by Philip Parker for ticket holders when purchased on the evening). Tickets available here.
Watch Philip Parker in conversation with Julia Wheeler at the 2021 Stanfords Travel Writers Festival (filmed during lockdown) talking about his previous book History of World Trade Maps: