England, Their England

Description

A special edition of England, Their England by A. G. Macdonell reissued with a bright retro design to celebrate Pan's 70th anniversary.

Banished from his native Scotland by a curious clause in his father's will, Donald Cameron moves to London and decides to conduct a study of the English people; a strange race who, he is told, have built an entire national identity around a reverence for team spirit and the memory of Lord Nelson . . .

What follows is one of the funniest social satires ever written. Whether Cameron is haplessly participating in a village cricket match, being shown around an exclusive golf course, or trying to watch a rugby match in the thick London fog, his affectionately bemused portrait of his new countrymen is a joy to read.

Reminiscent of the gentle wit of P. G. Wodehouse and Jerome K. Jerome, England, Their England offers a delightful portrait of Britain in the 1920s.

Promotion info

A. G. Macdonell's affectionately satirical comedy of 1920s English society.

Reviews

[England, Their England] is a joy to read . . . a book which must certainly not be missed -- Ralph Straus * Sunday Times * Mr Macdonell has hit off the particular foibles of the educated Englishman . . . The book is so amusing, so sly and so good-humoured that it would need no further justification * Manchester Guardian * As fun it is immense. -- Gerald Gould * Observer * One of the most amusing satires it has ever been my luck to read. -- James Agate * Daily Express * Praise be for a book that is really funny -- L. A. G. Strong * Spectator *

Author description

Archibald Macdonell was born in India in 1895. He began writing after being invalided out of the army during the First World War, working as a critic for the London Mercury. The publication of England, Their England in 1933 brought him critical acclaim and near-instant fame. He wrote many further novels, military history, several plays, and was a well-known radio broadcaster at the beginning of the Second World War. Macdonell died suddenly in 1941.