England, Their England

“It’s very, very comforting, it’s very funny and whenever you think things in this country are pretty bonkers then you can read this book from the thirties and realise ‘Ah, they’ve always been fairly similar.’ I love it.”  -- IAN HISLOP


As a young Scot exiled to the alien landscape of 1920s England, Douglas Cameron finds himself navigating his way through the intimacies and excesses of a nation undergoing great cultural and social upheaval. Witnessing the last gasps in the demise of a privileged earlier world, our hero finds himself negotiating archetypal English situations, including the lavish country house weekend, a traditional fox hunt, international diplomacy at the League of Nations and, most famously, a village cricket match – all as part of his efforts to compile a book capturing the essence of Englishness. Affectionately narrated, eloquent and poignant, yet at times just slightly ruthless and often with an acerbic note of satire, this description of England in the throes of social turmoil remains an hilarious, irreverent yet compassionate portrait.



Since winning the James Tait Black Memorial Prize on publication in 1933, England, Their England has retained an enduring appeal for generations and is now regarded as a classic of literary humour.