Great Britain / England

If you live in the United States, you've been affected by British culture. The English language most of us speak is only one example of the many ways American culture has grown out of British culture—the original 13 Colonies were largely settled by English immigrants, and they left their mark on the conventions, social structure, and ideals of the New World. Even something as "American" as apple pie has its roots in Olde England, where it has been made and eaten since the Middle Ages.

It's not just white Americans who owe so much to the British. Because the English largely determined the culture of the country in its early stages, all subsequent citizens have consequently inherited a shared heritage. There is certainly more diversity in the 21st century than there was 100 or even 50 years ago, and American culture is in a constant state of flux due to its ever-changing demographic, but it remains true that we've all beenAnglicizedto some degree or other.

This has led many to become Anglophiles. It would be a lie to say there are none at Exodus Books (though not all the employees share the same enthusiasm), and this has to some extent determined the nature of our selection, particularly in history and literature. Anglophiles are simply those with an excessive interest in all things English, or those whose view of history sees the West as represented by Great Britain as the starting and focal point for all study of history. The latter view is obviously flawed, but the former usually manifests itself in mostly harmless ways.

Like U.S. history, British history isn't entirely of a piece. The British Isles include five distinct regions (England, Scotland and Wales on the Eastern island; Ireland and Northern Ireland on the Western), and each has its own history, people groups, and languages. In recent years these areas have become slightly more united in theory, though high levels of regional pride still exist. Also like Americans, the British people are a mix of indigenous races and foreigners, many of them invaders in the ancient and early Medieval periods.

England in particular has always enjoyed a prominent role in world culture and affairs. Though their range of influence has lessened in the last few decades, the hand of the English can still be seen in the remnants of Empire: in India, Canada, Australia, South Africa, and all the other Commonwealth nations around the world. Historical epochs like the Renaissance, Reformation, and Enlightenment have always found a strong foothold in the Isles, and the British have frequently been at the forefront of social and humanitarian reform, particularly in the case of slavery.

At the same time, the British have always been distinct in their own identity and culture, recognizable the world over for their careful scholarship, incredible works of art, awesome sense of humor, and stiff-upper-lippedness. Despite having been attacked and settled by Romans, Germans, Vikings, and Franks, the Isles' Celtic heritage remains (though to be fair, the Celts were also interlopers). British history is both essential for understanding our own (U.S.) history, and for the shape of the whole modern world. It's also fascinating to study in its own right, not least for its frequently bizarre moments.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur.Read more of his reviews here.

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A Christmas Carol Audio Drama - 2 CD set
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Adam of the Road
Puffin Newbery Library
by Elizabeth Gray
from Puffin Books
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1943 Newbery Medal winner
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All Color Book of Henry VIII
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Amazing Grace
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Historical House: 1969
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Anna and the King of Siam
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Beyond the Sacred Page
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Book Lover's Bucket List
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Historical House: 1895
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Children of the New Forest
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Churchill
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Collins Guide to Bird Watching
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Colonial Wars Source Book
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Concise History of Ireland
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Crispin: The End of Time
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Daily Life in Johnson's London
by Richard B. Schwartz
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Daughter of Time
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Day and a Life
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Destroyers for Great Britain
by Arnold Hague
Revised & Expanded from Naval Institute Press
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Edwardian Lady
by Ina Taylor
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Elizabeth I
Jackdaw No. 53
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Elizabeth of York
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England's Glorious Revolution 1688-1689
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English Castle
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English Constitution
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English Weapons & Warfare 449-1660
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Fair Margaret
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George MacDonald
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George MacDonald
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Great Britain to 1688 / Great Britain Since 1688
by Maurice Ashley and K.B. Smellie
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Great Empires - CD-ROM
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Growth of the British Empire
Story of the World Series #5
by M. B. Synge
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British History Reference for 4th-8th grade
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Growth of the British Empire
Story of the World Series #5
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Guide to Great Britain
by Brian Williams
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Gytha's Message
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by Emma Leslie
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Henry VIII
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History of Britain 2
History of Britain Trilogy #2
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History of Britain Trilogy #3
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History of King Charles II of England
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History of the English People - 4 Volume Set
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Houses of Parliament
by Nigel Smith
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How the Heather Looks
by Joan Bodger
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How the Heather Looks
by Joan Bodger, illustrated by Mark Lang
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Humble Leader
by Julia Cameron
from Christian Focus Publications
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If You Were Me and Lived in... Elizabethan England
An Introduction to Civilizations Throughout Time Volume 3
by Carole P. Roman
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Illustrated Wordsworth's Guide to the Lakes
by William Wordsworth, Edited by Peter Bicknell
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In the Days of Alfred the Great
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In the Days of Alfred the Great
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In the Days of Queen Elizabeth
by Eva March Tappan
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In the Days of Queen Victoria
by Eva March Tappan
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In the Days of Queen Victoria
by Eva March Tappan
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In the Days of William the Conqueror
by Eva March Tappan
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In the Days of William the Conqueror
by Eva March Tappan
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$9.99
Inside-Outside Book of London
by Roxie Munro
from E.P. Dutton & Co.
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Ireland
from Crescent Books
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Island of the Mighty
by Padraic Colum
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$9.99
James Herriot's Yorkshire
by James Herriot, photography by Derry Brabbs
1996 Printing from Mermaid Books
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James Herriot's Yorkshire Revisited
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James I
Sacred Fool Quartet Volume 1
by Otto Scott
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John Charles Ryle
by Peter Toon, Michael Smout
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Katherine Parr
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Kings and Queens of England - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by John Green
from Dover Publications
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$3.99
Kings and Queens of Scotland
by R. L. Mackie, J. Ross
from Geddes & Grosset
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$5.50 (1 in stock)
Last Bookshop in London
by Madeline Martin
from Hanover Square Press
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$16.99
Last Lion Volumes 1 & 2
by William Manchester
1st edition from Little, Brown & Company
for Adult
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$18.00 (1 in stock)
Let's Explore the British Isles
by Caroline Walker, with maps & illustrations by Gloris Smith Young
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-6th grade
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$15.99
Life of John Newton
by American Missionary Fellowship
from Attic Books
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$9.50
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by William Roper
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$5.99
Lives of Thomas Becket
by Michael Staunton
from Manchester University Press
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$39.95
Map That Changed the World
by Simon Winchester
1st edition from HarperCollins
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$10.00 (2 in stock)
Mark of the Horse Lord
by Rosemary Sutcliff
Reprint from Chicago Review Press
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$12.95
Method of Grace
by George Whitefield
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
Michael Faraday
by Charles Ludwig
from Herald Press
Biography for 5th-8th grade
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Murder for Her Majesty
by Beth Hilgartner
from Sandpiper Books
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Mystery of Stonehenge
by Nancy Lyon
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Mystery of the Jeweled Moth
by Katherine Woodfine
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Mystery of the Painted Dragon
by Katherine Woodfine
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Napoleonic Wars: Wellington's Army
by Ian Fletcher
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$8.00 (1 in stock)
Norman Grubb
by Janet & Geoff Benge
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One Corpse Too Many
Brother Cadfael
by Ellis Peters
Reissue from Mysterious Press
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$14.99
Origins of Political Stability
by J.H. Plumb
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Otters
by Bobby Tulloch
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Our Empire Story
by H. E. Marshall
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$22.95
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by H. E. Marshall
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