An inventive new look at the entwined histories of Britain and Ireland’s nations – and the people who have called them home.



Acclaimed author and journalist Brian Groom reveals the colourful and often-contested history of the Celts, Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, Normans and others who have occupied these islands, along with their culture, languages and passions.


Packed with surprise and insight, These Isles explores the role of religion, the British Empire, international diasporas and internal migration, gender relations and war in a nuanced and entertaining narrative.


With forays into popular culture, sport, music, language, literature and art, These Isles stretches from 800,000-year-old footprints on a Norfolk beach to the changing fortunes of the early twenty-first century. It offers a uniquely rich and kaleidoscopic vision of the shared stories of people across Britain and Ireland – past and present.