Alice Loxton
HISTORIAN, BROADCASTER, AUTHOR
A HISTORY OF BRITAIN IN 21 PAINTINGS
Viking (Penguin), hardback, 12 November 2026
‘Fascinating, superbly researched, beautifully written, this is a majestic book’ – Kate Williams
Alice travels the length of Britain in search of twenty-one extraordinary paintings, each one a window onto a turning point in our island’s story.
It begins with an image carried by St Augustine when he landed in 597 AD. From there it takes in a glittering portrait of a Tudor queen, Stubbs’s majestic Whistlejacket and Lowry’s scenes of everyday life in Bolton. Together they tell a story of foundation, revolution, upheaval and resilience.
Along the way, Alice visits the places that shaped these paintings: a riverbank, a supermarket, a secret mountain quarry and a busy hospital. She meets conservators, pub locals and even a fearsome dragon. She also gets to the bottom of some of Britain’s best-loved myths. Who really was St George? Did medieval people think the world was flat? What was the Pineapple Craze? And why do Scots wear tartan?
A joyful, sweeping history that will change the way you look at paintings, and at Britain.
PRAISE
‘A champion of British heritage in full voice’ – Luke Sherlock
‘A boots on the ground, nose on the glass case sort of historian’ – Philippa Gregory
‘A pleasurable and quirky voyage through the hidden corners of British history’ – Simon Jenkins
‘A glittering jewel-box of a book’ – Sinclair McKay
‘Alice Loxton is a national treasure’ – Emily Hauser
‘An entertaining, illuminating tour of British history’ – Terry Deary
PRE-ORDER
Blackwell’s – signed copies, with free worldwide delivery
Bookshop.org – supports independent bookshops
Available in hardback, ebook and audiobook. Paperback coming in 2027.
DETAILS
Viking (Penguin) | Hardback | 336 pages | £25 | ISBN 9780241836378