British Essays

Every cheese tells a story. Whether it's a fresh young goat's cheese or a big, beefy 18-month-old Cheddar, each variety holds the history of the people who first made it, from the builders of Stonehenge to medieval monks, from the Stilton-makers of the 18th century to the factory cheesemakers of the Second World War. Cheesemonger Ned Palmer takes us on a delicious journey across Britain and Ireland and through time to uncover the histories of beloved old favourites like Cheddar and Wensleydale and fresh innovations like the Irish Cashel Blue or the rambunctious Renegade Monk.

"Joe Giampaolo has written the most helpful and informative guide to the Gothic genre. The Reader's Companion to the Gothic Genre is written in clear and understandable language, providing the student of literature and the faithful reader of Gothic novels with a guide to understanding the genre's origin and the elements that place a novel in this genre." ~ Readers' Favorite This essay is the third installment in the Reader's Companion collection and it is a brief analysis of the Gothic genre in British literature from its origins in the middle of the 18th century to the ghost stories and ...

One of Esquire's best books of spring 2022 An extended meditation on late style and last works from "one of our greatest living critics" (Kathryn Schulz, New York). When artists and athletes age, what happens to their work? Does it ripen or rot? Achieve a new serenity or succumb to an escalating...

Stuart Parker is a fresh and unclassifiable voice on the Canadian scene, who brings great learning, a distinctive perspective, and a vigorous prose style to every topic he touches. He is always worth reading, even when you disagree. - Jack Cunningham, Trinity College, University of Toronto British Columbians are notorious for electing the politicians we deserve rather than those we need. Fittingly, Parker's unblemished record of life-long political defeat should endear him to us all as one of the bravest, most principled and insightful political representatives we never had. His insights ...

How did George Eliot's love life affect her prose? Why did Kafka write at three in the morning? In what ways is Barack Obama like Eliza Doolittle? Can you be over-dressed for the Oscars? What is Italian Feminism? If Roland Barthes killed the Author, can Nabokov revive him? What does 'soulful' mean? Is Date Movie the worst film ever made? A collection of essays that brims over with personality and warmth, Changing My Mind is journalism at its most expansive.

King George V predicted that his son, Edward VIII, would destroy himself within a year of succeeding to the throne. In December 1936 he was proved right, and the world’s press revealed the king was abandoning his throne to marry Wallis Simpson. A life spent in the shadow of his charismatic elder brother left the new king, George VI, magnificently unprepared for the demands of ruling the kingdom and empire. Drawing on personal accounts from the royal archives, Deborah Cadbury uncovers the very private conflict.

This volume supplements my original four-book essay collection. Whereas the first collection spans a sixteen-year period and showcases substantial shifts in my political opinions, this collection spans a little over a year. That year, however, was very eventful. Between April 2024 and June 2025, I resided in Dar Es Salaam, Nanaimo, Burnaby, Chilliwack and Victoria. I participated in the 2024 BC election campaign and played a part in the massive political realignment that continues to unfold in BC, working for the BC Conservative Party’s internal polling firm, caucus research department ...

As a teenager, Elspeth Barker had two great desires: to have a passionate love affair with a poet and to be a writer. She achieved the first when she and the poet George Barker fell in love: although he was perpetually broke, had several children by previous lovers and couldn't marry her as his first wife refused a divorce, they were extremely happy together, had five children and finally married two years before George's death. They had five children and finally married two years before George's death.

What is the experience of black men in Britain? With continued conversation around British identity, racism and diversity, there is no better time to explore this question and give black British men a platform to answer it. Safe: On Black British Men Reclaiming Space is that platform. Including essays from top poets, writers, musicians, actors and journalists, this timely and accessible book brings together a selection of powerful reflections exploring the black British male experience and what it really means to reclaim and hold space in the landscape of our society.