Sam Leith Sam Leith

The bigger picture

Sam Leith has been enjoying two very different histories of England

  • The History of England, Volume I: Foundation

    Peter Ackroyd

    Macmillan, pp. 464

  • A Short History of England

    Simon Jenkins

    Profile, pp. 384

Already a subscriber? Log in

This article is for subscribers only

Get a free bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label when you subscribe to The Spectator for just £12 in our Black Friday sale

  • Free bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label whisky, worth £30
  • Unlimited access to our website and app
  • Enjoy Spectator newsletters and podcasts
  • Explore our online archive, going back to 1828

Read next

Trending

Michael Henderson

So long, Bob Dylan

From Spectator Life
‘We have heard the chimes at midnight, Master Shallow.’ Bob Dylan took his leave of our shores last week at the Royal Albert Hall, with 5,000 people cheering him on a victory lap. Dylan is 83 and too frail to stand unsupported for long. He occasionally needs notes for his lyrics, but he will never

More on book review

Also by Sam Leith

Latest

Comments

Black Friday sale: Get 10 weeks for just $1

Unlimited access to the The Spectator, online and via the app

Already a subscriber? Log in