What makes the English so English? Where does English national identity come from? And are the English as special as they sometimes imagine? Historian and journalist Derek Taylor goes in search of answers on a journey through space and time. He visits battlefields, churches, remote islands, a slum, and many more places which, over 1600 years, have shaped the English sense of themselves. Along the way, he finds the Vikings were more family men than sex-mad thugs. He tells how the DNA of the English is mainly German and French. He explains too how the English nearly ended up speaking French. And how the origins of parliamentary democracy, the steam engine and the internet helped form the identity of the English people. Who Do the English Think They Are? brings together a journalist's eye and a historian's incisive mind. The result is vivid, informative and often surprising. AUTHOR: Derek J. Taylor studied law and history at Oxford, before joining ITN as an on-screen reporter. He reported five wars, and spent seven months in Iran during the Islamic revolution (a time and place portrayed in the film Argo). In his later career, he worked for the BBC, then The Associated Press of America as Chief Executive of their TV division, and now lives in the Cotswolds with his wife, Maggie. SELLING POINTS: Highly topical English national identity is likely to be a hot issue over the next few years The only book on the market to chart the history of English national identity Combines history with travel Author's previous book, Magna Carta in 20 Places, sold over 2,000 copies in hardback Reaches the popular history market, by combining a light touch with accurate historical analysis 32 colour illustrations

Author Biography

Derek J. Taylor studied law and history at Oxford before beginning a distinguished career as a TV reporter. He now lives in the Cotswolds with his wife Maggie. He is the author of Magna Carta in 20 Places (The History Press, 2015).