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The British Imagination: A History of Ideas from Elizabeth I to Elizabeth II
‘Extensive and intelligent . . . a guide to the nature of British intellectual curiosity’
Spectator
The reign of Queen Elizabeth I ushered in an unprecedented age of exploration and discovery. Over 500 years that saw ‘the greatest expansion of ideas and knowledge the world has ever seen’, a small island nation, for centuries a cultural backwater, asserted itself as a world power.
Breathtaking in scope, embracing literature, science, art, religion, philosophy and politics, The British Imagination brings to life those centuries between Elizabeth I and II, and asks the provocative question – are we still living in a British 'metaphysical empire'?
From the acclaimed author of The German Genius and The French Mind, this is a lively and deeply researched history of the most influential personalities and ideas that made modern Britain.
‘Intriguing insights about the contemporary Anglosphere . . . nuanced and appreciative’ Financial Times
‘Peter Watson has form when it comes to probing a nation’s psyche . . . Ambitious and stimulating’ Country Life
The reign of Queen Elizabeth I ushered in an unprecedented age of exploration and discovery. Over 500 years that saw ‘the greatest expansion of ideas and knowledge the world has ever seen’, a small island nation, for centuries a cultural backwater, asserted itself as a world power.
Breathtaking in scope, embracing literature, science, art, religion, philosophy and politics, The British Imagination brings to life those centuries between Elizabeth I and II, and asks the provocative question – are we still living in a British 'metaphysical empire'?
From the acclaimed author of The German Genius and The French Mind, this is a lively and deeply researched history of the most influential personalities and ideas that made modern Britain.
‘Intriguing insights about the contemporary Anglosphere . . . nuanced and appreciative’ Financial Times
‘Peter Watson has form when it comes to probing a nation’s psyche . . . Ambitious and stimulating’ Country Life
544 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 22, 2025
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About the author
Peter Watson
117 books329 followersPeter Watson was educated at the universities of Durham, London and Rome, and was awarded scholarships in Italy and the United States.
After a stint as Deputy Editor of New Society magazine, he was for four years part of the Sunday Times ‘Insight’ team of investigative journalists. He wrote the daily Diary column of the London Times before becoming that paper’s New York correspondent. He returned to London to write a column about the art world for the Observer and then at The Sunday Times.
He has published three exposes in the world of art and antiquities and from 1997 to 2007 was a Research Associate at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research at the University of Cambridge. He has published twelve books of non-fiction and seven novels, some under the pen name of Mackenzie Ford. He lives in London where his interests include theatre, opera and fishing.
Awards, Etc.
Psychology Prize
Durham University, 1961
Italian Government Music Scholarship
Rome University, 1965
United States Government Bursary “for future world leaders”
To study the psychiatric profession and its links to the administration of justice
Books of the Year
Psychology Today Magazine, 1978, for War on the Mind
Daily Mail, 1990, for Wisdom and Strength
Independent on Sunday, for A Terrible Beauty, 2000
Times Literary Supplement, for Ideas, 2005
Time Magazine, for The Medici Conspiracy, 2006
Queen’s Pardon
Copy from Patrick Meehan after I had written a series of articles which brought about his release from prison after he had been wrongly convicted of murder, 1976.
Gold Dagger – Crime Writers’ Association of Great Britain
For The Caravaggio Conspiracy, 1983
Beacon Award – SAFE Award – Saving Antiquities for Everyone
For The Medici Conspiracy, 2006
US Library Association
The Great Divide.
Emmy Nomination
‘The Caravaggio Conspiracy, 1984.
Best sellers
The Caravaggio Conspiracy
Crusade
Landscape of Lies
Sotheby’s: The Inside Story
Nureyev
Lectures
Peter Watson has lectured at the following venues:
Universities
Cambridge
Berkeley
London
UCLA
Birmingham
Georgia
Georgia
Chicago
Birmingham
Santiago de Chile
York
Madrid
Harvard
Tufts
Military Bases
Fort Bragg
Private Institutions in
Cleveland
Berlin
Chicago
Belfast
Los Angeles
New York
Washington
Boston
Palm Beach
Other venues
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum, Copenhagen
Royal Society of Arts
Rugby School
Royal Library, Copenhagen
Festivals
Edinburgh
Oxford
Dartington
York
After a stint as Deputy Editor of New Society magazine, he was for four years part of the Sunday Times ‘Insight’ team of investigative journalists. He wrote the daily Diary column of the London Times before becoming that paper’s New York correspondent. He returned to London to write a column about the art world for the Observer and then at The Sunday Times.
He has published three exposes in the world of art and antiquities and from 1997 to 2007 was a Research Associate at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research at the University of Cambridge. He has published twelve books of non-fiction and seven novels, some under the pen name of Mackenzie Ford. He lives in London where his interests include theatre, opera and fishing.
Awards, Etc.
Psychology Prize
Durham University, 1961
Italian Government Music Scholarship
Rome University, 1965
United States Government Bursary “for future world leaders”
To study the psychiatric profession and its links to the administration of justice
Books of the Year
Psychology Today Magazine, 1978, for War on the Mind
Daily Mail, 1990, for Wisdom and Strength
Independent on Sunday, for A Terrible Beauty, 2000
Times Literary Supplement, for Ideas, 2005
Time Magazine, for The Medici Conspiracy, 2006
Queen’s Pardon
Copy from Patrick Meehan after I had written a series of articles which brought about his release from prison after he had been wrongly convicted of murder, 1976.
Gold Dagger – Crime Writers’ Association of Great Britain
For The Caravaggio Conspiracy, 1983
Beacon Award – SAFE Award – Saving Antiquities for Everyone
For The Medici Conspiracy, 2006
US Library Association
The Great Divide.
Emmy Nomination
‘The Caravaggio Conspiracy, 1984.
Best sellers
The Caravaggio Conspiracy
Crusade
Landscape of Lies
Sotheby’s: The Inside Story
Nureyev
Lectures
Peter Watson has lectured at the following venues:
Universities
Cambridge
Berkeley
London
UCLA
Birmingham
Georgia
Georgia
Chicago
Birmingham
Santiago de Chile
York
Madrid
Harvard
Tufts
Military Bases
Fort Bragg
Private Institutions in
Cleveland
Berlin
Chicago
Belfast
Los Angeles
New York
Washington
Boston
Palm Beach
Other venues
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum, Copenhagen
Royal Society of Arts
Rugby School
Royal Library, Copenhagen
Festivals
Edinburgh
Oxford
Dartington
York
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
November 26, 2025
An enjoyable read through British thought, it's primary issue is that British thought has been immense. By the very nature of the subject, the reader is often dragged along - not so much Virgil guiding Dante a la The Inferno as shoving his head through a hole in the ground and saying "There's Hell. See the circles? Great, now moving on..."
That taken, it was still thoroughly interesting and did cover a lot of topics. One factor that was lightly mentioned was globalisation, and obviously international thought had a compounding influence to British thought - I feel this could have been mentioned more. Indeed, does such a thing as British thought exist, as each is built on the shoulders of diverse giants? Even "British" became loose as we entered the twenty-first century.
The best thing about this book is it's fair assessment of history based on the context of the time. Rather than the "presentism" that the author notes in the conclusion, Watson tries to give even-handed consideration on various topics, including empire and slavery. I'm particularly glad that he positively mentions Sathnam Sanghera's Empireworld, which I think also covered these subjects well.
I would recommend to anyone who has the time to give to this, but if you want specifics - history, literature, art, philosophy - then get a separate book that gives more time to each of those topics.
That taken, it was still thoroughly interesting and did cover a lot of topics. One factor that was lightly mentioned was globalisation, and obviously international thought had a compounding influence to British thought - I feel this could have been mentioned more. Indeed, does such a thing as British thought exist, as each is built on the shoulders of diverse giants? Even "British" became loose as we entered the twenty-first century.
The best thing about this book is it's fair assessment of history based on the context of the time. Rather than the "presentism" that the author notes in the conclusion, Watson tries to give even-handed consideration on various topics, including empire and slavery. I'm particularly glad that he positively mentions Sathnam Sanghera's Empireworld, which I think also covered these subjects well.
I would recommend to anyone who has the time to give to this, but if you want specifics - history, literature, art, philosophy - then get a separate book that gives more time to each of those topics.
Displaying 1 of 1 review