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Engel's England: Thirty-nine counties, one capital and one man
England, says Matthew Engel, is the most complicated place in the world. And, as he travels through each of the historic English counties, he discovers that's just the start of it. Every county is fascinating, the product of a millennium or more of history: still a unique slice of a nation that has not quite lost its ancient diversity. He finds the well-dressers of Derbyshire and the pyromaniacs of Sussex; the Hindus and huntsmen of Leicestershire; the goddess-worshippers of Somerset. He tracks down the real Lancashire, hedonistic Essex, and the most mysterious house in Middlesex. In Durham he goes straight from choral evensong to the dog track. As he seeks out the essence of each county - from Yorkshire's broad acres to the microdot of Rutland - Engel always finds the unexpected . Engel's England is a totally original look at a confused country: a guidebook for people who don't think they need a guidebook. It is always quirky, sometimes poignant and often extremely funny.
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 23, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
September 21, 2022
This is written for a British audience. There are quite a lot of cultural references, such as detailed cricket references, that went over my head as someone who is not British. Additionally, I imagine that the references are ones that older people would get, so I'm afraid that this limits the audience for this book. All in all, I didn't get much out of this, but I imagine there are some people out there who might enjoy this.
April 25, 2015
England is a country of many facets, and the best place to find these subtle differences is in each county. In this book Engel travels to each with the hope of find that very essence that makes that county different from it's neighbours. He visits the main cities of the counties, or particular parts that have made it famous, such as sporting grounds, or a particular food, a famous person or well know location. On the way he visits the cities that have cathedrals, as he has a personal call to light a candle in each one for his late son, who sadly died of cancer at he age of 13. It adds a certain poignancy to the journey.
Mostly this is an enjoyable book, it is stuffed full of enjoyable anecdotes and facts, and Engel tells you what he sees and experiences in each location. But interesting as it is, it did not have the same wit as a writer like Bryson. Which is a shame really as those subtle and vast differences that do exist between each county are a vast arena for humour. 2.5 Stars overall.
Mostly this is an enjoyable book, it is stuffed full of enjoyable anecdotes and facts, and Engel tells you what he sees and experiences in each location. But interesting as it is, it did not have the same wit as a writer like Bryson. Which is a shame really as those subtle and vast differences that do exist between each county are a vast arena for humour. 2.5 Stars overall.
November 18, 2015
funny and interesting travelogue of the author's trip around each of the historic counties of england
July 30, 2016
Not an out and out, cor blimey guv'nor, no holds barred, gold plated five stars but its better and more enjoyable than a four star and there isn't a half-way house.
What makes it so good? First and foremost, Engel can write. There are writers who read voraciously and writers who read occasionally. There is a huge difference. Engel is a reader of novels, journals, sports books, poetry, drama and politics. He reads well and this usually leads to good writing. It's good because Engel is fond of the country, very aware, well-informed, capable of equal measures of nostalgia and positive thinking about the future. He sees the counties as they are (essentially the book is 40 separate articles each concerning a historic English county), and as they could and (perhaps) should be. He's got forty years of good quality journalism behind him, a lifetime travelling these lanes and lines. There's a discerning eye at work and a good nose for the right contact. You need guides and informants for a book like this and this is where the current journalist comes in. The immediate comparison with this book is Bill Bryson's Road to Little Dribbling and this book monsters it. When Bryson wrote Notes from a Small Island he was still a jobbing hack with a nose for a story. Matthew Engel still is; and a very good newspaper man he is as well. (My interest in cricket has always been stronger when reading about it than watching it; Engel has long been a favourite cricket writer.)
If there is a conceit it is a simple one: travel to each of the original counties (by original I mean pre 1974 local government reorganisation) and spend long enough there to make a proper report as to how they have fared since they were buggered about with by one of the most disastrous and widely opposed pieces of legislation of the twentieth century. In some cases county identity has largely ceased to exist, in some it has grown stronger. You'd expect Yorkshire to have retained it's self pride but who would have expected Essex to have become a place to feel strong attachment to? But it has.
It's like making such a journey yourself (which is exactly what it should be). There is glory and splendour everywhere in England but so much is downtrodden and depressed. Economically depressed industrial areas that have lost their industry and had nothing invested back in, depressed farmland or prairies of wheat owned by corporations, culturally depressed towns and people looking for somebody to blame and (usually like Boston in Lincolnshire) blaming the wrong people with unfortunate results. Engel is one of the few writers who doesn't just point out that the same shops are on every run down High Street and the same big carpet, bed and DIY sheds on every trading estate. He actually measures what is lost (a huge amount) and what is gained (bugger all) by having Tesco ripping the heart out of a thousand communities.
The two final chapters in the book raise it from a very good read to an exceptionally good read. He takes London as a whole and analyses how it both dominates and is separate from the rest of the country. All the wealth is there, all the opportunities are there, many of the causes of the rest of the country's problems are there, and 80% of the working cranes in Britain are there. The final chapter goes to London's opposite: Herefordshire, where the author draws a picture of a forbidding and tragic Eden.
There have been many attempts to emulate JB Priestley's English Journey. These days they come at the rate of 3 or 4 every year. This is one of the best.
What makes it so good? First and foremost, Engel can write. There are writers who read voraciously and writers who read occasionally. There is a huge difference. Engel is a reader of novels, journals, sports books, poetry, drama and politics. He reads well and this usually leads to good writing. It's good because Engel is fond of the country, very aware, well-informed, capable of equal measures of nostalgia and positive thinking about the future. He sees the counties as they are (essentially the book is 40 separate articles each concerning a historic English county), and as they could and (perhaps) should be. He's got forty years of good quality journalism behind him, a lifetime travelling these lanes and lines. There's a discerning eye at work and a good nose for the right contact. You need guides and informants for a book like this and this is where the current journalist comes in. The immediate comparison with this book is Bill Bryson's Road to Little Dribbling and this book monsters it. When Bryson wrote Notes from a Small Island he was still a jobbing hack with a nose for a story. Matthew Engel still is; and a very good newspaper man he is as well. (My interest in cricket has always been stronger when reading about it than watching it; Engel has long been a favourite cricket writer.)
If there is a conceit it is a simple one: travel to each of the original counties (by original I mean pre 1974 local government reorganisation) and spend long enough there to make a proper report as to how they have fared since they were buggered about with by one of the most disastrous and widely opposed pieces of legislation of the twentieth century. In some cases county identity has largely ceased to exist, in some it has grown stronger. You'd expect Yorkshire to have retained it's self pride but who would have expected Essex to have become a place to feel strong attachment to? But it has.
It's like making such a journey yourself (which is exactly what it should be). There is glory and splendour everywhere in England but so much is downtrodden and depressed. Economically depressed industrial areas that have lost their industry and had nothing invested back in, depressed farmland or prairies of wheat owned by corporations, culturally depressed towns and people looking for somebody to blame and (usually like Boston in Lincolnshire) blaming the wrong people with unfortunate results. Engel is one of the few writers who doesn't just point out that the same shops are on every run down High Street and the same big carpet, bed and DIY sheds on every trading estate. He actually measures what is lost (a huge amount) and what is gained (bugger all) by having Tesco ripping the heart out of a thousand communities.
The two final chapters in the book raise it from a very good read to an exceptionally good read. He takes London as a whole and analyses how it both dominates and is separate from the rest of the country. All the wealth is there, all the opportunities are there, many of the causes of the rest of the country's problems are there, and 80% of the working cranes in Britain are there. The final chapter goes to London's opposite: Herefordshire, where the author draws a picture of a forbidding and tragic Eden.
There have been many attempts to emulate JB Priestley's English Journey. These days they come at the rate of 3 or 4 every year. This is one of the best.
October 1, 2015
A jolly, readable and very entertaining tour of England's old counties. Matthew Engel has both an eye and ear for the unusual without descending into whimsy and sentiment. A British reader will learn from the book and I might hope that others will do similarly. A quick declaration of interest; he writes well and sensibly about my own native county (Essex) which other lazier writers denigrate by cheap cliche and lazy stereotyping.
January 8, 2017
This won't be everyone's cup of tea but I absolutely loved it. Engel is a funny, insightful and fluent writer whose love for his homeland shines through every page, with the possible exception of the chapters on Bedfordshire and Huntingdonshire, which get justifiably short shrift.
February 12, 2018
Matthew Engel has written a travel book with a difference, he visits the Counties of England, telig the reader, a bit about the history that surround them, It is a fun read, making the reader, want to put on his/her coat grab a train, coach or car, and travel to each and everyone!
August 1, 2023
Entertaining and fascinating at every turn. I especially enjoyed the less obvious counties like Rutland, Westmorland and Cumberland. The latter two are now merged with a couple of bits nicked from Lancashire and Yorkshire to become Cumbria. Warmly recommended if you're interested in the nooks and corners of England.
July 14, 2017
Simple concept for a book. Each of England's traditional counties gets a chapter of between 15-30 pages. The author travels to the county and describes the character behind it, rather than a list of facts and key towns. There is a visit to light a candle to his dead child in each cathedral. There is rather a lot on Cricket. It is always warm, funny and interesting.
I knew nothing of Engel before the book but have learned of his Journalistic background, where he has homed his qualities of a great author. This could have been a dull book but the quality of writing is so good, you simply want to plough through it and read about just one more area.
A joy to read. I need to find similar books for France. And Italy.
I knew nothing of Engel before the book but have learned of his Journalistic background, where he has homed his qualities of a great author. This could have been a dull book but the quality of writing is so good, you simply want to plough through it and read about just one more area.
A joy to read. I need to find similar books for France. And Italy.
August 15, 2021
This book, for me, was a mixture of the frustrating and the fascinating. Frustrating because I kept wanting the author to cover more of some aspects and less of others - several paragraphs were given over to a single event whilst others were glossed over in a sentence or omitted altogether, and fascinating because of the little details of buildings, roads and landmarks that would pass unnoticed by anyone not looking for them. I spent a lot of time on Google Earth seeking out the Derbyshire car park from where the Great Trespass of 1932 set off; the tiny peninsula of Scotland, just metres wide, jutting into the Northumberland countryside as part of the idiosyncratic border between England and Scotland; and the missing hotel on Leinster Gardens in London, a mere facade at street level.
The book covers the period between 2011 and 2014 when the author decided to visit each county in England in turn, the old counties including Rutland and Huntingdonshire. It was a treat of landscapes, towns and villages both well-known and little-known, and written with wit and warmth. I loved it.
The book covers the period between 2011 and 2014 when the author decided to visit each county in England in turn, the old counties including Rutland and Huntingdonshire. It was a treat of landscapes, towns and villages both well-known and little-known, and written with wit and warmth. I loved it.
November 20, 2017
Engel has written an erudite and witty travelogue, taking the reader with him on his journey around the traditional thirty-nine English counties as defined prior to the local government reorganisation of 1974. He has managed to portray the characteristics that make each county unique without being patronising, while also highlighting the increasing problem of cultural homogenisation on England’s high streets and in its towns. My one minor criticism is that (without giving too much away) Engel’s critique of Surrey felt harsh compared to other counties. Yes there is a lot wrong with my home county (too many golf courses and NIMBYs and not enough social housing among others) but it also has stunningly beautiful countryside and a vibrant and interesting should-be city in the form of Guildford. Taste is obviously subjective and I understand that my feelings as a native will differ to those of a visitor but I say to Engel: give Surrey a chance!
May 21, 2025
There are large parts of this book which are entertaining and engaging. There are also some occasions where Engel comes across as a bit of a prat. The odd snobbish comment here, some casual description of young women's appearance there, et cetera. All completely unneccesary and quite dated. Don't get me wrong, he's no Bernard Manning, but still.
I will also offer some constructive criticism; there seems to be an assumption that the reader is aware of the changes made in 1974 to the counties of England. As someone who is much younger than that, there were occasions where I was a little lost (pun intended). Perhaps there should be further maps and/or brief descriptions of the changes at the start of each chapter.
Putting these criticisms together, it may be that I am not the target audience for this book - maybe the inteded readership is a wealthy 50+ year-old looking back with rose-tinted spectacles. Maybe that's unfair, but it's how it comes across to me.
I will also offer some constructive criticism; there seems to be an assumption that the reader is aware of the changes made in 1974 to the counties of England. As someone who is much younger than that, there were occasions where I was a little lost (pun intended). Perhaps there should be further maps and/or brief descriptions of the changes at the start of each chapter.
Putting these criticisms together, it may be that I am not the target audience for this book - maybe the inteded readership is a wealthy 50+ year-old looking back with rose-tinted spectacles. Maybe that's unfair, but it's how it comes across to me.
September 26, 2021
Matthew Engel, Guardian and Financial Times journalist and erstwhile editor of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanac spent a good part of the years from 2011 to 2014 visiting each of the traditional English counties (including those that, having fallen victim to one or other review of local government, no longer exist). Engel’s England is the substantial (500+ pages) result of his travels. Engel, with an experienced journalist’s eye for a story and an ability to get straight to the heart of the matter, has a wonderful way of capturing the character of a place in ten or twenty pages. Packed with fascinating nuggets of information, plenty of great characters and some direct authorial opinions, Engel’s England is an engaging and revealing snapshot of a richly diverse country at a very particular moment in time; before the twin upheavals of Brexit and Covid.
May 7, 2024
[1 Oct 2019] This is an interesting, enjoyable and highly readable book. It is, as you might expect, written in a series of relatively self-contained chapters. Some counties he appears to engage with more than others and it is an easy book to read. He does a good job at finding quirky and unusual characters and odd events and happenings. He visits cities, towns and villages and in each Cathedral he lights a candle. While interesting, I'm not convinced he gets much beyond the superficial and certainly doesn't encapsulates the essence of each county (if that is possible in a book of this type and size).
Other commentators accuse him of being 'a bit curmudgeonly when it comes to the necessity or otherwise of some of the administrative changes that have supposedly 'altered' English counties, but this review is not the place to debate that rather dry point'. This, to me, is the very point of his book and one which I think frankly he should have explored in more depth. The reality is that while England prides itself on its heritage it has over the years paid precious little attention to it. Over the years, but predominantly in 1974 the traditional counties, which had existed for over a thousand years, were altered for purely administrative reasons. There was a political disregard for the sense of belonging, the pride, the history and heritage, the loyalty and a lack of seriously listening to the protests that followed. The bottom line is few care who empties their dustbins, but do identify with their traditional counties. This whole mess could have been avoided if the word county was not so over used for what are essentially council-areas. Over the years, many of the newly created 'counties' which remained unloved were quietly abolished and are no-more. I would have loved more on the traditional counties, the boundaries, the history of them and fight for their survival.
A generally good, interesting and engaging easy-read book.
Other commentators accuse him of being 'a bit curmudgeonly when it comes to the necessity or otherwise of some of the administrative changes that have supposedly 'altered' English counties, but this review is not the place to debate that rather dry point'. This, to me, is the very point of his book and one which I think frankly he should have explored in more depth. The reality is that while England prides itself on its heritage it has over the years paid precious little attention to it. Over the years, but predominantly in 1974 the traditional counties, which had existed for over a thousand years, were altered for purely administrative reasons. There was a political disregard for the sense of belonging, the pride, the history and heritage, the loyalty and a lack of seriously listening to the protests that followed. The bottom line is few care who empties their dustbins, but do identify with their traditional counties. This whole mess could have been avoided if the word county was not so over used for what are essentially council-areas. Over the years, many of the newly created 'counties' which remained unloved were quietly abolished and are no-more. I would have loved more on the traditional counties, the boundaries, the history of them and fight for their survival.
A generally good, interesting and engaging easy-read book.
February 28, 2019
Hmmm, reviewing honestly I have to say that much as I loved his other book, "Eleven Minutes Late", I just didn't warm to this book at all, wishing he'd chosen other places in the counties visited.
This is a big shame as the book was a present and I'd hung on to it, feeling I ought to give it another go!!! Anyway, I did the decluttering thing and this didn't inspire and certainly not 'spark joy' . There you go!!!!!
The book has gone to my nearest Oxfam Bookshop for recycling under the 'Tag your Bag' scheme, which allows them to claim back tax on the resale, increasing the amount earned by the charity.
This is a big shame as the book was a present and I'd hung on to it, feeling I ought to give it another go!!! Anyway, I did the decluttering thing and this didn't inspire and certainly not 'spark joy' . There you go!!!!!
The book has gone to my nearest Oxfam Bookshop for recycling under the 'Tag your Bag' scheme, which allows them to claim back tax on the resale, increasing the amount earned by the charity.
February 5, 2024
I began with high hopes, which were dashed by the first chapter, on Worcestershire, written in a horribly glib magazine-ish style. The idea of a writer visiting all the traditional English counties was appealing. But when I started reading, it wasn’t only the lackluster prose that put me off, the organization was terrible – Engel disjointedly took a bus ride looking for peach blossoms, attended a cricket match, visited a cathedral to light a candle, climbed a hill for the view, and none of it seemed related to specific characteristics of Worcestershire as a county. Older books do this kind of thing so much better!
September 29, 2021
I already knew Engel's writing as he is one of the more interesting cricket correspondents of his era and this is also well written although I'm unconvinced that each county had such distinct characteristics. That said this is a harmless and gentle journey around the English counties, that admittedly I dipped in and out of rather than reading in chapter order. It is good to see Huntingdonshire rightly given its own chapter.
February 19, 2024
At 523 pages of small print took a long time to read. It was the effort though as lots small interesting stories from around England.
I had to keep messaging friends of little tit bits I knew they would find interesting.
Favourite : Thankful villages. 51 villages where all who went, came back from world war 1. Then went onto the 14 where all came back from 2 as well.
On writing this changing to 5 *
I had to keep messaging friends of little tit bits I knew they would find interesting.
Favourite : Thankful villages. 51 villages where all who went, came back from world war 1. Then went onto the 14 where all came back from 2 as well.
On writing this changing to 5 *
March 20, 2022
More a comment and description of oddities and idioscincacies of each county rather than a travel book but written so well and with such humour that I really quite enjoyed keeping delving into a county every so often. Was interesting to read about the ones I didn’t know and to compare his observations with mine on counties i did know.
September 25, 2022
I was born in Cheshire, live in Warwickshire and have most recently worked in Herefordshire and while it was interesting to read the less obvious depictions of these varied counties amongst all the others
perhaps my mistake with this book was to read it as I would a novel - all in one go. It may have been better to digest individual county chapters separately by occasionally dipping in and out.
Though abundant with little known county facts and colloquial anecdotes I just didn’t enjoy the journey as much as equivalent time spent in the company of either Bill Bryson or Stuart Maconie. In their books I felt more like I’d willingly participated in their journeys eager to see what was around the next corner whereas here I seemed to trudge through the pages increasingly less enthusiastically. Overall, the trip was not without the occasional highlight, but I’d not necessarily be keen to repeat it.
perhaps my mistake with this book was to read it as I would a novel - all in one go. It may have been better to digest individual county chapters separately by occasionally dipping in and out.
Though abundant with little known county facts and colloquial anecdotes I just didn’t enjoy the journey as much as equivalent time spent in the company of either Bill Bryson or Stuart Maconie. In their books I felt more like I’d willingly participated in their journeys eager to see what was around the next corner whereas here I seemed to trudge through the pages increasingly less enthusiastically. Overall, the trip was not without the occasional highlight, but I’d not necessarily be keen to repeat it.
January 23, 2024
Any book which highlights the Real counties gains my approval. I have deducted one star due to the author’s inclusion of the ‘county’ of London (a disgraceful act of Victorian vandalism which kick started the horrific litany of abuse our Counties would suffer over the subsequent century).
February 1, 2024
I loved this book, like comfort food, I couldn’t wait to read the the next county, Engel felt like a friend after a bit, I felt he really did find the essence of each area of England he visited and kept things moving along at a brisk entertaining pace, brilliant ….all of it
October 1, 2024
Best chapters are tightly grounded in place and time. Those which are more to do with the spirit or character of a county are more dragging. It’s also hard to read county after county without it becoming a little monotonous.
June 3, 2017
A fascinating journey to visit the historic counties of England in order to get a feel for their character. Some come off worse than others! It's given me plenty of ideas for future holidays.
May 22, 2020
Outstandingly good and thoroughly enjoyable.
August 20, 2020
Quite often depressing, but always fascinating and full of insight
March 15, 2022
I struggled, to be honest, I thought that it would have been a travelogue, at times seems to have been rushed.
That's my opinion, but others may enjoy that style of observation.
That's my opinion, but others may enjoy that style of observation.
July 31, 2022
I learned a lot about the English counties. I can't wait to visit!
May 19, 2025
Interesting book but took me a while to read as I wasn't that invested in it.
September 20, 2015
Review Title: Around the Island Empire
Counties in states in the US are most often outranked in importance by state and city governments, voting districts, census statistical areas, telephone area codes, postal zip codes, and even regional water/sewer authorities and cable television/Internet service providers. But at least they have historically consistent boundaries,unlike, as we learn from Engel's excellent turn around England, counties in that country. In 1974 Parliament passed a widely disliked law redrawing county borders for a variety of misguided reasons. While some regions acceded quietly others fought back to return to historical boundaries that go back a millennium, not just centuries. So while the old historical boundaries may no longer exist and really don't matter much anywhere, Engel has used them to organize his primer to the current state of the realm.
He visited each county (plus London) over the course of three years ending in May 2014, devoting approximately one month to each. The chapter sequence doesn't follow a logical pattern or organizing structure other than reserving for last the county of his childhood (38 Northamptonshire), his home for many years (39 London), and his current home (40 Herefordshire). A simply drawn outline map at the front shows the location of each chapter, and each chapter has a simple hand drawn map showing the central city in each county, other towns and villages, geographical entities like rivers and mountains, and key events described in the chapter. Because the visits and writing took place over three years before publication, Engel provides brief updates at the end of many of the chapters, and there have also been a few error corrections in this paperback version.
With an eye to history, both ancient and modern, regional dialect and accents, transportation anomalies and difficulties, and interesting and odd places and people in each county, this book can be read and used for multiple purposes. As a visitor who has spent a handful of months in Manchester and London, it was a great introduction both to other regions and to how Engel (and as importantly other native born citizens) perceive them. As I think about weekend trips I might like to take outside the gravitational pull of London it suggests places to try, places to avoid, and places that might be hard to get to or get around in. Native Brits could read it for the humorous opinions and asides about places they call home or have visited.
While arranged geographically with his own idiosyncratic system, I wouldn't call this a travelogue. It is really a geocentric memoir of a country that is both small enough to enable the whole to hold together and big enough to reward readers with new insights into the Island at the core of its former empire. In fact one of the biggest changes Engel describes throughout as he references similar guidebooks from decades past is the changing face of England, many of those new faces immigrants from former imperial outposts. As the population has become more multicultural, Engel describes how some regions have dealt with the changes better than others, but in general the impression is that England has handled this transition with calm and benign neglect to help diffuse what could be a divisive issue.
The other change that had started long before Engel's travels and lifetime but has accelerated with amazing speed and seemingly unstoppable momentum is the gravitational pull of population, power, money, and cultural influence into London. It is, Engel rightly claims, the world city, and he concludes with the realization that after describing all of the counties in England, without setting out to do so he had described each in comparison to London. It is an astute realization by an observant writer whose countrywide survey may help counteract that momentum and help both the new and the native know this Island empire better.
Counties in states in the US are most often outranked in importance by state and city governments, voting districts, census statistical areas, telephone area codes, postal zip codes, and even regional water/sewer authorities and cable television/Internet service providers. But at least they have historically consistent boundaries,unlike, as we learn from Engel's excellent turn around England, counties in that country. In 1974 Parliament passed a widely disliked law redrawing county borders for a variety of misguided reasons. While some regions acceded quietly others fought back to return to historical boundaries that go back a millennium, not just centuries. So while the old historical boundaries may no longer exist and really don't matter much anywhere, Engel has used them to organize his primer to the current state of the realm.
He visited each county (plus London) over the course of three years ending in May 2014, devoting approximately one month to each. The chapter sequence doesn't follow a logical pattern or organizing structure other than reserving for last the county of his childhood (38 Northamptonshire), his home for many years (39 London), and his current home (40 Herefordshire). A simply drawn outline map at the front shows the location of each chapter, and each chapter has a simple hand drawn map showing the central city in each county, other towns and villages, geographical entities like rivers and mountains, and key events described in the chapter. Because the visits and writing took place over three years before publication, Engel provides brief updates at the end of many of the chapters, and there have also been a few error corrections in this paperback version.
With an eye to history, both ancient and modern, regional dialect and accents, transportation anomalies and difficulties, and interesting and odd places and people in each county, this book can be read and used for multiple purposes. As a visitor who has spent a handful of months in Manchester and London, it was a great introduction both to other regions and to how Engel (and as importantly other native born citizens) perceive them. As I think about weekend trips I might like to take outside the gravitational pull of London it suggests places to try, places to avoid, and places that might be hard to get to or get around in. Native Brits could read it for the humorous opinions and asides about places they call home or have visited.
While arranged geographically with his own idiosyncratic system, I wouldn't call this a travelogue. It is really a geocentric memoir of a country that is both small enough to enable the whole to hold together and big enough to reward readers with new insights into the Island at the core of its former empire. In fact one of the biggest changes Engel describes throughout as he references similar guidebooks from decades past is the changing face of England, many of those new faces immigrants from former imperial outposts. As the population has become more multicultural, Engel describes how some regions have dealt with the changes better than others, but in general the impression is that England has handled this transition with calm and benign neglect to help diffuse what could be a divisive issue.
The other change that had started long before Engel's travels and lifetime but has accelerated with amazing speed and seemingly unstoppable momentum is the gravitational pull of population, power, money, and cultural influence into London. It is, Engel rightly claims, the world city, and he concludes with the realization that after describing all of the counties in England, without setting out to do so he had described each in comparison to London. It is an astute realization by an observant writer whose countrywide survey may help counteract that momentum and help both the new and the native know this Island empire better.
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