Face of Britain: How Our Genes Reveal the History of Britain [Hardcover]

by Robin McKie

Written into our facial features is a story going back generations. It is the story of who we are and where we are from - the history of Britain through war and conquest, migration and racial integration. The Channel 4 series, Face of Britain, begins with the largest ever research project into the genetic make-up of the British public. The Welcome Trust has given a GBP2million grant to Oxford geneticist Sir Walter Bodmer to take DNA samples from hundreds of volunteers throughout Britain and find tell-tale fragments of DNA that reveal the biological traces of successive waves of colonisers - Celts, Saxons, Vikings, etc. - in various parts of Britain. These traces in part determine our facial features. In effect, this project will produce a genetic map of our islands revealing where today's Cornish or East Anglians originally came from.

The project is unique in that it uses cutting edge technology to question our accepted notions of our history. Added to this, the series and the book will meld science, history and personal stories to investigate our linguistic history, our surnames and placenames and compare findings with the results of the Bodmer study. Face of Britain will be a launch pad to explore Britain's earliest history while investigating why we look the way we do.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Science, Archaeology

223 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[David Dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read account of how British appearances, names and place names are linked to our genetic history. Some parts are now out of date - DNA analysis has come a long way since the book was written - and several of the references/Weblinks are no longer available.

[Jackie O'sullivan]

Interesting stuff. As this i snow a good 10 years old I am wondering what other knowledge has come from the genetic studies they started off.

[Carol Flux · Rating 4 out of 5]

Present from Mark. Lent to Mum

[Booklovers Melbourne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very informative book, delivered in a style informal enough to satisfy a layman but without giving the appearance of 'dumbing down'. Wish it had been longer, I could have happily delved much deeper into the subject.

[Steve Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very informative book, delivered in a style informal enough to satisfy a layman but without giving the appearance of 'dumbing down'. Wish it had been longer, I could have happily delved much deeper into the subject.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the TV programme and the book was interesting....but it felt a bit lightweight