We’re British, Innit: An Irreverent A to Z of All Things British - Hardcover

Aitch, Iain

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0007271328 ISBN 13: 9780007271320

Publisher: Collins, 2008

Synopsis

Forget the Government's Citizenship Test – this is the real measure of Britishness.

Written in a snappy A-Z format, Iain Aitch explores all things British in a highly amusing and evocative way. Whether it's our love of fish and chips, our high regard for James Bond, the innate Britishness of red telephone boxes or the mystery surrounding white dog poo, everything you've ever regarded as being uniquely British is contained within these pages and guaranteed to bring a smile of recognition to even the stiffest of upper lips.

Test your knowledge of Britain and what it means to be British by answering the multiple choice questions at the end of the book. What kind of peas are used to make mushy peas? What were the last words of Admiral Lord Nelson? What exactly is Readers’ Wives? Were you paying attention?

With more style than Jarvis Cocker's moves and more pomp than Elgar's masterpiece, Iain Aitch celebrates all that is truly glorious about good old Blighty. A book for the entire British population - Northerner, Southerner, and even tourist and immigrant alike - this is the perfect read for someone seeking a truly British experience.

Aitch gives us the real Britain, not one filtered through the eyes of civil servants or politicians. This is the dictionary of the Britain that you affectionately know and love. From asbos to garden gnomes, Tennent's Super to tube maps, to socks and sandals and spam and Smash potato, this is the most definitive list yet created that encapsulates the sights, sounds and even smells that make Britain what it is today.

About this title

Review:

“This ‘Irreverent A-Z of All Things British’ is a humourously unflinching but affectionate look at the true state of the nation.” Nude Magazine

“Iain Aitch takes stock of the sights and sounds that truly make us who we are.” The Independent

About the Author:

Iain Aitch is a London-based writer who has written for The Observer, The Guardian, The Independent, The Daily Telegraph, The Financial Times, The London Evening Standard, Salon, The Idler and Bizarre. He is also London editor of San Francisco’s Dwell magazine. Iain’s articles for The Guardian were chosen as the best of the year in 2005 and 2006 by readers of the newspaper. He writes about a mixture of arts, travel and eccentricity, regularly looking at slices of British life. Always brimming with ideas, he is the inventor of World Phone in Sick Day and also initiated the annual London Santacon: a gathering of Santas intent on festive mayhem. Both of these events have been the subject of documentaries by Channel 4 and BBC Radio 4 respectively.

About this edition

• Publisher: Collins
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0007271328
• ISBN 13: 9780007271320
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256