Edited by esteemed historian Kenneth O. Morgan, this informative volume illuminates the political, social, economic, and cultural developments of the British Isles. Ten leading historians including Peter Salway, John Morrill, and Morgan himself provide a penetrating and dramatic narrative, offering the fruits of the best modern scholarship to the general reader in authoritative form, complementing their text with carefully chosen pictures and maps. A vivid, sometimes surprising picture emerges of continuous turmoil and change in every period of Britains history. By exploring the many ways in which Britain has shaped and been shaped by contact with Europe and the wider world, this comprehensive book brings the modern reader face to face with the past and thus the foundations of modern British society.

The new edition brings the story into the twenty-first century, covering the changes to British society and culture during the Blair years and examining the invasion of Iraq and its aftermath.