The Historical Atlas of the British Isles

Book excerpt: A visual history of the many peoples who’ve inhabited and shaped Britain, from hunter-gatherers to Celts, Vikings, Normans, and modern immigrants. This atlas covers the history of the British Isles from earliest times to the present day. The first hunter-gatherers, who crossed into what would become the United Kingdom by the land-bridge, and later followed by more familiar peoples the Celts, Angles, Saxons, Vikings, and Normans, who together would create Britain’s unique history. Each of these groups contributed ideas that shaped the lands, languages, and thoughts at the core of British identity. This story is illustrated with 150 full-color maps and plans that range across many topics, such as agricultural, political, and industrial revolutions. The expansion of the islands’ peoples across the oceans left a lasting legacy on the world, and on Britain itself. The book shows the fluctuating fortunes of the states by which Britain currently identifies itself, from an Anglo-Scottish imperium to devolved power, independence, and the often-painful process by which the modern map evolved. The forces of history and religion have often divided the islands’ peoples, but DNA unites them much more than most would realize as they continue to embrace new cultures arriving in search of refuge, opportunity, and equality.