Mark Easton's Britain Etc. looks at the UK through its relationship to 26 subjects - one for each letter of the alphabet. From Alcohol, Beat Bobbies, Cheese and Dogs through Immigration, Justice, Knives and Murder to the Queen, Umbrellas, Vegetables and the Zzzz of a well-deserved rest, the book's meticulously researched but accessible essays map the back-story of contemporary Britain. With each lettered chapter, the reader is invited to look at the United Kingdom in a new way: standing back to see our small islands in a global or historical context, and then diving down to scrutinise vital details that may be overlooked. Taken together, the essays reveal a Britain that cannot be seen through the prism of daily news or current affairs. A park, a wedding, a beggar and a carrot all take on new significance once you have read Britain Etc. As the UK welcomes millions of visitors to its shores for the Olympics and the Diamond Jubilee celebrations, this is a book that offers insight into the psyche of Britain; a nation's obsessions, prejudices, values and idiosyncrasies. What sort of place is it, what are the natives like, and how did we get to where we are?

马克-伊斯顿的《英国等》通过它与26个主题的关系来观察英国--每个字母一个。从酒精、警察、奶酪和狗，到移民、司法、刀具和谋杀，再到女王、雨伞、蔬菜和当之无愧的休息，这本书的文章经过精心研究，但易于理解，描绘了当代英国的背景故事。每一章都邀请读者以一种新的方式来看待英国：站在全球或历史背景下看我们的小岛，然后潜下心来仔细研究可能被忽视的重要细节。这些文章合在一起，揭示了一个不能通过每日新闻或时事的棱镜来看待的英国。当你读完《英国》之后，一个公园、一场婚礼、一个乞丐和一根胡萝卜都有了新的意义。在英国欢迎数以百万计的游客到其海岸参加奥运会和钻石庆典之际，这本书提供了对英国心理的洞察力；一个国家的痴迷、偏见、价值观和特质。这是一个什么样的地方，当地人是什么样的，我们是如何走到今天的？