"After telling the two-thousand-year-old history of the British isles in The Story of Britain, a book widely hailed as "an instant classic," Roy Strong now follows up with the story of the incredible burst of creative energy which has shaped Britain's cultural identity since Roman times. In a continuous unfolding narrative, Strong chronicles the events that gave birth to a civilization of astonishing vitality as it created a culture of soaring splendor. Here he tells the story of all that is best in Britain's art and culture - its literature and music, its poetry, painting, architecture, theater, and dance. In Sir Roy's hands the tale becomes a journey of discovery from the Celts to the present day, to be shared and understood by modern readers." "Strong's story is marked by a vision which singles out the uniquely British qualities that have put their stamp on the island's culture - its love of tradition, its predilection for the eccentric and the nonconformist, and its obsession with people, rather than ideas."--BOOK JACKET.