An inventive new look at the entwined histories of Britain and Ireland’s nations – and the people who have called them home.

Brian Groom, author of the bestselling Northerners, reveals a colourful and often-contested story of the Celts, Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, Normans and others who have occupied these islands, along with their culture, languages and passions.

In his compulsive and hugely enjoyable narrative, Groom explores the role of religion and the British Empire, international diasporas and internal migration, gender relations and war.

With forays into popular culture, sport, music, language, literature, art and more, These Isles stretches from 800,000-year- old footprints on a beach in Norfolk to the vicissitudes of the early 21st century. It offers a uniquely rich and kaleidoscopic vision of shared stories of people across Britain and Ireland.