Icons of England

September 15, 2017
Say the word England and people may conjure thoughts of Big Ben, St. Paul's Cathedral, or Her Majesty the Queen, but Bryson, a native Iowan and British transplant, collected brief essays about the country's more humble delights and discoveries. One essay considers stiles, a sort of gate, yet not gate, which allows the walker to easily cross a fence. Other essays explore marrows, a squash resembling zucchini, or why so many pubs are named for the Marquis of Granby. The essay on London's sewage system is breezy, informative, and sobering. Some topics, of course, must be included, like the weather and the countryside. Because few essays are longer than three pages, readers can easily dip in and out at will or savor favorites again and again. Contributors include famous names like Kevin Spacey and former Monty Python member Michael Palin. Armchair travelers and Anglophiles will be equally pleased.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)