The British Studies seminar at the University of Texas has been running for nearly forty years, and this is the eighth collection of lectures given to it. Since recycling is all the rage, some of the contents of this volume may be familiar to readers of various literary periodicals in which they have appeared as articles. But most of the book, which consists of lectures given between 2011 and 2013, is fresh and, more than that, stimulating.

Students participating in the seminars receive an eclectic picture of Britain. While there are some obvious subjects (Prince Albert, Sherlock Holmes, Margaret Thatcher), it is the less obvious ones that are most appealing: Andrew Roberts (an Africa