Britain is experiencing an acute trauma of identity, being pulled simultaneously towards its European, Atlantic, and wider heritages. One way to understand the dislocation and collapse in consensus is by looking to Britain's rich history: its evolution, achievements, complexities, and tensions. Anatomy of a Nation explores over 800,000 years of British identity by examining 50 documents that tell the story of what makes Britain unique.

They are not Britain's most famous documents, but each reveals something key about who the British have been down the ages. A few of the documents are well known. Most are not.

The result is an anthology that offers a rich and unusual insight into the development of the British people and their sense of place in the world. In turning to the past for answers, Anatomy of a Nation puts the crisis into context and asks how we got here. Although history cannot dictate or even predict the future, its windings illuminate the paths leading to

• •and beyond
• •the current crossroads.