1
of
1
The British Imagination
A History of Ideas from Elizabeth I to Elizabeth II
Brief Description
‘Extensive and intelligent . . . a guide to the nature of British intellectual curiosity’ Spectator The reign of Queen Elizabeth I ushered in an unprecedented age of exploration and discovery. Over 500 years that saw ‘the greatest expansion of ideas and knowledge the world has...
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK
Please add to wishlist to be notified when back in stock
Sorry, we're currently out of stock of The British Imagination. Please add to your Wishlist and we'll send you an email as soon as it's back in stock.
Latest News
The Hunger Games: Why it is one of the greatest YA series of all time
I absolutely LOVE ‘The Hunger Games’, and with ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’ arriving in New...
New Hero Alert! Meet Renee, Our New Warehouse Sidekick!
Meet Renee, one of the newest members of our Book Hero warehouse team! A keen...
The Story to Screen Report - 6/11/2026
It's another exciting week in the world of book-to-screen adaptations! From major casting announcements and...
The Lord of the Rings at Book Hero: There and Back Again… And Again
Our very first sale was an illustrated copy of The Hobbit, and our Tolkien collection...
A Little Bit of Magic: Building the Rolife Magic Fantasy Corner
There's nothing quite like spending an evening building a little bit of magic! Last weekend,...
See moreThe third in Peter Watson's spiritual trilogy, including THE GERMAN GENIUS and THE FRENCH MIND: a masterful and epic intellectual history of Britain
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
still learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Description
‘Extensive and intelligent . . . a guide to the nature of British intellectual curiosity’ Spectator
The reign of Queen Elizabeth I ushered in an unprecedented age of exploration and discovery. Over 500 years that saw ‘the greatest expansion of ideas and knowledge the world has ever seen’, a small island nation, for centuries a cultural backwater, asserted itself as a world power.
Breathtaking in scope, embracing literature, science, art, religion, philosophy and politics, The British Imagination brings to life those centuries between Elizabeth I and II, and asks the provocative question – are we still living in a British 'metaphysical empire'?
From the acclaimed author of The German Genius and The French Mind, this is a lively and deeply researched history of the most influential personalities and ideas that made modern Britain.
‘Intriguing insights about the contemporary Anglosphere . . . nuanced and appreciative’ Financial Times
‘Peter Watson has form when it comes to probing a nation’s psyche . . . Ambitious and stimulating’ Country Life
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781398513914
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 09 April 2026
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Simon & Schuster Ltd
Illustration: none
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 32.0mm
Width: 130.0mm
Height: 198.0mm
Weight: 250g
Pages: 544
About the Author
Peter Watson is a journalist, television presenter and historian of ideas. He was a senior editor of the Sunday Times, New York correspondent of The Times and a columnist for the Observer. He has written for multiple publications, including the New York Times and Spectator. His books, which have been translated into more than 25 languages, include Ideas: A History from Fire to Freud, The German Genius, The French Mind and Convergence: The Idea at the Heart of Science.
Also by Peter Watson
View all-
20% offThe French Mind
‘Majestic, ambitious’ Literary Review We are endlessly fascinated by the French. We are fascinated by their way of life, their creativity, sophistication, and self-assurance, and even their insistence that they are exceptional. But how did France become the country it is today, and what really sets it apart? Journalist and historian Peter Watson sets out to answer these questions in...Paperback$3600Usually:$4500Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
The German Genius
The German Genius by Peter Watson is a sweeping and comprehensive chronicle that delves into the profound intellectual, cultural, and scientific accomplishments of Germany from the mid-18th century to the rise of Adolf Hitler in 1933. This masterpiece offers a riveting narrative that not only illuminates the extraordinary contributions of German thinkers, artists, and scientists but also examines how these...Paperback$3299Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
11% offIdeas
Ideas by Peter Watson is a profoundly ambitious and exhilarating exploration of human thought history. Spanning an impressive timeline from prehistory to the modern age, the book redefines the world's narrative through the evolution of ideas. Watson meticulously traces the origins of consciousness back over a million years, contemplating how early humans conceived their first thoughts. By examining animal behaviours...Paperback$4000Elsewhere:$5199Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
Modern Mind
Delve into the profound exploration of human thought in the twentieth century with The Modern Mind by Peter Watson. This meticulously researched work presents an expansive narrative that captures the essence of the century's intellectual evolution. Watson guides readers through a labyrinth of ideas and innovations that have shaped modern civilisation, from groundbreaking scientific theories to powerful philosophical doctrines and...Paperback$4800Elsewhere:$5900Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
The French Mind
‘Majestic, ambitious’ Literary Review We are endlessly fascinated by the French. We are fascinated by their way of life, their creativity and sophistication, and even their insistence that they are exceptional. But how did France become the country it is today, and what really sets it apart? Historian Peter Watson sets out to answer these questions in this dazzling history...Paperback$3500Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks
More from History & Military
View all-
New ReleaseBehind Enemy Lines
Archie Gibson's initiation into desert warfare almost proved to be his last. Barrelling through the sand dunes at the wheel of his truck, Gibson spied a searing flash of light up ahead, the signature of a feared German 88mm gun firing ... right at him. He leapt from his speeding vehicle just before it was torn apart and turned into...Paperback$3299Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
New ReleaseThe Cauldron
How did an elderly cleric overthrow the Shah of Iran and change the world?Why did Bin Laden attack the USA - and why did the USA destroy Saddam?How did Britain and France carve up the Middle East - and why did the Kurds never get their own state? THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO THE MAKING OF TODAY'S MIDDLE EAST: A SPELLBINDING...Hardback$4999Elsewhere:$6000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
Saving Elli
One child. Two years in hiding. Three lives in mortal danger. In Nazi-occupied Amsterdam, near Anne Frank's house, another Jewish girl is hidden. Her name is Elli. Her father has been executed at Mauthausen concentration camp. Her mother is fleeing for her life. Elli is next. To save her, resistance couple Frits and Jo Hakkens must risk everything, concealing her...Paperback$3299Elsewhere:$3799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
Suicidal Empathy
The bestselling author of The Parasitic Mind shows why empathy in politics leads to civilizational collapse. What happens when a society elevates victimhood to a virtue and decides that punishment is cruel? You get the disease Dr. Gad Saad calls suicidal empathy. And the West may be terminally infected. In his new book, Suicidal Empathy, Saad unleashes a blistering critique...Paperback$3099Elsewhere:$3799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
New ReleaseThe Race to the Top of the World
The epic true story of George Mallory and Edmund Hillary and the quest to be the first to conquer Everest. A captivating story of adventure, daring, despair and triumph from Australia's favourite storyteller. Last century, two men, thirty years apart, set out to become the first to conquer the highest point in the world. Their names are synonymous with adventure...Hardback$4699Elsewhere:$6000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
Man's Search For Meaning
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl is a profound, thought-provoking memoir and psychological exploration that delves into the harrowing experiences of life in Nazi concentration camps, intertwined with the author’s groundbreaking theories on existential psychology. The book is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, offering a beacon of hope and a roadmap for finding purpose...Paperback$1800Elsewhere:$2100Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
SignedThe Chief and the Empire
The Chief and the Empire uncovers the extraordinary true tale of Te Tai Tokerau rangatira Te Pahi - the first influential Māori leader to cross the Tasman - whose curiosity about the Pākehā world forged alliances, saved lives, and ultimately cost him his own. On a visit to Sydney in 1805, Te Pahi was feted as a celebrity, building close...Paperback$3200Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
The Wager
THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER LONGLISTED FOR THE 2023 BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 'The beauty of The Wager unfurls like a great sail... one of the finest nonfiction books I've ever read' Guardian 'The greatest sea story ever told' Spectator 'I cannot think of anyone who would not love this book... It is an extraordinary true story, beautifully...Paperback$2399Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
New Release
Plunder
The last weeks of World War II on the Western Front in Europe witnessed extraordinary scenes of heroism, horror, melodrama, and pathos. In Plunder, Max Hastings presents a cast of fascinating people—British, American, and German—in a series of great events in which some distinguished themselves through wonderful deeds, others through the basest crimes. The book takes its title from Montgomery’s...Paperback$3699Elsewhere:$4500Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
Discipline
Silence is complicity, but how do we confront the cost of speaking up? Sydney, May 2021. Ashraf is an academic whose career and personal life are in freefall. Hannah is a young journalist struggling to honour the voices of her community. When a Year 12 Al-Bayinnah College student is arrested for protesting a university's ties to an Israeli weapons manufacturer,...Paperback$4000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
The Golden Menhir
Assurancetourix is entering the legendary Gallic bards' competition to win the golden menhir. But with the Romans keeping a close watch, Asterix and Obelix must protect him at all costs. Their mission? Keep him safe-no matter what... even if it means risking their own ears! First released as a book-disc in 1967, this adventure soon became a rare treasure, long...Hardback$2999Elsewhere:$3499Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
Shattered Lands
'A sparkling debut by an outstanding young historian' – PETER FRANKOPAN 'This book is a revelation … both original and important' – MISHAL HUSAIN A history of modern South Asia told through five partitions that reshaped it. As recently as 1928, a vast swathe of Asia – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Nepal, Bhutan, Yemen, Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and...Paperback$3699Elsewhere:$4500Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday
Why buy from us?
Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!
Service & Delivery
Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 190,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.
Auckland Bookstore
We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.
Our Gifting Service
Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.
History & Military lists from the team
Explore our curated lists from our heroes to find your next read!
