Britain possesses a literary heritage which is almost unrivalled in the Western world. In this lavishly illustrated volume, the richness, diversity, and continuity of this tradition are explored by a group of Britain's foremost literary scholars. It covers the whole range of English literature from Anglo-Saxon times to the present day with contributions from eminent scholars and writers in their respective periods. Generously illustrated in colour and black and white the pictures were chosen to illuminate and supplement the text. Written for both the student and the general reader. It includs helpful maps, detailed chronology, reading lists and a comprehensive index. At the heart of the volume towers the figure of Shakespeare, who is accorded a special chapter to himself. Other major figures such as Chaucer, Milton, Donne, Wordsworth, Dickens, Eliot, and Auden are treated in depth, and the story is brought right up to date with discussion of living authors such as Seamus Heaney and Edward Bond. The contributors: J.A. Burrow, John Pitcher, Philip Edwards, Brian Vickers, Isobel Grundy, Claire Lamont, Andrew Sanders, Bernard Bergonzi, and Martin Dodsworth.