This anthology traces the history of England from the time of Boadicea to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, and it does so in verse. It tells of the fates of kings - Richard III horseless, Charles I headless, George IV hopeless - while the voice of the common people may be heard through accounts of the Peasants' Revolt or factory songs from the age of Victoria. Work by the greatest poets - Milton on Cromwell or Swift pricking the South Sea Bubble - stands with that of lesser-known and anonymous versifiers. Descriptions of battles, exercises in scurrilous satire, patriotic ballads and many other items are brought together to create a sweeping panoramic survey, whose compiler, Kenneth Baker, has also provided an introduction and running commentary.