Books to Read Before Going to England
Concluding Updated on February xiv, 2022 past Maggie McKneely
Planning a trip to England, Scotland, Wales, or somewhere thereabouts? These are the 17 best books about the Great britain to read before your trip!
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Best Books about the UK to Read Earlier Your Trip
Few places are home to as many classic novels as the United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland. Where would the modern-day romance genre exist if Jane Austen had never given us Mr. Darcy? Or detectives if Sherlock Holmes had not first scoured the English language countryside, looking for clues? Both the early on English tome Beowulf and Tolkien's Eye Earth were birthed hither. For my generation, London's Male monarch Cross Station will forever be synonymous with a certain male child-wizard and his lightning-shaped scar. And permit'south not get out out the single about influential English writer of all time, William Shakespeare.
In brusque, y'all'll have no problem finding books that y'all should read earlier whatever trip to the United Kingdom, no affair which office yous're visiting. But as part of my ongoing series, I asked beau travel bloggers what they think are the best books about the United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland that everyone should read before a trip across the swimming. From travel guides, memoirs, classics, mysteries, and fifty-fifty rom-coms, you'll find that there'southward something for everyone on this list!
Nonfiction
Book Lover's Bucket List: A Tour of Great British Literature
The Book Lover's Bucket List is the absolute quintessential guide to the UK for all bibliophiles. In this utterly delightful travel guide, writer Caroline Taggart takes readers to literary locations all across the United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland, explaining their connection to British literature and how you tin can visit them.
Yes, this volume covers the sort of sites you'd typically recollect of visiting – authors' homes and birthplaces (similar Shakespeare'due south Stratford-upon-Avon or Jane Austen'southward Chawton business firm). But it is also chockful of locations (and tidbits well-nigh those places) that, while not on the typical tourist itinerary, were integral to the author's life, served as inspiration for their stories, or are the real-life locations of fictional novels.
Taggart explains how y'all can take a walking tour of Birmingham, where J.R.R. Tolkien grew up, and whose industrial smoky air inspired the hellscape of Mordor. Or visit the University of London's Senate House, whose imposing art deco architecture served as the real-life inspiration behind George Orwell's Ministry of Truth. The book as well features museums, such as the recently opened tribute to Roald Dahl. You can even visit the actual Birnam Woods made famous by that one Scottish play.
At that place are churches, estates (like Lyme Park, recognizable to any Pride and Prejudice fans), and small villages that are all, in one way or another, connected to British literature.
Practically every author of import in British literature is mentioned, including many recognizable names similar Lord Byron and C.South. Lewis, Keats, Wordsworth, and Dickens. Merely included are also names I had never heard of and yet played an important office in Britain's literature scene.
And perhaps most important, Caroline Taggart is an entertaining and thoroughly researched author. Every entry is both educational and witty. This is one of the best books nigh the UK for any book lover planning a trip to the Britain, or who but wants to do some armchair traveling.
Submitted by: Maggie (me!) from Pinkish Caddy Travelogue
Notes from a Small Isle
If you lot are looking for a funny book nearly traveling around Britain, you will dear Notes from a Small Isle past Bill Bryson. He is an American who has lived a pregnant part of his life in the UK. Information technology'south obvious Bryson has a special place in his heart for Britain.
In a national poll, Notes from a Small Isle was voted the book that best represents Britain. It tells the story of Bryson'southward farewell trip effectually Britain before moving dorsum to the U.s.a..
The volume starts with his render to Dover where he recounts his first few days in the United Kingdom 20 years ago. He covers all parts of the island, sharing interesting facts, his observations, and plenty of laughs. The journeying ends in some of the about remote areas of Scotland. Years later, Bryson did a like trip and wrote about it in the Road to Little Dribbling.
Afterward reading Bill Bryson's book, yous will be inspired to see more than of the U.k. than simply London. It'll requite you ideas of other cities and attractions to visit and learn almost hidden gems. Notes from a Small Island likewise gives insight into some of the peculiarities of United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland and British English that would exist helpful for those visiting the UK.
Submitted by: Anisa from Norfolk Local Guide
Scotland: A Concise History
If yous plan to visit Scotland, get a copy of Scotland: A Curtailed History. Reading this in advance will allow you to have a much richer understanding of the land and provide you with many interesting topics of conversation with locals on your trip.
Scottish history is complicated, and this volume helps the reader empathize it in context. Information technology begins with the prehistoric people who inhabited the land and concludes with modern concerns similar Brexit and the independence plebiscite. In between, we learn virtually historical topics ranging from of import figures to battles, the arts, and the economy.
This archetype by the well-known Scottish author Fitzroy MacLean was originally published in 1970. Information technology has been repeatedly updated and now concludes with three capacity roofing modernistic history past the announcer Magnus Linklater. Chapters are relatively brusk and playfully written for a scholarly topic. The book is enhanced with a map that readers volition frequently reference (especially those non from the UK), an ancestral tree of Scottish royals, and multiple illustrations.
For those who do a lot of research earlier a trip, this volume will help you effigy out what is fact and fiction in the movies, shows, and fictional books almost Scotland that you relish. Once you are traveling through Scotland, you volition detect yourself frequently remembering passages as you lot visit major cities, celebrated sites, castles, islands, and natural wonders. This background volition allow you a deeper appreciation and agreement of Scotland on your travels.
Submitted by: Erica from Trip Scholars
Scotland'southward Stirling Castle
The Old Ways: A Journey on Pes
To truly get a sense of how the U.k. came to be the powerhouse that it is today, y'all need to caput back to its roots. There's no better style to do that than to travel the roads on which the land was congenital mode back when. As most people don't have plenty time to walk thousands of miles during their vacation, you can metaphorically walk through time by listening to the stories, accounts, and interactions of Robert Macfarlane in The Old Means: A Journey on Human foot.
The Erstwhile Ways is for those looking for historical books about the Uk that don't read like a history textbook. This magical business relationship of a unique adventure dives deeps into the history, culture, and almost spiritual act of walking the one-time roads of the Britain and beyond. Starting from his hometown of Cambridge, England, every bit Macfarlane walks, yous will learn. His ponderings will teach y'all some of the lesser-known stories of these ancient roads and take you on a journey through the nation'south most remote hills and forgotten paths.
And so earlier y'all programme your holiday in the United Kingdom, take an interesting geographical tour with Macfarlane to find some new, off-the-track destinations to add to your itinerary aslope the big hitters like London and Edinburgh. Yous never know, you might merely be inspired to have a walk yourself!
Submitted past: Yulia from Miss Tourist
Imagined London
Novelist Anna Quindlen is famous for her novels as well as her New York Times manufactures. She fifty-fifty won a Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 1992. But her 176-page book Imagined London gets to the middle of why bibliophiles worship this city, making information technology one of the best books about the Great britain. London is the home of English literature – that is is why the book'south subtitle is "A Tour of the World's Neat Fictional City."
Long before Quindlen ever gear up foot on the city's cobblestone streets or wandered down an alley in Bloomsbury in search of Virginia Woolf, she brutal in love with London. As a young bookworm growing up in Philadelphia, she obsessively read mystery novels fix in London.
What makes this book such a charming adventure for either the armchair or actual traveler is her city roadmap. She sets out to visit all the haunts of her beloved British characters. She is in search of Sherlock Holmes'southward Bakery Street and Charles Dickens' debtors' prisons in Southwark. Any backstreet pub might exist where Adam Dalgliesh stops for a pint during a maddening search for criminals in one of P.D. James' 14 mystery novels.
Regency London is also where Quindlen searches for the fictional Lydia Bennett from Pride and Prejudice. Writer Jane Austen placed Lydia in London when she eloped with Wickham. As a huge fan of John Galsworthy'southward Forsyte Saga, Quindlen also imagines the commercial upper class climbing the social ladder in London at the plow of the 20th century.
Whether physical or imaginary, traveling along with Anna Quindlen in Imagined London is worth the journeying.
Submitted past: Terri from Female Solo Expedition
London pub
The Table salt Path
When it comes to inspiring real-life stories, you'd have to travel a very long way to observe something more moving than The Salt Path by Raynor Winn.
After learning that her husband is terminally ill, in a twist of terrible timing, Winn loses both her livelihood and her dwelling house. With nowhere to go, the couple decides to commence on England's S Westward Declension Path, an epic trail that spans 630 miles from Somerset to Devon.
Unlike other risk-style books, this wasn't a journey born out of a peckish for unchartered horizons but rather out of necessity. Neither had always attempted anything like the journey before and were physically unprepared. As the pair of them began their new lives on the trail, they were shocked by the challenge of life in the wild.
The result is a hugely inspirational tale that shows that through the power of nature, we tin can kickoff once more. Information technology is 1 of the best books about the Uk, partly because it showcases one of England'due south most beautiful areas but also because it teachers us to appreciate life'south most elementary pleasures.
Submitted past: Sheree from Winging the World
Fiction
Ruth Galloway Mysteries
When visiting the U.k. and embarking on a motorbus tour from London to Stonehenge, I was so pleased to observe the Ruth Galloway Series by Kelly Griffiths. This series is for those readers who dear a twist on a traditional detective novel!
Ruth is a forensic archeologist who doesn't intend to solve murder mysteries but, all the same, her expertise is needed time and again. I love that these books highlight a strong, intelligent female person, who is also vulnerable and human. Ruth is independent and successful, but besides insecure and finding her way.
Each book in this serial intertwines history with mod forensic science and a slightly different setting is used for each book. While I oasis't actually visited the Saltmarsh, a key setting throughout the series and where Ruth lives, I feel as though I have traveled through it extensively and could choice a rubber passage through information technology.
For me, as I toured Stonehenge, my vivid imagination stepped into Ruth Galloway's shoes every bit I imagined all of the secrets lying underfoot. This serial not just inspired me to visit ancient ruins and educated me most other destinations off of the main "tourist" path, merely it helped me to appreciate the rich history of the English language people in a deep manner. The novels bring ancient history to life and is i of the all-time modern fiction books near the United kingdom.
Submitted by: Julie from KoskersIdlewild
Stonehenge
Bridget Jones's Diary
If y'all're heading off on a Great britain road trip someday presently, and then a must-read before your trip is Bridget Jones'due south Diary by Helen Fielding.
Published in 2001, this modernistic take on beingness single in London remains as relevant today as it did when first published. The very likable Bridget is the child of stiff upper lip type middle-class parents who live in the Home Counties (the counties surrounding London). You just know she'southward been well brought up, but Bridget's life is a disaster!
She throws herself into all manner of situations with the sole purpose of finding "the one." Bridget lives in a modest flat in south London and regularly heads out and nearly in the capital, describing and detailing the metropolis life in laugh-out-loud style.
Bridget starts an affair with her lothario boss, who she really falls for. They even accept a country hotel mini-pause together, a pinnacle of relationship status in Bridget's eyes.
A sub-plot runs throughout the whole volume around Mr. Darcy (a take on the character of the same name from Jane Austen'southward Pride and Prejudice). Our Mr. Darcy is also a "posh boy" who was brought upwards near Bridget in a land pile and is now a barrister. At that place is a frisson between them throughout the book which we believe to be mutual dislike…
From here, any more plot details would be a giveaway then you lot'll simply take to read the volume and larn about quirky British traditions, how to swear (expletive) properly, and why London is one of the all-time cities in the world. For one-act fans looking to learn about mod British civilisation, this is ane of the best books about the UK you tin can read.
Submitted by: Izzy from The Gap Decaders
The popular film version of Bridget Jones' Diary
Wuthering Heights
"Wuthering" is a Northern English give-and-take meaning "wild, exposed, and storm-blown." And if you visit some of the rugged landscapes in rural parts of Britain, it's easy to run across why Emily Brontë named her archetype novel Wuthering Heights.
Published in 1847, the volume tells the story of Heathcliffe, a mysterious orphan, taken in by the Earnshaw family. He grows up favored by Mr. Earnshaw just is bullied by Earnshaw's son Hindley. Gradually, Heathcliffe grows close to Earnshaw's daughter, Catherine.
When Hindley inherits the estate, he forces Heathcliffe into the part of a servant. Catherine marries a neighbor, Edgar Linton, despite her love for Heathcliffe. Their tale of unimaginable love, suffering, and revenge wreaks havoc on their families. Set against the dramatic backdrop of the Yorkshire moors, this lone and trigger-happy mural enhances the anarchy and the tragedy of the novel.
Wuthering Heights is a archetype British novel that any traveler to the country should read. But especially if you are planning a visit to Yorkshire, where the Brontë sisters grew upward. Yous tin visit their dwelling house village of Haworth, which has changed piffling since their lifetime. You can even walk to Top Withens, the farmhouse that supposedly inspired the novel, and experience only how "wuthering" the Uk can be!
Submitted by: Hannah from Become Lost Travel Weblog
Top Withens
Jane Eyre
If yous're looking for the perfect book to ship you lot to the wilds of Yorkshire, then look no further than Charlotte Brontë's Gothic classic, Jane Eyre. Published in 1847 under the pseudonym Currer Bong, this bildungsroman tells the story of the eponymous main grapheme every bit she navigates a troubled childhood and a placement equally a governess in a remote Yorkshire estate.
The novel follows Jane every bit she grows up in an calumniating household, is sent to a grim boarding schoolhouse, and eventually takes a role as a governess to the daughter of the mysterious Mr. Rochester at the haunting Yorkshire estate of Thornfield Hall. As the novel progresses, information technology becomes articulate that both Rochester and Thornfield itself concur secrets and things are not every bit they seem.
Famous for the love story between Jane and Rochester and for the "crazy wife in the cranium" trope, Jane Eyre's descriptive language can also make y'all feel equally if you're in the haunting moors of the north of England and is the perfect read to accompany any trip to the United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland. Covering themes similar mental illness and feminism (though still within the confines of the Victorian menstruation in which it was published), it is also an important piece of literary history in which to read.
Submitted by: Maggie from Books Like This One
Pride and Prejudice
One of the best books to read before visiting the UK is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. This archetype novel, originally published in 1813, transports its readers back in time.
Elizabeth Bennet navigates the world of marriage with money, manners, first impressions, and teaching while asserting her independence. Elizabeth Bennet is a relatable character that has withstood the test of fourth dimension – an independent thinker focused on her personal happiness and growth. Jane Austen'due south writing maneuvers seamlessly through storytelling and realism.
While most well known for being a dear story, Pride and Prejudice has been used as a soothing story throughout history. Prime Government minister Winston Churchill oftentimes cracked the volume open in times of stress, and soldiers returning from Globe War II were often given the novel to help calm nerves. The book is soothing considering Austen paints a peaceful picture of the English countryside – filled with rolling hills of green, beautiful land gardens, and of course, elegant parties.
Before visiting the UK, get wrapped upward in the lives of the Bennets in 18th century England! While you visit, take a moment and remember the people who traveled and lived there before y'all arrived. Their history is what makes the UK a great identify to visit.
Submitted by: Pamela from Directionally Challenged Traveler
The Lying Game
If thrillers are more your literary style, then 1 of the best books about the Uk that should exist on your listing is The Lying Game by Ruth Ware.
After a dog pulls a wayward bone out of a tidal estuary known every bit the Reach, Fatima, Thea, and Isa receive the iii-word text from Kate they wished they never would – "I need you." The four friends were inseparable at Salten House, their boarding school on the cliffs of the English language Aqueduct, until the Lying Game got a picayune too serious.
The game involved telling various lies to young man students and faculty, merely the one rule was that they never prevarication to each other. The girls parted ways later on they were expelled in their final year of school following the mysterious death of the schoolhouse's art teacher and haven't seen each other since. Now, fifteen years after, the same is catching up with them and they must return to Salten to sort everything out.
If you're a fan of thrillers, this is a must-read before visiting the UK, especially the English language countryside. While you likely won't be encountering anything quite so serious, it volition become you in the mood to visit or be the perfect companion while you're in that location. This is also a great choice if you want a thriller that doesn't take much gore. It's sure to have you wanting to encounter the marshes and local pubs along the way.
Submitted by: Megan from Red Around the Globe
The Hound of the Baskervilles
The Hound of the Baskervilles is definitely one of the best books to read before visiting the U.k.. One of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous works, it features the detective Sherlock Holmes on 1 of his most eerie mystery adventures.
The Hound of the Baskervilles is about a murder that is allegedly perpetrated by a supernatural hound. Sherlock Holmes and his assistant, Dr. Watson, must travel to the English countryside to separate fact from myth and solve the murder. Was it really the work of the supernatural, or was the cause something more than devious and human?
Written in 1902, the book features the wild West Country region of England, especially Dartmoor, which is one reason that makes this book great to read before going to that part of the United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland. Doyle paints a vivid picture of the rugged, boggy, and eerie nature of England'southward moors.
Sherlock Holmes is also an extremely famous figure in British literature and if yous go to London, there are many tours and attractions y'all can do that involve the detective. By reading one of the best-known Holmes stories, these places in London will be much more than fun and interesting to you! Also, there is a pub in London chosen "Sherlock Holmes," which is one of the most instagrammable places in London.
Submitted by: Dymphe from Dymabroad
A Tale of Two Cities
Perhaps no classic British writer is as well-known every bit Charles Dickens. He penned some of the almost famous English stories, and what made him so popular was that he wrote nigh the poor working classes, rather than only about the rich.
Such was the case with one of his almost famous and best-selling novels, A Tale of 2 Cities. Even if you never read it, you are probably families with its first line: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." This captures the duality of the residuum of the book, taking place in the tardily 1800s when the rich were in the "all-time of fourth dimension" and the poor were in the "worst of times."
The story takes identify in London and Paris during the time that led up to the American Revolution and the French Revolution with its Reign of Terror and therefore portrays the conditions at a fourth dimension when the poor were forced to rise up confronting the rich. While not a work of non-fiction, this book still captures an accurate portrayal of the tensions at the time between the ii classes, making information technology a great slice of historical fiction.
So, if you're looking to larn more than about the history of the UK in the late 1800s before traveling there, you might enjoy reading this piece of classic literature more than a not-fiction volume. A Tale of Two Cities is 1 of the best books that you can "travel through."
Submitted by: Natalie from Voyage Scribe
Outlander
The Outlander series of books are historical fiction (and romance) novels written past writer Diana Gabaldon. At present, at that place are 8 books in the series with a 9th in the process of being written.
The main character across the serial is Claire Beauchamp Randall. In the first volume, nosotros follow immature Claire as she travels to the Scottish Highlands with her hubby, Frank. Ane day while out walking, Claire walks into an ancient stone circle and accidentally travels back in time.
From the 1940s, Claire travels back to 1700s Scotland and meets and falls in dear with Jamie Fraser. The remaining books embrace their life together as Claire travels dorsum and forth through fourth dimension.
The books (and TV series) are a fantastic way to learn nigh Scottish history, including the events around the boxing at Culloden in 1746 when the Jacobite army of Charles Stuart was defeated past the English.
The books depict the rugged terrain of the Scottish Highlands and provide perfect preparation for anyone planning to visit this beautiful expanse of the Great britain.
After reading the books, fans will exist interested to know that in that location are numerous Outlander-themed tours bachelor to many of the moving picture locations (and places mentioned in the books). These include visits to locations such as Glencoe (a must on any Scotland itinerary), Culross, Douane Castle, and Culloden Battlefield.
Submitted by: Tracy from UK Travel Planning
Glencoe in the Scottish Highlands
Poldark Saga
The action in Winston Graham's epic historical Cornish saga, Poldark, takes place betwixt 1783 and 1820, with the protagonist, Ross Poldark, returning from the American War of Independence to his home in the southwest of England. Nonetheless information technology isn't quite the homecoming he had hoped for. Fearing him dead, his sometime lover, Elizabeth, is set to ally his cousin, and the family copper mines at present lay derelict.
Over the course of the side by side few years, the British Regular army officer sets near making a proper name for himself one time again in the local community. He aims to restore his family names and fortune through mining, a trade that has fabricated Cornwall famous. Indeed, the landscape today is brindled with ruined mines, which are very photogenic and fun to explore.
The books chart his battles with unscrupulous aristocrats and the police force during the turmoil of the 18th century. The activity takes place in locations throughout Cornwall, and anyone reading the books will exist able to recognize where many of the scenes played out.
The rich descriptions of wild landscapes and rugged coastline volition have you yearning to travels to this countryside idyll and go booking those flight tickets straight away, making it 1 of the best fictional books about the UK. In that location are lots of interesting things to practise in Cornwall, and knowing a chip of background surrounding the places you visit, thanks to reading Poldark, volition make your experiences all the more rewarding.
Submitted by: Heather from Conversant Traveller
A mine in Cornwall
Shetland Island series
When people think of Great britain, they tend to think of the mainland. Even so, Great britain has a lot of islands. A couple of years ago, we were lucky enough to continue a prowl effectually United kingdom and visit some of the Scottish islands. The Shetland Islands, the location for Anne Cleeves' acclaimed murder mystery series of the same proper noun, consists of more than 100 islands and is closer to Norway than mainland Scotland.
The 8 novels in the Shetland Isle series well-nigh the Shetland-based detective Jimmy Perez have recently been reissued with smart new covers. Her beloved of the islands and their flora and fauna shine through. Readers will larn almost the islands' past, their festivals such as the Viking festival of Up Helly Aa in midwinter, and the long days of summer. She also writes about the changes that the discovery of oil in the North Sea and the arrival of the internet brought to these remote islands.
The BBC series Shetland is based on Anne Cleeves' books, which take won several awards and are very well written. The nighttime murder mysteries capture the claustrophobia of living on a pocket-sized island where everyone knows everybody else's secrets.
Submitted past: Ann from The Platinum Line
Shetland Islands
Other Academic Posts in the Series:
Best Books to Inspire Midwest Travel
Best Books About Italy
Books about Greece
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Source: https://www.pinkcaddytravelogue.com/best-books-about-the-uk/
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