In Oh Joy Oh Rapture expert and enthusiast Ian Bradley explores the world of Gilbert and Sullivan over the last four and a half decades, looking at the way this "phenomenon" is passed from generation to generation. Taking as his starting point the expiry of copyright on the opera libretti at the end of 1961 and using fascinating hitherto unpublished archive material, Bradley reveals the extraordinary story of the last years of the old D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, the guardian of Savoy tradition for over a hundred years, and the troubled history of its successor. He explores the rich...

Why is there such intense interest today in the idea of 'Britishness'? Does it really matter, and what is 'Britishness' anyway? Why does 'being British' seem to be particularly valued by black and Asian Britons? And why are the traditional British values of tolerance, sexual modesty and civic generosity now most highly cherished amongst newcomers? Ian Bradley makes a unique contribution to the debate about British identity. He explains why Liverpool is the most British of UK cities, how a small village off the M6 motorway is arguably Britain's spiritual heart, and what theme parks, airport...

This book explores how the native Christian communities of the British Isles from the fifth to the tenth centuries have been idealised and appropriated by succeeding generations who have projected their own preconceptions and prejudices on to a perceived 'golden age' of Celtic Christianity.

The Call to Seriousness examines the nature and the extent of the impact which the Evangelicals made on English life in the first half of the 19th century. Two men dominated the Evangelical world during this period: William Wilberforce, who was the central figure in that celebrated group of Evangelicals, the Clapham Sect; and Anthony Ashley Cooper, the Seventh Earl of Shaftesbury, remembered mainly for championing the cause of factory workers. The author argues that the influence of the Evangelicals was, on the whole, a positive one. The Evangelicals alone did not make the Victorians what...

The Victorian values of Liberalism and nonconformity permeated all aspects of society, not excluding industry and business. This insightful study follows 10 remarkable Victorian industrialists who came from relatively humble origins and rose through hard work, inventiveness, and application to become among the richest and most influential men of their generation. Each revolutionary showed an active and practical concern for his community and employees, providing them with housing, health care, education, recreation, and entertainment. For all their good deeds, these companies were also hugely...

In Oh Joy Oh Rapture expert and enthusiast Ian Bradley explores the world of Gilbert and Sullivan over the last four and a half decades, looking at the way this "phenomenon" is passed from generation to generation. Taking as his starting point the expiry of copyright on the opera libretti at the end of 1961 and using fascinating hitherto unpublished archive material, Bradley reveals the extraordinary story of the last years of the old D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, the guardian of Savoy tradition for over a hundred years, and the troubled history of its successor. He explores the rich...

Argyll is the beautiful, wild and inspirational home of Celtic Christianity. It is the spiritual heartland of Scotland and, some would say, of the whole United Kingdom.
Until now, no-one has sought to uncover the reasons why the spiritual landscape of Argyll is so distinctively unique, rich and varied. Why is it characterised by a more gentle, liberal, mystical and liturgical Christian culture than the harsher Calvinist evangelism of the neighbouring Highlands and the Western Isles? Why has it produced such a disproportionately large amount of beautiful devotional material?
This...

Two Englishmen, racing houseboats on an Australian river.. What could possibly go wrong? Big Fish to Rubber Ducky is about mateship; the kind of mateship that is fundamentally male. The kind that must compete, constantly, whether it's in business or on the road or at the helm of a three-tonne steel houseboat on a fast-flowing river. The kind that has women shaking their heads and wondering... Do boys ever really grow up?