Being British is not about football, or winning wars, or curbing immigration (go back far enough and we're all descended from immigrants), or celebrating things like the pound, fish and chips, or a good roast dinner - all of which we either appropriated or were brought here from other countries and cultures.
Being British means realising that we, as a nation, are defined by our landscape, our beliefs and customs, our shared sense of justice and morality, our art, our music, our writing and poetry. And yes, the passing of the seasons and the effect they have on us and our prosperity too.
This book is a celebration of all of those things. It's a season-by-season almanack of customs and folklore, selected writings, poems and reportage.
If you don't feel proud to be British before reading it, you will after.
It's a glorious, fascinating, uplifting book.
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