The Invention of Essex (Hardback)

The Making of an English County

The secret history of England's most notorious county

'A deeply sensitive and engaging portrait of a misunderstood county and its people' Financial Times, 'Books to Read in 2023'

'Celebrates the rich history and legacy of Essex' Daily Mail

'If you are interested in this remarkable microcosm of England, the book will grip you; if you aren't, it will make you realise that you jolly well should be.' Simon Heffer, Spectator

Essex. A county both famous and infamous: the stuff of tabloid headlines and reality television, consumer culture and right-wing politicians. England's dark id.

But beyond the sensationalist headlines lies a strange and secret place with a rich history: of smugglers and private islands, artists and radicals, myths and legends. It's where the Peasants' Revolt began and the Empire Windrush docked. And - from political movements like Brexit to cultural events like TOWIE - where Essex leads, the rest of us often follow.

Deeply researched and thoroughly engaging, The Invention of Essex shows that there is more to this fabled English county than meets the eye.

Publication date: 01/06/2023

£16.99

ISBN: 9781788166768

Imprint: Profile Books

Subject: Current Affairs, History & Classics, Politics & Economics, Travel & Nature

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The Invention of Essex (Ebook)

The Making of an English County

Tim Burrows

The secret history of England's most notorious county

'A deeply sensitive and engaging portrait of a misunderstood county and its people' Financial Times, 'Books to Read in 2023'

'Celebrates the rich history and legacy of Essex' Daily Mail

'If you are interested in this remarkable microcosm of England, the book will grip you; if you aren't, it will make you realise that you jolly well should be.' Simon Heffer, Spectator

Essex. A county both famous and infamous: the stuff of tabloid headlines and reality television, consumer culture and right-wing politicians. England's dark id.

Deeply researched and thoroughly engaging, The Invention of Essex shows that there is more to this fabled English county than meets the eye.

Publication date: 01/06/2023

£13.99

ISBN: 9781782837886

ISBN 10 / ASIN: B0BLF7RPGV

Imprint: Profile Books

Subject: Current Affairs, History & Classics, Politics & Economics, Travel & Nature

Reviews for The Invention of Essex

'Exceptionally well-written and intelligent ... this is a thoughtful, atmospheric book of genuine insight and erudition. I have lived in Essex most of my life, but I nevertheless learned things from it, partly because it deals so thoroughly with the part of the county I know least. Essex really is special, because of its refusal to indulge in conformity, and Burrows's book conveys the reality of the place in a way that amplifies its uniqueness. If you are interested in this remarkable microcosm of England, the book will grip you; if you aren't, it will make you realise that you jolly well should be.'

Simon Heffer Spectator

'A deeply personal book .... part-memoir, part-travelogue and part-political tract .... a lucid and erudite guide, [Burrows] is good company'

The Sunday Times

'A journey out into strange territory ... Burrows does not disappoint'

'[A] heartfelt evocation of the county ... appealingly conversational and unpretentious'

Andrew Motion New Statesman

'Richly researched and written with vim and humour, this book will change the way you see the infamous county'

iPaper

'Tim Burrows's new book celebrates the rich history and legacy of Essex'

Daily Mail

'Part-memoir, part-travelogue, and part-political tract ... thoughtful and erudite'

The Week

'Burrows is acute ... Essex deserves our attention'

National

'"Before Essex was a punchline, it was a dream," writes Tim Burrows, and he shows you the hopes and humanity of a county more often the subject of lazy stereotype. Thoroughly researched yet deeply personal, this book takes in marsh and factory, William Morris and TOWIE - all delivered with a friendly panache.'

Aditya Chakrabortty

'A love letter to a county whose variety and richness is so often overlooked because it fails to adhere to the dreary English ideal of picturesque gentility. Burrows digs deep. He meanders like a creek. Nothing is off limits. It's a stellar performance. The first picture caption sets the tone: 'Aerial view of mud''

Jonathan Meades

'An exceptional book by a lucid and sharp-eyed writer with a personal stake in his story. Burrows has a winning way of combining solidarity with critical distance, and an invigorating habit of cutting through the cliches with one sympathetic blast after another. This is Essex for the 21st century but it's also a book about England, and all the better for the fact that it absolutely refuses to be an elegy'

Patrick Wright, author The Sea View Has Me Again

'Evocative and smart ... Essex is often a prism through which England is seen, whether in terms of housing, politics, art or land ... beautifully written, with intelligence and heart''

Amy Liptrot, author The Outrun

'Tim Burrows is one of the finest and most humane writers on these islands. In The Invention of Essex he makes the familiar seem strange, and vice versa, by digging deep into his own life to tell the story of his native Essex with eloquence and verve. I can't see how anyone could fail to be delighted and enthralled by this passionate, erudite journey into the soul of the English South-East'

Alex Niven, author The North Will Rise Again

'Tim Burrows has written the most insightful, thorough, hilarious and at times poignant investigation of place, of people, of history and of belonging. I loved every page. The way Tim weaves his own family and experience into such a detailed and well-researched narrative of geography, sociology and history is masterful. I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in identity, landscape, family and the concept of home. This book deserves to do brilliantly well and will launch Burrows into the public consciousness as one of our great living writers.'

Nell Frizzell, author Holding the Baby

'A lively tour of a place everyone thinks they know, but seldom understand - and a great book about a built landscape of social mobility, both collective and individualistic - and how quickly one can curdle into the other before anyone has noticed'

Owen Hatherley, author Red Metropolis: Socialism and the Government of London

'This is a book about Essex people and how they created one of Britain's best-known and most distinctive counties. Many have moved from London, but once in Essex they have stayed there. Tim Burrows' sympathetic and vivid investigation of Essex's unique social landscape reveals that its historical roots are ancient and very modern: both are equally important. It's an addictive read'

Francis Pryor, author The Fens: Discovering England's Ancient Depths

'Burrows digs beneath the sensationalism and red-top headlines to paint a deeply sensitive and engaging portrait of a misunderstood county and its people'

'The Books to Read in 2023' Financial Times

'A roam around the history of England's most infamous county, which dispels lazy myths and reveals a fascinating array of smugglers, radicals and movements. [Tim Burrows] passionately argues that there is much more to Essex than meets the eye'

Bookseller

Tim Burrows

Tim Burrows is a journalist, who has written about society, culture and place for the Guardian, New Statesman, Vice, the Daily Telegraph, Dazed & Confused, the Quietus and Somesuch Stories, among others. A recurring subject in his work is Essex and the Thames Estuary. His Guardian longread 'The Invention of Essex' was published to widespread acclaim. He lives in Southend-on-Sea, Essex.