The Last Wolf

A truly brilliant account of the happy accidents of climate and geography that are the real source of our national identity. It is compulsively readable and packed full of information, anecdote and wit – Sue Gaisford * Tablet * I will return to its insights again and again * Country Life * This is digestible, friendly, whimsical history: Winder is clearly allergic to boring history books and makes it his business not to write one – Ysenda Maxtone Graham, author of Terms and Conditions * Times Literary Supplement * An entertainingly discursive anatomy of the English character – Jane Shilling * Mail on Sunday * [Winder] weaves a fabulous tale of wolves and sheep, water and coal, rain and agriculture, industry and architecture, pinpointing qualities that grew out of our landscape * Independent i * The Last Wolf is an engaging ramble through the wool towns and open ranges of medieval England * Spectator * A provocative and lively look at what has made the English who they are * Sunday Times * Winder is at his best when tracing how one thing became another. His excellent description of the rise of Lancashire’s enormous cotton industry triggers a discussion of the slave trade and English morality … fascinating twists and turns * The Times * A glorious romp through more than eight centuries, told with humour and charm, with the same themes recurring over the ages. Highly recommended – William Hartston * Daily Express * A fascinating attempt to find the sources of Englishness … Well-crafted, reflective and quite personal, The Last Wolf is also original and deeply researched – Robert McCrum * Guardian * Winder, who in 2004 wrote a compelling book about immigration called Bloody Foreigners, expertly navigates his subject without mentioning Brexit. Yet it has a pertinent lesson for some of the more excitable Brexiteers-we have never been an island nation * Prospect * Spirited, provocative, wise, hugely entertaining – Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times *

Robert Winder was literary editor of the INDEPENDENT for 5 years. He has written two novels.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.