Rule, Nostalgia

Indispensible and fascinating * The Guardian (A 2022 Book of the Year) *
A sharp new history of longing for the good old days. Hannah Rose Woods pens a rich account of all that has been lost to chauvinism and conservatism over the past decade * Tristram Hunt, Financial Times *
Rule, Nostalgia announces Woods as one of the most interesting new historians of her generation * Dan Jones, Sunday Times *
An impressive book that ranges from the 16th-century Reformation to Brexit * Financial Times (A 2022 Book of the Year) *
Hannah Rose Woods explores how illusory and contested golden ages have haunted Britain since medieval times… [An] intelligent and eminently readable book * Richard Evans, New Statesman (Book of the Day) *
A dark history of nostalgia… a timely book… Woods selects and deploys her material well, persuading the reader, in the course of an enjoyable book, that a feeling full of sweetness and sadness is also a dark and dangerous force * The Times *
Woods is a sharp, iconoclastic writer… A great book * John Harris, The Guardian, Politics Weekly UK’s summer reading list *
Eye-opening and thoughtful… Woods has a bright future ahead of her * The Telegraph *
A must read for anyone wanting to see current events and ideologies in light of the past, and understand where the roots of our sense of a nation originated * Janina Ramirez, bestselling author of Femina *
Fascinating and timely, Rule, Nostalgia is an eye-opening history of Britain’s enduring fixation with its own past * Jeremy Paxman *

Hannah Rose Woods is a writer and cultural historian. She holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge, where she taught modern British history. In 2016, she captained her college’s team to victory on the television programme University Challenge.

She has contributed articles on history, politics, and culture to publications such as the New Statesman, The Guardian, History Today, Art UK, and Elle magazine. Woods has also appeared as a contributor on various media platforms, including Dan Snow’s History Hit Podcast, Tortoise Media ThinkIns, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio 4’s Front Row, The Today Programme, The World at One, and The World Tonight. Her discussions have covered topics such as nostalgia, public history, Victorian culture, gender equality, and universities.

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