Description

From Yorkshire to Swindon, Liverpool to Norfolk, and in every corner of London, England's illustrious pub culture is celebrated with stunning photography and captivating texts by one of the country's preeminent travel writers.

"There is nothing that has yet been contrived by man, by which so much happiness is produced as by a good tavern," wrote Samuel Johnson.

Three centuries on, the English pub remains the ultimate happy place for those seeking refuge, recreation, or refreshment. But pubs today constitute a broad church, with old-school saloons and ultimate locals joined by modern reimaginings of traditional hostelries and Michelin-starred gastro-temples.

This book brings together 33 of England's finest and most distinctive inns, from Yorkshire dining destinations to Cornish beer shrines. Acclaimed photographer Horst A Friedrichs and renowned writer Stuart Husband capture these places in all their idiosyncratic glory and infinite variety: the pub as artistic statement, social hub, foodie pilgrimage site, personal fiefdom of legendary landlords and landladies, or repository of history.

But all pubs share the same time-honoured purpose: to offer the warmest of welcomes, and to lift the spirits.