Eighteen: A History of Britain in 18 Young Lives by Alice Loxton; 2025. Softcover.

At eighteen, your life is full of of what-ifs and why-nots. You have everything to look forward to – unless you’ve got the plague.

From a young Elizabeth Tudor, the orphan facing deadly intrigue at court, to a teenage Richard Burton, the rugby-obsessed son of a Welsh miner, historian Alice Loxton explores Britain’s past through the lives of eighteen figures at this crucial age.

How do you make a living in Georgian London with no arms or legs? What would you do if a world war interrupted your university studies? Eighteen invites readers to join an eclectic cast of young Britons across the nation and throughout its history, to find out what makes us who we are.

Filled with stories of royalty, explorers, writers and entertainers, Eighteen asks what lessons we can learn for modern Britain.