In recent years England has had an unmistakably upbeat air. Though rail travel is expensive (years of under-investment have made London's chaotic transport system the most expensive in the world, while it is often cheaper to drive across the country than to take the train), England, with its taste for both nostalgia and innovation, remains a very attractive destination. What other country manages to be both deeply conservative and richly multi-ethnic? From Diana memorial shops to the dissected livestock of its "Sensation" art shows, England's appeal lies in its contradictions, "in the tension between its inertia and its adventurousness".

The Rough Guides set out to "do something different", providing practical information and an insight into contemporary culture, mixing hard fact with irreverent humour. Aimed at independent travellers of all ages on all budgets, the guides are periodically updated in response to letters from its broad readership. England: the Rough Guide includes maps, travel and accommodation guides, several pages of glossy photographs and a "Contexts" section containing a fascinating history of England.--Daren King