Dear Student,
You perhaps speak English and a very good English - and long for possessing an even better command of this language, which is a goal not so difficult to achieve - up to a certain extent.
But language skills in themselves, however praiseworthy they may be, are not enough for the mastery of a language - you need a little more. Besides the everyday language you learn from lyrics, films, cartoons as well as at school, and your large vocabulary acquired from the above sources and some computer games and maybe the original version of Harry Potter as well, you should also know something about the culture and civilisation that have formed this language.
With this book we would like to help you get an insight into the British English history and literature up to the last century, with the hope that it will arouse interest in further reading and encourage you in searching for more. It consists of two parts, the first inviting you to short walks in history; the second in literature. As no anthology can ever be complete, this modest compilation also gives you merely direction signs to guide you in pursuit of (more) knowledge, to which we wish you everything you need: time, patience, love and thirst.

Katalin Kolozsváry and Zsolt Orbán