This is an extraordinary book with a wide-ranging exploration of the concept of fair play in Britain going back to the eighth century and Beowulf. It also perceptively considers the role of ancient Greece and Rome in forming the idea of fair play. There is a rich discussion of the idea in works by authors such as William Shakespeare, Edmund Spenser, Philip Sidney, Walter Scott, and others.

The very title of the book, however, raises a problem. Although there are perceptive discussions of fair play in Scotland, Wales, and Ireland, and extensive consideration of the use of the term in England, most of the text considers Britain as a whole. Perhaps the book would have been more accurately entitled A British Tradition? The answer is eventually yes, as the idea has been much more emphasized in Britain than elsewhere in the world. This is made plain in brief discussions of...

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