Finding Albion
Myth, Folklore and the Quest for a Hidden Britain - LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 2026

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I've been waiting for a book like this.

Finding Albion offers up much needed alternative national identities and stories for us to keep close and cherish. Its a timely book that helps us consider who we are and more importantly where we are going.

Hopeful and inspiring, Finding Albion is a vital quest for more authentic stories of Britain. At a time when issues of national identity are increasingly contested, Sewell's analysis is more urgently needed than ever, reminding us that our history and heritage are far more diverse and more inclusive than traditional accounts suggest, and offering the possibility of forging new visions that can belong to us all.

Essential reading for everyone with an interest in the rituals, folklore and sacred places that define the continued interest in the folk culture of these isles. Finding Albion is the book we all need in 2026, a vital quest that begins with a cuckoo's song and traverses solstices, carnivals, enclosures, the legacy of Empire, ancient megaliths, the power of community bonding rituals, and invites us to imagine (and re-imagine), a more radical, inclusive and magical way forward, while acknowledging our complex history and the ghosts of our past. Weird Walk

A deft untaming of British culture, showing its radical roots and diverse present. It left me enlightened and profoundly hopeful.

A charming wander around the folkways of Britain and some of its former colonies. Sunday Times

A profoundly inspiring, ever-moving, and at times deeply uncomfortable meditation upon the lost soul of Britain. Written with magnanimous empathy, authority and extraordinary frankness, it gleams like stars splashed across a summer-solstice sky with poetic beauty. Eschewing a poisonous obsession with monarchy, empire and soul-destroying capitalism, this personal odyssey wrests - so lyrically - the true essence of Britain from the gammon to the gay, presenting a more harmonious vision of the future in the face of forever catastrophe. Wry and impassioned in equal measure, but never sanctimonious, I loved every word and lament how petty and narrow-minded it reveals most discussions of 'national identity' to be. Haunting and magnificent. Matthew Green, author of SHADOWLANDS

I love this brilliant quest for the true spirit of Albion, with all its mischief and magic, eccentricity and radicalism. The book's promise that we can all connect with the traditions, rituals, songs and ancient places of our troubled but wondrous land - and through honesty, openness and revelry forge a brighter future together - is truly inspiring and exhilarating.

A fascinating and uplifting journey that feels urgently relevant. Finding Albion makes old traditions feel fresh and vital, tracing unexpected connections between past and present. This is a beautiful and important book.

A timely antidote to toxic national myth-making, Finding Albion complicates and challenges our understanding of the British countryside. Journeying into distant centuries which predate the grand narratives of empire, royalty and nation, Zakia Sewell explores the forgotten worldviews of our distant ancestors, generations who lived close to the land and its seasonal cycles.... her book transcends small-minded nationalisms to show that otherworldly communion with nature is a global phenomenon, a necessary and timeless desire which can re-enchant and connect us all.