The History of England by a Partial, Prejudiced and Ignorant Historian90 classic titles celebrating 90 years of Penguin Books During his reign, Lord Cobham was burnt alive, but I forget what for. In Jane Austen's breezy and entirely biased telling of English history, The History of England by a Partial, Prejudiced and Ignorant Historian, Mary, Queen of Scots is a scandalously wronged victim, Elizabeth I is a wicked villain, and most historical facts and dates are cheerfully disregarded. It is accompanied here by other