At 18, your life is full of possibility. You have everything to look forward to -- unless you've got the plague. In this unconventional and witty history, award-winning writer and broadcaster Alice Loxton delves into Britain's past, exploring the country though 18 notable figures at that most formative of ages -- 18-years-old. From a young Empress Matilda, already changing the fate of nations, to teenage Richard Burton, the rugby-obsessed lad who grew up in a Welsh mining town, each journey unveils a different era of Britain. Irreverent and full of fascinating tidbits (did you know Chaucer began as a scantily clad pageboy?), Loxton reveals what we can learn from the way a society treats its young -- about its values and its foibles.