Guardian calls Hensher's three-century novel survey 'a masterpiece of criticism'

The Guardian reviewed Philip Hensher's "A History of the Novel in Britain" on 12 August 2026, headlining it "a masterpiece of criticism." The 704-page Pelican Books hardback traces English fiction from Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe" (1719) onward. Hensher is a working novelist, not an academic — a rare profile for a survey of this scope. Penguin Australia lists publication for 1 December 2026.