Before decamping after a decade in London, Theroux traveled around the British Isles on a coastal journey in 1982 -- and chatted up the natives in his inimitable, humorous, opinionated, perceptive way. This insightful book displays Theroux's occasional ill temper along with his celebrated ability to combine social history and the good old-fashioned traveler's tale.  (GBR09, $14.95)