Hodder Press lands Sewell's Finding Albion after 'heated' eight-way auction

Hodder Press has triumphed in a “heated” eight-way auction to win broadcaster, writer and DJ Zakia Sewell’s first book Finding Albion: A Search for New Visions of Britain.

The book follows on from Sewell’s BBC Radio 4 series “My Albion”, which aired in 2020 and in which she explores the songs, stories and symbols of British folk culture.

Editorial director Anna Baty bought UK and Commonwealth rights from Carrie Plitt at Felicity Bryan Associates and will publish the book as a lead title for the Hodder Press list in spring 2026.

The synopsis says: “From an early age, Zakia has been obsessed by British folk culture and mythology. A mixed-race kid growing up in Hounslow, she mixed grime and R&B with a passion for pagan rites and stone circles. This ancient vision of Britain, symbolised by the idea of Albion, had a pull on her that stories of empire never did, not least because those more recent histories involved violence perpetrated against her ancestors."

In Finding Albion, Sewell "goes in search of stories beyond the tired fables of war and empire to look for a national identity that could connect us to our deeper past and to each other", the publisher said. "She meets people of colour who are reclaiming pagan traditions, traces a new version of Cecil Sharp’s folklore and investigates the use of blackface in Morris dancing, ultimately asking: does the idea of Albion hold the possibility of a more inclusive and united Britain?”

Sewell said: “We are in desperate need of new stories about Britain. Stories that can carry the weight of our history without eclipsing all hope for our future. Stories that can unite an increasingly divided country and remind us of what we share. Finding Albion is for readers out there who, like me, are yearning for a connection to this ancient land and for a sense of identity beyond the toxic myths and symbols of empire.

"I can’t wait to share my quest for Albion with readers and am delighted to be embarking on the journey with Hodder Press.”

Baty added: “For many of us, the idea of Albion conjures up a romantic vision of the past – a pre-industrial, pre-colonial time when people were in tune with nature’s seasons and cycles, free from the conflicts of capitalism, Christianity and colonialism. It’s no coincidence that today we’re seeing such fast growth of shamanism, and more and more people identifying as pagans and wiccans across the world. I’m beyond excited to be bringing Zakia’s singular and mesmerizing vision of Britain to such a wide range of readers and listeners, and to publish Zakia’s alchemical writing on the Hodder Press list.”