[A] highly entertaining, informative new study - observant and lightly nostalgic ... With wit and scholarship, Fort shows us how lidos, though inspired by quaint notions of what 'continental' swimming must be like, have an intensely British design.

The Spectator

Entertaining ... Fort, whose wry prose style is jauntily readable, has scoured the archives of local newspapers for funny or odd lido stories, for arguments among aldermen and grand gestures by eccentric philanthropists. He has a feeling for the spirit of the historical past as well as its hard facts.

Literary Review

A sympathetic, heartfelt narrative

The TLS

Engaging ... These monuments to optimism still inspire a singular "intensity of devotion"

Country Life

All is not lost, for here – with his trunks rolled up in his towel – appears Tom Fort to add an enlightening look at another great British way of life.

Best of British

Tom Fort has a unique knack of finding new ways to reflect Britain back to ourselves and Lido Land may be his best book yet. Through this watery exploration of lidos, their history, their culture and the people who inhabit them, we learn much about the wider country at large filtered through Fort's customary wit and erudition.

Charlie Connelly, author of Attention All Shipping