Books: Pox Britannica

ANATOMY OF BRITAIN (662 pp.)—Anthony Sampson—Harper & Row ($6.95).

In the 19th century, when Britannia ruled the waves, its terra firma was unquestionably governed by the ruling classes. Though Britain today is a comparatively egalitarian society, most Englishmen are convinced that the country is still run by the Establishment, a tight little coterie of Top People who, by most definitions, include the leaders of the Tory party, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the editor of the Times, a scattering of Oxbridge dons, industrialists, financial mandarins, senior civil servants and a few fashionable hostesses.

British Journalist...