Book excerpt: This early work by R. G. Collingwood was originally published in 1937 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography. 'Roman Britain and the English Settlements' is an informative work on Roman Britain and includes chapters on 'The Frontier After Hadrian', 'Caesar's Invasion', 'The Claudian Invasion', and much more. Robin George Collingwood was born on 22nd February 1889, in Cartmel, England. He was the son of author, artist, and academic, W. G. Collingwood. He was greatly influenced by the Italian Idealists Croce, Gentile, and Guido de Ruggiero. Another important influence was his father, a professor of fine art and a student of Ruskin. He published many works of philosophy, such as Speculum Mentis (1924), An Essay on Philosophic Method (1933), and An Essay on Metaphysics (1940).