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A review by fourtriplezed
The Making of the British Landscape: How We Have Transformed the Land, from Prehistory to Today by Francis Pryor
5.0
I have a personally signed copy that I purchased during a visit to Flag Fen. Now to get around to reading the damn thing.
And get around to reading the damned thing I have so with that all I can say is what a fantastic read.
In chronological order Pryor has presented an excellent general reading of the ever changing British landscape. Easy to read with clear and concise case studies in each and every chapter this is a very good book indeed. From the end of the Ice age through to the modern issues of the building of Motorways and shopping centres Pryor has delved into all areas. From plague to town planning he has shown a Britain of human intervention in just about every part of its landscape. He has backed his prose with fantastic colour plates and illustrations throughout. The footnotes, Further Reading and Research, List of Reference and Glossary are as they should be, the best quality. For what he presented in the preface as a general study Pryor has done a remarkable job on what is a huge subject. What I also liked was the personal opinions he put in to the writing. One can feel his passion for the subject, a newish subject for himself as he readily admits. Chapter 15 Sat Nav Britain: What Future for the Landscape was full of his passionate opinions and agree or disagree I would suggest it is no bad thing at all that Britain has someone of his standing making the issues known.
Prior to reading this book my thoughts of Landscape as a subject tended towards the rural aspects of life, think of a Constable painting for example. I had never really put the term Landscape into how humans made it what it was, be that either rural or urban or from agricultural through to industrial. This book has changed the way I look at my surrounds, what I see on a day to day basis be that going for a morning walk in my local forest or taking my car to the shopping centre. To have such a sudden profound influence on my everyday viewing of my surrounds is no mean feat. This is as influential a book on me personally that I have ever read. The crazy thing is that I am an infrequent visitor to Britain, living in Brisbane Queensland Australia.
During the reading of this I was asked “Might you re-purpose "The Making of the British Landscape" as research for a rural holiday?” This was an excellent question and my response was that with my visits to Britain being only about once every 5 years I had always tried to take in various sites and scenes based on my previous historical reading. That on my next visit I would be looking for a battered old paperback copy to take with me. But what else I thought after could one take. Pryor has, at the end of the book, added a two page chapter called Books to keep in the car boot. What a great resource.
As mentioned not being in Britain it has made me think that there is a need for similar book about my local surrounds. If I could find anything even half as good as this I would be very happy indeed. With that thought I think that it is books like this that makes Britain so attractive to the visitor. There have been a long list of authors who write with great insight and passion about its history and its landscape. I would add anything by Francis Pryor to that long list. Grab this book and his car boot list and let British landscape and its history take you on a great big adventure.
And get around to reading the damned thing I have so with that all I can say is what a fantastic read.
In chronological order Pryor has presented an excellent general reading of the ever changing British landscape. Easy to read with clear and concise case studies in each and every chapter this is a very good book indeed. From the end of the Ice age through to the modern issues of the building of Motorways and shopping centres Pryor has delved into all areas. From plague to town planning he has shown a Britain of human intervention in just about every part of its landscape. He has backed his prose with fantastic colour plates and illustrations throughout. The footnotes, Further Reading and Research, List of Reference and Glossary are as they should be, the best quality. For what he presented in the preface as a general study Pryor has done a remarkable job on what is a huge subject. What I also liked was the personal opinions he put in to the writing. One can feel his passion for the subject, a newish subject for himself as he readily admits. Chapter 15 Sat Nav Britain: What Future for the Landscape was full of his passionate opinions and agree or disagree I would suggest it is no bad thing at all that Britain has someone of his standing making the issues known.
Prior to reading this book my thoughts of Landscape as a subject tended towards the rural aspects of life, think of a Constable painting for example. I had never really put the term Landscape into how humans made it what it was, be that either rural or urban or from agricultural through to industrial. This book has changed the way I look at my surrounds, what I see on a day to day basis be that going for a morning walk in my local forest or taking my car to the shopping centre. To have such a sudden profound influence on my everyday viewing of my surrounds is no mean feat. This is as influential a book on me personally that I have ever read. The crazy thing is that I am an infrequent visitor to Britain, living in Brisbane Queensland Australia.
During the reading of this I was asked “Might you re-purpose "The Making of the British Landscape" as research for a rural holiday?” This was an excellent question and my response was that with my visits to Britain being only about once every 5 years I had always tried to take in various sites and scenes based on my previous historical reading. That on my next visit I would be looking for a battered old paperback copy to take with me. But what else I thought after could one take. Pryor has, at the end of the book, added a two page chapter called Books to keep in the car boot. What a great resource.
As mentioned not being in Britain it has made me think that there is a need for similar book about my local surrounds. If I could find anything even half as good as this I would be very happy indeed. With that thought I think that it is books like this that makes Britain so attractive to the visitor. There have been a long list of authors who write with great insight and passion about its history and its landscape. I would add anything by Francis Pryor to that long list. Grab this book and his car boot list and let British landscape and its history take you on a great big adventure.