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A review by lukerik
The Making of the British Landscape: How We Have Transformed the Land, from Prehistory to Today by Francis Pryor
informative
medium-paced
3.0
A history of Britain told through its landscape. It’s chronological rather than by type of change.
Most useful was having prehistory in order. My knowledge of this mainly comes from various Time Team episodes and if something’s 2500 BC or 1000 BC the numbers are just to big to really mean anything outside a chronological framework. Most interesting was his discussion of soil types. I know that sounds rather uninteresting, but I’d never really thought of soil types as a factor affecting history. I suppose that’s the benefit of having a historian who is also a farmer.
This is an exceptionally long book. It’s a long story, but it is a major undertaking and if you’re on a subject that doesn’t much interest you… However, Pryor writes like his speaks, in an idiosyncratic way, assertive and engaging, and that should carry you through. Will read some of his other books, but perhaps something more targeted in time period, and shorter please. I’m in my forties and keep looking at the clock.
Most useful was having prehistory in order. My knowledge of this mainly comes from various Time Team episodes and if something’s 2500 BC or 1000 BC the numbers are just to big to really mean anything outside a chronological framework. Most interesting was his discussion of soil types. I know that sounds rather uninteresting, but I’d never really thought of soil types as a factor affecting history. I suppose that’s the benefit of having a historian who is also a farmer.
This is an exceptionally long book. It’s a long story, but it is a major undertaking and if you’re on a subject that doesn’t much interest you… However, Pryor writes like his speaks, in an idiosyncratic way, assertive and engaging, and that should carry you through. Will read some of his other books, but perhaps something more targeted in time period, and shorter please. I’m in my forties and keep looking at the clock.