Dartmoor: A Statement of Its Time (The New Naturalist Library) - Hardcover

Mercer, Ian

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0007184999 ISBN 13: 9780007184996

Publisher: Harpercollins Pub Ltd, 2009

Synopsis

New Naturalist Dartmoor explores the complex and fascinating history of one of southern England's greatest National Parks, an area of enormous interest to naturalists and tourists alike. Dartmoor is said to be the loneliest wilderness in England. This has been said more often of Dartmoor than any other part of the country. Traditionally in the world of fiction as well as that of fact, Dartmoor has been renowned as a vast and empty moorland area, the property of nature rather than of man. It has always been the public's idea of a lonely place. Not many generations ago it was regarded with a certain amount of awe and nowadays it is an important center of recreation, an island in upland England of abundant interest to the naturalist. In 1951 it became a National Park, one of the first of several places so designated in Great Britain, helping to conserve and promote both its beauty and cultural heritage. Spanning miles of open moorland, while also hiding small secluded river valleys, rare plants and endangered birds, Dartmoor is a place of variety, and has evolved in the public's mind from a forbidding place to that of romance and mystery. Focusing not only on its extensive history and physical landscape, but also its cultural place within Great Britain, this is a comprehensive and engaging look at the wild and rugged landscape that has inspired so many poets, painters, and musicians over countless centuries.

About this title

About the Author:

By Ian Mercer

Review:

'A superb example of what can be achieved by focusing on one particular location - a scholarly survey of one of our favourite wild places., Guardian 'This book is a much needed appreciation of Dartmoor as it stands in the first decade of the twenty-first century. It will quickly become a classic work., Dartmoor Matters magazine Praise for the New Naturalist series: 'The series is an amazing achievement.' The Times Literary Supplement 'The books are glorious to own.' Independent

About this edition

• Publisher: Harpercollins Pub Ltd
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0007184999
• ISBN 13: 9780007184996
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 402