England in Particular: A Celebration of the Commonplace, the Local, the Vernacular and the Distinctive - Hardcover

Clifford, Sue; King, Angela

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0340826169 ISBN 13: 9780340826164

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton, 2006

Synopsis

'Should be at every curious Englishman's bedside' ALAN TITCHMARSH

'As vital as it is joyous, and as timely as it is inspired . . . It should join Shakespeare and the Bible as a "must have" on any English man or woman's desert island' HUGH FEARNLEY-WHITTINGSTALL

Apples, bandstands, causeways dialect, fens, gargoyles, heaths,ice houses, jet, lagoons, maypoles, nightingales, primrose banks, quicksand, rhubarb, sheep, terraced houses, weather, zawns...

England is a land of extraordinary variety, rich in buildings, landscapes, peoples and wildlife. But this diversity is under siege. Mass production, fashion, increased mobility and the forceful promotion of corporate identity have brought with them standardised shop fronts, farm buildings, factories, forests and front doors, while intensive farming has created a bland, empty countryside.

ENGLAND IN PARTICULAR is a counterblast against loss and uniformity, and a celebration of just some of the distinctive details that cumulatively make England. It is the culmination of more than twenty years' work by Sue Clifford and Angela King, who founded Common Ground with Roger Deakin.

ENGLAND IN PARTICULAR is a ground-breaking work, destined to become a classic.

Two pocket-sized hardback editions of extracted essays from ENGLAND IN PARTICULAR are also available: JOURNEYS THROUGH ENGLAND IN PARTICULAR: COASTING and JOURNEYS THROUGH ENGLAND IN PARTICULAR: ON FOOT.

About this title

About the Author

Sue Clifford and Angela King founded the charity Common Ground in 1983 to promote local distinctiveness in all its forms and to campaign against the homogenisation of our surroundings. They have published many books, pamphlets and manifestos, and were behind the magnificent Flora Britannica project.

Review

A living portrait of England here and now, with all the narrative and mystery of the past attached ... The book is gracefully written, phenomenally knowledgeable, and simply exhilarating, speaking as it does of the extraordinary things that are all around us, if we are only prepared to open our eyes to them.―Fay Weldon

This wise and witty and broad-shouldered celebration (it ranges from accents and airfields to wrestling and zigzags) is the triumphant fruition of their work with Common Ground.―Richard Mabey

This is one of the most handsome books I've come across in a long while.―Paul Kingsnorth, Independent

This book is a joy.―Monty Don

As vital as it is joyous, and as timely as it is inspired ... It should join Shakespeare and the Bible as a "must have" on any English man or woman's desert island.―Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Angela King and Sue Clifford have been pursuing this quarry for more than 30 years and it would be difficult to imagine anyone encompassing more of England between two covers.―Adam Nicolson, Evening Standard

An entrancing green alphabet ..."The land is our most elaborate storyboard," say Sue Clifford and Angela King as they demonstrate this truth in seemingly countless small essays, each one a brief masterpiece of combined natural and social history ... this is a book for all English seasons and for every English mile―Ronald Blythe

It should be at every curious Englishman's bedside.―Alan Titchmarsh

ENGLAND IN PARTICULAR does everything that the ideal grandmother would, with equal charm and perhaps an even greater depth of accuracy and information. It should become part of every well-organised family.―Clive Aslet

A magical celebration of English diversity and a much-needed wake-up call as we sleepwalk further into the dreary global monoculture.―Zac Goldsmith

About this edition

• Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0340826169
• ISBN 13: 9780340826164
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 528