Nearest Earthly Place to Paradise : The Literary Landscape of Shropshire

Shropshire has inspired many writers over the centuries: its bucolic rolling fields and orchards, its dramatic wild hills and moors, its ramshackle market towns, its patchwork of copses and hedgerows, its bleak and beautiful mountains.

Extracts from Charles Dickens to Henry James, from Kathy Swift to AE Housman, from Bill Bryson to Pete Postlethwaite, are matched with stunning photographs by Shropshire's Geoffrey Taylor, who has captured the landscapes that drew out the words.

Also featuring extracts from Samuel Johnson, Roger Evans, DH Lawrence, Henry Kingsley, Wilfred Owen, Mary Webb, John Milton, Simon Evans, Tom Sharpe, Edith Pargeter, Phil Rickman, John Masefield, John Betjeman, Ellis Peters and many more.

Geoff Taylor lives in the Shropshire village of Rushbury. His early love of photography led to a first-class honours degree in the subject as a mature student, followed by a Masters in Art and Design. He is an Associate of The Royal Photographic Society and the British Institute of Professional Photography, and has exhibited throughout the UK. Geoff now works as a tutor in Photography and Digital Art with the Open College of the Arts. He enjoys various outdoor activities including hill walking with his wife Lorna.

Margaret Wilson lives in Leebotwood near Church Stretton. After working in Paris, Madrid and London. She enjoys walking in the hills, exploring the towns and villages and learning about the county's folklore.