Rural England Our Countryside at the Crossroads

Mercier, Derek and Puttnam, David. Rural England. Our Countryside at the Crossroads. First Edition. London, Queen Anne Press, 1988. 23 x 30 cm. 240 pages including photographs by Derry Brabbs. Original Hardcover with original dustjacket. Excellent condition with only minor signs of external wear. Includes for example the following by David Puttnam / Northern England / The Penine Shires / The Midlands / The West Country / Eastern England / South-East England / Conservation and Recreation in England and Wales. This magnificently illustrated book celebrates the English countryside and sounds a warning over threats to it. In the introductory words of film producer David Puttnam, President of the Council for the Protection of Rural England, we all need a beautiful countryside, but securing it demands noisy dispute about the way in which our land is to be used. The CPRE has been at the centre of the argument and this book has been prepared in collaboration with them. Derrik Mercer's inclusive text pulls together all the key issues and problems and details specific projects already underway to help.The specifically commissioned photographs evoke the beauty and variety of the countryside and remind us that it has changed radically in the last 50 years and will change even faster if steps are not taken to conserve it. From national parks to the urban fringe, from heritage coasts to conservation farms, programes have been launched to consere England's natural beauty. As well as a clarion call for the future it is also a book of hope.