'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.

'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 From allotments to arcades, fingerposts to footbridges, stepping stones to stiles this is the perfect pocket-sized companion for countryside or coast. Drawn from the critically acclaimed England In Particular, this delightful book pairs with Journeys Through England in Particular: On Foot to form a new series celebrating English local distinctiveness - ideal for travellers, holiday-makers and armchair browsers. England In Particular, first published in 2006, is a celebration of the distinctive details that cumulatively make England - its buildings, landscapes, people and wildlife. It was the culmination of more than twenty years' work by Sue Clifford and Angela King, who founded the charity Common Ground with Roger Deakin.

Drawn from the critically acclaimed book England in Particular, this delightful book, the first in a new series, is a celebration of English local distinctiveness.

This celebration of the English countryside does not only focus on the rolling green landscapes and magnificent monuments that set England apart from the rest of the world. Many of the contributors bring their own special touch, presenting a refreshingly eclectic variety of personal icons, from pub signs to seaside piers, from cattle grids to canal boats, and from village cricket to nimbies. First published as a lavish colour coffeetable book, this new expanded paperback edition has double the original number of contributions from many celebrities including Bill Bryson, Michael Palin, Eric Clapton, Bryan Ferry, Sebastian Faulks, Kate Adie, Kevin Spacey, Gavin Pretor-Pinney, Richard Mabey , Simon Jenkins, John Sergeant, Benjamin Zephaniah, Joan Bakewell, Antony Beevor, Libby Purves, Jonathan Dimbleby, and many more: and a new preface by HRH Prince Charles.

"Letters from England" is a masterpiece of observation written by the famous Czech writer, Karel Capek. These humorous and insightful letters and drawings were designed to describe Europe's oldest democracy to the citizens of Europe's newest; Capek's countrymen. Within its pages he suggests the existence of a deep connection between his people and the those of his study, and writes with a bemused admiration for England and the English. A fascinating and important piece of Czech literature, "Letters from England" would make for a great addition to any bookshelf, and is one not to be missed by fans and collectors of Capek's work. The chapters of this book include: 'First Impressions', 'The English Park', 'London Streets', 'Traffic', 'Hyde Park', 'In the Natural History Museum', 'The Pilgrim Goes Over More Museums', 'The Pilgrim Sees Animals and Famous People', 'Clubs', 'The Biggest Samples Fair', 'The East End', 'In The Country', 'Cambridge and Oxford', etcetera. We are republishing this antiquarian volume now in an affordable, modern edition, complete with a specially commissioned new biography of the author.

BOOKER PRIZE FINALIST • From the internationally acclaimed bestselling author The Sense of an Ending comes a "wickedly funny” novel (The New York Times) about an idyllic land of make-believe in England that gets horribly and hilariously out of hand. Imagine an England where all the pubs are quaint, where the Windsors behave themselves (mostly), where the cliffs of Dover are actually white, and where Robin Hood and his merry men really are merry. This is precisely what visionary tycoon, Sir Jack Pitman, seeks to accomplish on the Isle of Wight, a "destination" where tourists can find replicas of Big Ben (half size), Princess Di's grave, and even Harrod's (conveniently located inside the tower of London). Martha Cochrane, hired as one of Sir Jack's resident "no-people," ably assists him in realizing his dream. But when things go awry, Martha develops her own vision of the perfect England. Julian Barnes delights us with a novel that is at once a philosophical inquiry, a burst of mischief, and a moving elegy about authenticity and nationality.