Historical geography has been a major area of activity in recent years. Much of the recent work and research findings have been extremely valuable to historians and archaeologists and as background to the study of contemporary geography. This reissue, first published in 1987, presents an overview of contemporary developments in all the major branches of the discipline. As such it provides a valuable introduction to the subject, a review of the latest state of the art and a pointer to future research directions.

Originally published in 1988, this book provides a fascinating comparative review of research in urban historical geography in Britain and West Germany. It draws together a wide range of material on the history of urban development to explore the theoretical and methodological possibilities offered by comparative surveys of contrasting national and regional urban expenses. The chronological focus of the essays ranges in time from the medieval period onwards, and the contributors explore not only the specifically intellectual consequences of their empirical research, but also its policy implications for urban planners and conservationists. Serious extended comparative debate has hitherto been absent from the field of urban historical geography as a whole: this volume sought to reverse that trend, and in so doing to establish a fresh research agenda for an important and expanding discipline.

Historical geography is an active, theoretically-informed and vibrant field of scholarly work within modern geography, with strong and constantly evolving connections with disciplines across the humanities and social sciences. Across two volumes, The SAGE Handbook of Historical Geography provides you with an an international and cross-disciplinary overview of the field, presenting chapters that examine the history, present condition and future potential of the discipline in relation to recent developments and research.