"A masterly work- wide-sweeping, provocative, readable- by one of Britain's leading cultural historians. Peopled with poets and novelists, antiquarians and fossil collectors, churchmen, hack journalists, artists and composers ( Elgar, Butterworth, Vaughan Williams) , Borsay's book recounts the story of the imagining and reimagining of England's landscape, as the nation was transformed by industrial urbanisation and the insatiable rise of London, the transport revolution, Romanticism, and the racist snobbery of Empire." -- Peter Clark, Professor of European Urban History, University of Helsinki, FInland "Researched and written at a time when the ecological, economic and cultural value of land is being irresistibly reimagined, it testifies to humanity's enduring attachment to landscape, and the fascination and alarm that has historically accompanied its transformation." -- Katy Layton-Jones, School of History, The Open University, UK "Rich, intricate, enchanting, jam-packed with information, at times surprising and at times eccentric: this book is a must for all lovers of the English countryside. Peter Borsay, with the sympathetic editorial aid of Rosemary Sweet, here presents his masterpiece." -- Penelope J. Corfield, Emeritus Prof., Royal Holloway, London University, UK "A splendid memorial to the late Peter Borsay, expertly edited and completed by Rosemary Sweet, this book emphasises the role of imagery, myth and imagination in inventing the English landscape.

Chronologically wide-ranging, consistently thought-provoking, and attentive to urban as well as rural contexts, it is a hugely satisfying read." -- Paul Readman, Professor of Modern British History, King's College London, UK.