Land: How the Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern World

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Author: Simon Winchester

Format: Paperback / softback

Number of Pages: 464


From the bestselling author Simon Winchester, a human history of land around the world: who mapped it, owned it, stole it, cared for it, fought for it and gave it back. In 1889, thousands of hopeful people raced southward from the Kansas state line and westward from the Arkansas boundary to stake claims on the thousands of acres of unclaimed pastures and meadows. Across the twentieth century, water was dammed and drained in Holland so that a new province, Flevoland, rose up, unchartered and requiring new thinking. In 1850, California legislated the theft of land from Native Americans. An apology came in 2019 from the governor, but what of the call for reparations or return? What of government confiscation of land in India, or questions of fairness when it comes to New Zealand's Maori population and the legacy of settlers? The ownership of land has always been complicated, opaque, and more than a little anarchic when viewed from the outside. In this book, Simon Winchester explores the the stewardship of land, the ways it is delineated and changes hands, the great disputes, and the questions of restoration - particularly in the light of climate change and colonialist reparation. A global study, this is an exquisite exploration of what the ownership of land might really mean - not in dry-as-dust legal terms, but for the people who live on it.
Description
Author: Simon Winchester

Format: Paperback / softback

Number of Pages: 464


From the bestselling author Simon Winchester, a human history of land around the world: who mapped it, owned it, stole it, cared for it, fought for it and gave it back. In 1889, thousands of hopeful people raced southward from the Kansas state line and westward from the Arkansas boundary to stake claims on the thousands of acres of unclaimed pastures and meadows. Across the twentieth century, water was dammed and drained in Holland so that a new province, Flevoland, rose up, unchartered and requiring new thinking. In 1850, California legislated the theft of land from Native Americans. An apology came in 2019 from the governor, but what of the call for reparations or return? What of government confiscation of land in India, or questions of fairness when it comes to New Zealand's Maori population and the legacy of settlers? The ownership of land has always been complicated, opaque, and more than a little anarchic when viewed from the outside. In this book, Simon Winchester explores the the stewardship of land, the ways it is delineated and changes hands, the great disputes, and the questions of restoration - particularly in the light of climate change and colonialist reparation. A global study, this is an exquisite exploration of what the ownership of land might really mean - not in dry-as-dust legal terms, but for the people who live on it.
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raymond vuillermin
LAND by Winchester - a must read

I was originally made aware of this book when listening to Philip Adams interviewing its author on his Late Night Live program on Radio National. Adams comment that it was the best book he has read was enough for me to contact the Book Grocer to order a copy for myself and a couple for the family. Upon the books arrival I was a little daunted that it was over four hundred pages long. It only took a couple of pages to get past that. I found it a real pleasure, extremely educational and a page turner -right through to page 422. Winchesters mastery of the language is obvious in how his use of words and punctation make easy reading of the very long sentences he writes. Whilst the book highlights the role ownership of land has played in the disparity of wealth, he does not leave you without hope. I found him to be very objective in stating the good and bad of examples he used. This is a history lesson and provides the grist for a wake up call.
Ray Vuillermin