Longlisted for the 2014 Thwaites Wainwright Prize

Welcome to a large small island.

The outline of the British Isles is instantly recognisable. But jostling within that familiar profile are countless vying maps of the country. Some of these maps are founded on rock, or on the natural features of the land. Far more are built on dreams - on human activity, effort, and aspiration.

From investigations of caves and megaliths to canals and airspace, Joanne Parker reveals a country with countless competing centres and ceaselessly shifting borders - a land where one person's sleepy, unexceptional province will always be the busy heart of another's map.

Britannia Obscura opens our eyes to the infinitely layered, rich and surprising landscape of Britain.

An exploration of the hidden maps of Britain - from caves and megaliths, to canals and airspace

About the Author
Joanne Parker is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Exeter. She has always been interested in the British countryside, in British eccentricities, and in questions of identity. She has lived in York, Edinburgh, Cumbria, Quebec, and now lives on Dartmoor (next door to a pub allegedly built around a standing stone), with a morris dancer, two daughters and a flock of black sheep.

Reviews
This prodigious book takes us on a fascinating excursion around a Britain obscure to most of us * Daily Mail *
Original and engaging. -- Gillian Tindall * Literary Review *
An affectionate, alternative exploration to make readers feel more familiar with Britain. * Great Outdoors *
Parker's tour is conducted with a light touch in prose which makes learning from her a pleasure. She makes delightful connections between eras and activities, and is conscious of the value of the unknown and uncertain in our lives... At twice the length this book would have been no less enjoyable. -- Horatio Clare * Daily Telegraph *
[Joanne Parker's] book is an eye-opener. -- Andrew McNeillie * Country Life *


Awards
Long-listed for Thwaites Wainwright Prize 2015 (UK).



Book Information
ISBN 9781784700003
Author Joanne Parker
Format Paperback
Page Count 240
Imprint Vintage
Publisher Vintage Publishing
Weight(grams) 180g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 15mm