T. Christopher Smout

As concern for the countryside becomes ever more serious, and agencies are faced with conflicting objectives, this book highlights specific concerns from different perspectives--that of the archaeologist, the geographer, the countryside planner, the landowner, and the forester. It examines the efforts these differing bodies are making to understand the environment and illustrating the ways in which each can enrich the other's understanding and management of the landscape.

Understanding the Historical Landscape in Its Environmental Setting

This work is about four centuries of conflict over some the most valued landscapes in Europe combining social and cultural history with ecology and geography.

Environmental History in Scotland and Northern England Since 1600

Nature Contested

This is a history of the trees, woodlands and forests of Scotland and of the people who used them. It begins 11,500 years ago when the ice sheet melted and trees such as hazel, pine, ash and oak returned, bringing with them first birds and mammals and, soon after, the first hunter-gathering humans. The book charts and explains the almost complete withdrawal of tree cover in Scotland over the following millennia, considers the revival of forests and woodlands in the twentieth century, and ends by examining the changes under way now. The book is intended for everyone interested in Scotland's natural history. It calls on an expert in pollen analysis to examine ancient patterns of woodland distribution; on archaeologists to describe how wood was put to good purpose, especially for buildings; on historians and foresters to explain how trees and woods have been exploited and enjoyed over the ages: on ecologists to show how the histories of people and woods are inseparably linked in Scotland; and on a geographer to consider how the Scottish landscape may react to changing policy, attitudes, populations, and climate. The text is fully illustrated by maps and photographs, in colour and black and white. The book has appendixes listing the native and imported species of trees and shrubs in Scotland, and ends with an extensive guide to further reading arranged by subject.

A History

People and Woods in Scotland

Sequel to Smout's "A History of the Scottish People 1560- 1830," this book explores life in tenement and factory; croft and fishing village; drink and temperance; religion in schism and decline; sex and marriage; emigration from country to town.

A Century of the Scottish People, 1830-1950

T. C. Smout

Fiona J. Watson

Alan R. MacDonald

REVIEWS OF PREVIOUS EDITIONS:'An authoritative, readable and attractively illustrated book... it is likely to be a much cited, definitive work for a long time to come.'Ian Whyte, Landscape History'I thoroughly recommend it to ecologists, historians, and anyone liking a good story.'Oliver Rackham, Agricultural History Review'This well-produced book has been a great pleasure for me to read and, indeed, I wish it had been written years ago so I could have recommended it during my course on Quaternary paleoecology... Every one of the colour plates is appropriate and attractive....I stress again my admiration of this book.'James H Dickson, Environmental History (January 2006)'An excellent combination of detailed case studies and more general reviews... a particular strength of the book is that it does not deal with these industries in isolation, but shows how the management, felling and regeneration of trees and woodlands was intricately connected with grazing... The careful analysis by the authors of a wide range of sources is exemplary and the results are of great interest and value. Edinburgh University Press should be congratulated for the high production quality, including excellent colour plates, historical photographs, and maps and diagrams. This important book should be required reading for all interested in the economic and environmental history of the woodlands.'Charles Watkins, Economic History Review'[Tells] the more fundamental story of trees and woods in our history, in great detail, but always with a firm sense of narrative. It is a tribute not only to the authors' multidisciplinary talents but also to the renaissance of woodland studies north of the border.'British WildlifeNow available in paperback, the first modern history of Scottish woodlands explores the changing relationship between trees and people from the time of Scotland's first settlement, focusing on the period 1500 to 1920. Drawing on work in natural science, geography and histo

T. Christopher Smout

Books

Your next favorite book is out there