Overview

Like one of the ancient trees he wrote about so elegantly and perceptively, Oliver Rackham’s roots run deep while his influence branches far. He was undoubtedly the leading scholar in landscape history and historical ecology, and his work continues to resonate not just with his peers but with a much wider public audience too. His combination of extensive archival research, meticulous fieldwork and place-name analysis were truly ground-breaking. He not only changed the way we think about the landscape; he in fact altered that landscape in turn – enriching, clarifying, bringing it to life. This book, which honours Rackham’s memory, is a unique collection of contributions from leading global authorities on countryside and landscape history. A number of chapters come from individuals who were his friends and collaborators, and they each share a debt to his scholarship and methods. Ranging all over Europe from Białowieża Forest in Poland to the Mediterranean, and across the world from New England to northern Japan, the wealth of perspectives gathered here makes for a diverse and weighty discussion. Collectively, the contributions represent an acknowledgment of Rackham’s huge impact and influence at the same time as offering a benchmark for current thinking in countryside history worldwide. This volume will appeal to researchers, postgraduate students, final-year undergraduates, lecturers and scholars on the one hand, but also to anyone who loves the countryside and is fascinated by its complex history. As we lose irreplaceable heritage landscapes to climate change and development, an understanding of what they are and what they mean only becomes more vital.

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9781784273163

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Reviews

I regard Countryside History as a pinnacle in my ECOS reviewing experience... the present volume is a scholarly labour of love, not just by the editors but also by its many contributors. -- Janet Mackinnon * ECOS *

Iconoclastic, Indomitable, Indefatigable, above all Investigatory – Oliver Rackham had all these “Is” in spades! This book is a genuine homage... all the chapters celebrate Rackham but are also a feast of information on the history of forests and woodlands... if you are not familiar with Rackham's work, become so – and this book is the best way to get acquainted! -- Peter Bridgewater * The Niche * I regard Countryside History as a pinnacle in my ECOS reviewing experience... the present volume is a scholarly labour of love, not just by the editors but also by its many contributors. -- Janet Mackinnon * ECOS *

Author Information

Ian D. Rotherham is Emeritus Professor at the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UK. He is an authority on landscape history and particularly on the history, heritage and ecology of woodlands and peatlands. He has published widely, including over 500 academic research papers, around 50 books and many hundreds of popular articles. He is co-editor (with Alper H. Çolak and Simay Kirca) of Ancient Woods, Trees and Forests: Ecology, History and Management. Jennifer A. Moody is an Aegean archaeologist at the University of Texas, Austin, specializing in landscape and paleo-climate reconstruction and ceramic fabric analysis. She is an advocate for landscape conservation and the preservation of cultural heritage in Greece and elsewhere. She was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, the so-called genius grant, for her research on the intersection of changes in climate, culture and landscape on the island of Crete, Greece. She has directed four archaeological surveys on the island and consulted for many more. She has worked on Crete for over 40 years, and collaborated there with Oliver Rackham for 32 years. She and Oliver Rackham co-authored The Making of the Cretan Landscape, for which they won the Runciman prize.

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