The author of The Professor and the Madman and The Perfectionists explores the notion of propertyour proprietary relationship with the landthrough human history, how it has shaped us and what it will mean for our future.Landwhether meadow or mountainside, desert or peat bog, parkland or pasture, suburb or cityis central to our existence. It quite literally underlies and underpins everything. Employing the keen intellect, insatiable curiosity, and narrative verve that are the foundations of his previous bestselling works, Simon Winchester examines what we human beings are doingand have donewith the billions of acres that together make up the solid surface of our planet.Land: The Ownership of Everywhere examines in depth how we acquire land, how we steward it, how and why we fight over it, and finally, how we can, and on occasion do, come to share it. Ultimately, Winchester confronts the essential question: who actually owns the worlds landand why does it matter?
