Book description
New Naturalist Dartmoor explores the complex and fascinating history of
one of southern England's greatest National Parks, an area of enormous
interest to naturalists and tourists alike.
Dartmoor is said to be the loneliest wilderness in England. This has
been said more often of Dartmoor than any other part of our country.
Traditionally in the world of fiction as well as that of fact, Dartmoor
has been renowned as a vast and empty moorland area, the property of
nature rather than of man. It has always been the public's idea of a
lonely place.
Not many generations ago it was regarded with a certain amount of awe
and nowadays it is one of our most important centres of recreation, an
island in upland England of abundant interest to the naturalist. In 1951
it became a National Park, one of the first of several places that have
been so designated in Great Britain, helping to conserve and promote
both its beauty and cultural heritage.
Spanning miles of open moorland, whilst also hiding small secluded
river valleys, rare plants and endangered birds, Dartmoor is a place of
variety, and has evolved in the public's mind from a forbidding place to
that of romance and mystery.
In the latest addition to the long-running New Naturalist series, Ian
Mercer sets out to explore every aspect of this important area of
southern Devon. Focusing not only on its extensive history and physical
landscape, but also its cultural place within Great Britain, this is
both a comprehensive and engaging look at the wild and rugged landscape
that has inspired so many poets, painters and musicians over countless
centuries. 'A superb example of what can be achieved by focusing on
one particular location - a scholarly survey of one of our favourite
wild places.'
Guardian
'This book is a much needed appreciation of Dartmoor as it stands in
the first decade of the twenty-first century. It will quickly become a
classic work.'
Dartmoor Matters magazine
Praise for the New Naturalist series:
'The series is an amazing achievement.'
The Times Literary Supplement
'The books are glorious to own.'
Independent
