All the Wide Border: Wales, England and the Places Between by Mike Parker
£20.00 GBP
Skip to product information
All the Wide Border: Wales, England and the Places Between by Mike Parker
£20.00 GBP
Reliable shipping
Flexible returns
A WATERSTONES TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023
A funny, warm and timely meditation on identity and belonging, following the scenic route along the England–Wales border: Britain’s deepest faultline.
There is a line on the map: to one side Wales, small, rugged and stubborn; on the other England, crucible of the most expansionist culture the world has ever seen. It is a line that has been dug, debated, defined and defended for twenty centuries.
All the Wide Border is a personal journey through the places, amongst the people, and across the divides of the border between England and Wales. Taking in some of our loveliest landscapes, and our darkest secrets, this is a region of immeasurable wonder and interest. It is here that the deepest roots and thorniest paradoxes of Britishness lie. The border between the countries, even as a concept, is ragged, jagged and many-layered.
Garlanded author Mike Parker has adored and explored these places his entire life. Born in England but settled in Wales, he finds himself typical of many in being pulled in both directions. His journey is divided into three legs, corresponding with the watersheds of the three great border rivers: the Dee in the north, the Severn in the centre, the Wye in the south. Neither quite England nor Wales, the furzy borderland he uncovers — the March — is another country.
Picking apart the many notions and clichés of Englishness, Welshness and indeed Britishness, Mike Parker plays with the very idea of borders: our fascination with them, our need for them, and our response to their power. In his hands, the England–Wales frontier is revealed to be a border within us all, and it is fraying, fast.
Publisher: HarperNorth
Date Published: 30/03/2023
ISBN: 9780008499181
Number of pages: 320
Binding:
Book genres:
Target audience:
You may also like...
You may also like...
Literary Cat's A-List
Looking for a second-hand or antiquarian book?
Use the searchbox below to look-up our database of 10,000+ second-hand and antiquarian books.
Can't find the right book?
We've partnered with bookshop.org to provide nearly any book in print, delivered to your door.
Every book purchase supports Literary Cat Books.
Enjoy audiobooks?
Want a guilt-free way of enjoying audiobooks?
Our partner Libro.fm has you covered with a large library and priced competitively.
Use promo code SWITCH for two free audiobooks.
Every subscription supports Literary Cat Books.
Do you like our bookshop?
We would love you to share your experience of our bookshop, or a great book, on Google!
Help independent bookshops stand out on the map.