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The granite kingdom

£10.99

Few regions of Britain are as holidayed in, as well-loved or as mythologised as Cornwall. From the woodlands of the Tamar Valley to the remote peninsula of Penwith – via the wilderness of Bodmin Moor and coastal villages where tourism and fishing find an uneasy coexistence – Tim Hannigan undertakes a zigzagging journey on foot across Britain’s westernmost region to discover how the real Cornwall, its landscapes, histories, communities and sense of identity, intersect with the many projections and tropes that writers, artists and others have placed upon it. Combining landscape and nature writing with deep cultural inquiry, ‘The Granite Kingdom’ is a probing but highly accessible tour of one of Britain’s most popular regions, juxtaposing history, myth, folklore and literary representation with the geographical and social reality of contemporary Cornwall.

In stock

Description

Shortlisted for the Edward Stanford Travel Book of the Year Award 2024

Tim Hannigan undertakes an epic east-west journey on foot through his own homeland, from the woodlands of the Tamar Valley to the remote western region of Penwith. As he walks, he explores how the Cornwall of the popular imagination has been constructed by writers, artists and others, and how myths, projections and tropes intersect with the real Cornwall – its landscapes, histories, communities and sense of self.

A richly informative tour of one of the most popular regions of Britain, The Granite Kingdom can be read as an evocative travelogue, a celebration of Cornwall’s landscapes, a fascinating account of its history and cultural significance, and an unflinching exploration of uneasy questions about regional identity.