Two of Shropshire's finest photographers, father and son Mike and John Hayward, have collaborated to showcase the county they love in over 160 stunning images. Here is Shropshire at its glorious best: - Ironbridge under a dusting of snow - Wild ponies on the Long Mynd - Bridgnorth's high rock in autumn colours - The beech walk on The Wrekin - The ancient holly grove on The Stiperstones - Christmas carols in the square at Much Wenlock Moving from spring to winter, covering every corner of Shropshire, from tiny hamlets to our proud towns and monuments, this collection is a breath-taking tribute to this diverse, unspoilt and often overlooked part of England. The photographers have captured the unusual shots which offer a new slant on our familiar and much-loved sights.

“A funny, revealing, Ball Four–like romp through mid-seventies baseball” from the longtime sports columnist and author of The Last Real Season (Booklist). You think your team is bad? In this “disastrously hilarious” work on one of the most tortured franchises in baseball, one reporter discovers that nine innings can feel like an eternity (USA Today). In early 1973, gonzo sportswriter Mike Shropshire agreed to cover the Texas Rangers for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, not realizing that the Rangers were arguably the worst team in baseball history. Seasons in Hell is a riotous, candid, irreverent behind-the-scenes account in the tradition of The Bronx Zoo and Ball Four, following the Texas Rangers from Whitey Herzog’s reign in 1973 through Billy Martin’s tumultuous tenure. Offering wonderful perspectives on dozens of unique (and likely never-to-be-seen-again) baseball personalities, Seasons in Hell recounts some of the most extreme characters ever to play the game and brings to life the no-holds-barred culture of major league baseball in the mid-seventies. “The single funniest sports book I have ever read.”—Don Imus “The locker-room shenanigans of a lousy team of the 1970s.”—Publishers Weekly

Father and son professional photographers John and Mike Hayward have worked together to share their enthusiasm for the county they live in and love. Their joy in the Shropshire landscapes, towns and villages shines through on every page. The dedication needed to catch that shot of hot air balloons hovering over Old Oswestry hill fort in early morning, or sunset at Pole Bank pond, the highest point on the Long Mynd, cannot be over-estimated. And the pleasure they take in capturing the people of this county - from the Severn Valley Railway steam enthusiasts at Highley, to cricketers at the idyllic village ground at Burwarton, to the priest blessing his congregation in the dodgem cars at Ludlow's May Fair - is clear from every shot. Fans of the Haywards' first book A Year in Shropshire will find over 160 new images of the county here, each one reminding them why Shropshire is one of England's most glorious counties.

A New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice and Nominated for the 2017 PEN/Bograd Weld Prize for Biography A captivating exploration of A. E. Housman and the influence of his particular brand of Englishness A. E. Housman’s A Shropshire Lad made little impression when it was first published in 1896 but has since become one of the best-loved volumes of poetry in the English language. Its evocation of the English coun - tryside, thwarted love, and a yearning for things lost is as potent today as it was more than a century ago, and the book has never been out of print. In Housman Country, Peter Parker explores the lives of A. E. Housman and his most famous book, and in doing so shows how A Shropshire Lad has permeated English life and culture since its publication. The poems were taken to war by soldiers who wanted to carry England in their pockets, were adapted by composers trying to create a new kind of English music, and have influ - enced poetry, fiction, music, and drama right up to the present day. Everyone has a personal “land of lost content” with “blue remembered hills,” and Housman has been a tangible and far-reaching presence in a startling range of work, from the war poets and Ralph Vaughan Williams to Inspector Morse and Morrissey. Housman Country is a vivid exploration of England and Englishness, in which Parker maps out terrain that is as historical and emotional as it is topographical.