The foundations of modern British geography are traced to follow its evolution from its fragile institutional origins through its important role in national planning during post war reconstruction.

No book has yet been published that has attempted to cover the history of geography as a school subject. Yet the story of the growth of this subject - a major player in the league table of student preferences and examination entries - is woven deep into the social history of the nation, as well as being studded with colourful personalities.

This history charts how geography rose to popularity on a tide of imperial enthusiasms in Victorian time and made its way into many elementary schools in the latter half of the 19th century. Many geography lessons were not dominated by the rote-learning of "capes and bays" and some of the pioneers of the subject led the way in the use of models, visual aids and "object lessons" in schools. The book explores Scott Keltie's report of 1886 as a catalyst for development. Despite the founding of the Geographical Association in 1893, the subject needed a series of concerted political campaigns in the early 20th centry to establish itself in the secondary sector. The growth of the regional approach, field-work and of sample studies expanded the subject between the world wars, before a major conceptual revolution invigorated and challenged teachers of the subject in the post-war period.

This history of geography as a major subject in the British school curriculum in the past 150 years deconstructs some of the myths which have grown up around school geography's Victorian image, considers geography's struggle for examination recognition in the early years of the 20th century, and describes periods of different emphases in the field. It analyzes the revolution in teaching geography in the 1960s and 1970s, and examines the effect of the National Curriculum. Includes bandw historical photos. Walford taught postgraduate courses for geography teachers at the University of Cambridge from 1973 to 1999. Distributed by ISBS. c. Book News Inc.

These essays trace the evolution of British geography as an academic discipline during the last hundred years, and stress how the study of the world we live in is fundamental to an understanding of its problems and concerns. Never before has such an ambitious and wide-ranging review been attempted, and never before has it been done with so much knowledge and passion. The principal themes covered in this volume are those of environment, place and space, and the applied geography of map-making and planning. The volume also addresses specific issues such as disease, urbanization, regional viability, and ethics and social problems. This lively and accessible work offers many insights into the minds and practices of today's geographers.