The last century has seen a dramatic increase in ramblers, mountaineers, cyclists and hill walkers enjoying the British countryside. This remarkable book charts the history of the outdoor movement from its late Victorian origins to its present status. Harvey Taylor describes how the active participants in the movement combined to create a loosely constructed entity, held together by common areas of interest and shared campaigning concerns. From the formation of Footpath Protection Societies and the development of a Countryside Access campaign in the inter-war years, he emphasises that the movement was very much more than just a 'craze' or a reaction against creeping industrialisation and urbanisation as was portrayed at the time. This is a fascinating introduction to a particularly British recreational phenomenon.

The contributors to this collection of essays address children's literature as an art form, rather than an educational instrument, as has been the traditional approach. Scholars from 10 different countries present a variety of approaches to the history of children's literature, including views on sociological, semiotic, and intertextual models of its evolution. Other issues explored include influence and interaction between stories and their countries of origin. This strong presentation of international perspectives on children's literature will be a valuable resource for scholars of children's and comparative literature.

The first biography of the 18th-century landscape gardener, Uvedale Price, showing the key interconnections between his roles as landowner, art collector, forester, landscaper, connoisseur and scholar. Uvedale Price achieved most fame as the author of the influential Essay on the Picturesque of 1794 in which he argued that the work of the greatest landscape artists, such as Salvator Rosa, Rubens and Claude, should be usedas models for the "improvement of real landscape". His attack on the smooth certainties of Capability Brown sparked off a public controversy, drawing in Richard Payne Knight and Humphry Repton, which became a cause célèbre. This is the first biography of Uvedale Price, bringing out his contradictory and elusive character and revealing an astonishing cast of friends and acquaintances, including Gainsborough, Voltaire, William Wordsworth and ElizabethBarrett Browning. The book shows how he developed his ideas through practical experimentation on his own land and buildings and provides an understanding of the context of Price's practices and theories and the key interconnections between his roles as landowner, art collector, forester, landscaper, connoisseur and scholar. CHARLES WATKINS is Professor of Rural Geography, University of Nottingham; BEN COWELL is Assistant Director, External Affairs, National Trust.