Land: How Property Hunger Shaped the Modern World takes an in-depth look at how we acquire land, how we manage it, how and why we fight for it, and finally, how we can, and occasionally, come from to share them. Ultimately, Winchester is faced with the essential question: who really owns the earth of the world and why does it matter?
In his newest book Land, How the Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern World, New York Times best-selling author Simon Winchester tells the story of our home, of how we have acquired, stolen and cared for it. Land takes the reader on a journey around the world, and through time, telling a multitude of stories. From the US to New Zealand, and to India, Ukraine, the Netherlands and many more, the book ultimately conveys the message that land may not be as durable as we once thought it to be. We are losing our land to climate change, and therefore it does matter how we treat and care for it.
My new book, detailing the rich and complex history of humanity's relationship with the 37 billion acres of habitable land on our planet, was published in hardcover January 19 in the US and two days later in the UK. It has already received a handful of stellar reviews, including long publications in the New Yorker, Washington Post, and the Boston Globe. I'm currently on a book tour - flying from city to city and country to country while staying stuck in Massachusetts as all writers are stranded by the pandemic. The final stops on the tour will be in Sydney in late February and Auckland in early March - cities that, as it's their Australian summer, I would love to be. Regardless, the book is very well received, and I hope when you see it (or hear: I'll tell the audio version) you will enjoy my explanations. It was certainly the most fun to write!
