In this new fieldworker's handbook and guide to interpreting England's rural landscape, Richard Muir explains how to recognize and interpret the complex evidence for historical change in England's countryside. Drawing on the wealth of research carried out since Reading the Landscape was originally published in 1981, Muir provides a synthesis of current thinking and a thorough revision.
Woodlands, forests and parks; landscapes of colonization; lines in the landscape; routeways; status, authority and the landscape; landscapes of belief; villages, hamlets and farmsteads; reading the fieldscape; defence in the landscape.
Overall, the title of Muir's The New Reading the Landscape: Fieldwork in Landscape History describes exactly what this book is: a guide to how we can use evidence contained within the fabric of today's countryside to understand its history. It is extremely well illustrated, very reasonably priced, and will form a valuable guide for anyone who is curious about the history of our landscape. -Devon Archaeology Society Newsletter (May 2000)