Whether meadow or mountainside, desert or peat bog, suburb or city, land is central to our existence. Here the author of The Professor and the Madman examines what we human beings have done with the billions of acres that together make up the solid surface of our planet. Surveying history and traveling the world, Simon Winchester examines in depth how we acquire land, how we steward it, how and why we fight over it, and finally, how we sometimes manage to share it. Ultimately, Winchester confronts the essential question: who actually owns the world's land—and why does it matter?

"In many ways, [this book] combines bits and pieces of many of Winchester's previous books into a satisfying, globe-trotting whole…. Winchester is, once again, a consummate guide."—Boston Globe