British history is about far more than kings and queens, and here Oliver Rackham provides a wide-ranging survey of the land itself, uncovering the ways that mankind and natural factors have shaped this island nation. Illustrated with maps and photos throughout, Rackham's 1986 crash-course discusses the rare and extinct animals of the region (wolves, aurochs, cranes), explains the structure of Roman and medieval roads, and charts the distribution of forests in Anglo-Saxon times, while unraveling the changing concept of land ownership over the centuries.