From the best-selling author Simon Winchester, a human history of land around the world: who mapped it, owned it, stole it, cared for it, fought for it and gave it back.

In 1889, thousands of hopeful people raced southward from the Kansas state line and westward from the Arkansas boundary to stake claims on the thousands of acres of unclaimed pastures and meadows. Across the 20th century, water was dammed and drained in Holland so that a new province, Flevoland, rose up, unchartered and requiring new thinking. In 1850, California legislated the theft of land from Native Americans. An apology came in 2019 from the governor, but what of the call for reparations or return? What of government confiscation of land in India, or questions of fairness when it comes to New Zealand’s Maori population and the legacy of settlers?

The ownership of land has always been complicated, opaque and more than a little anarchic when viewed from the outside. In this book, Simon Winchester explores the the stewardship of land, the ways it is delineated and changes hands, the great disputes and the questions of restoration—particularly in the light of climate change and colonialist reparation.

A global study, this is an exquisite exploration of what the ownership of land might really mean—not in dry-as-dust legal terms, but for the people who live on it.

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Listening Length

13 hours and 46 minutes
Author

Simon Winchester
Narrator

Simon Winchester
Audible release date

19 January 2021
Language

English
Publisher

William Collins
ASIN

B08TCH2VG6
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length	13 hours and 46 minutes
Author	Simon Winchester
Narrator	Simon Winchester
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com.au Release Date	19 January 2021
Publisher	William Collins
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B08TCH2VG6
Best Sellers Rank	1,733 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) 1 in Land Use Law (Books) 5 in Law (Audible Books & Originals) 8 in History of Civilisation

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5 star		57%
4 star		27%
3 star		10%
2 star		3%
1 star		3%

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Top reviews from Australia

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Kim Wingerei

A problem of the ages so well defined, missing solutions

Reviewed in Australia on 1 June 2021

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Simon Winchester is a superb writer. His grasp of complex issues is surpassed by his ability to make them understandable to the reader. The research behind this book is extraordinary, and the way he binds it all together makes for a riveting read of a rather somber subject. But I was hoping for a better approach to solutions of the malaise we find ourselves in. Maybe there aren’t any...

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Profbob

Land , The source of wealth

Reviewed in Australia on 20 June 2021

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The book clearly enunciates the source significance and development of land as the source of all true real wealth. Especially land and its fundamental role as the major if not the sole backing of real value in all the worlds government issued currencies.
Proponents of crypto currency’s would do well to read this book and seriously reconsider their premise.

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PJ Australia

Interesting and informative while entertaining

Reviewed in Australia on 5 August 2021

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Simon Winchester covered a wide approach to land around the world both with what it means to the various peoples, acquisition, use and process. His books are always extensively researched, well written with a great command of the English language while leaving you turning to the next chapter with anticipation. He never disappoints.

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Keith Masnick

A good start

Reviewed in Australia on 7 March 2021

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As always a well researched and interesting book by Winchester. Tends to drag a little as the book progresses and I would liked to have more on the Middle East, Asia, Africa and the Pacific.
Still, an enjoyable read packed with information

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Anthony Potts

Informative and very interesting

Reviewed in Australia on 6 August 2021

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Liked it all.

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Andrew Desmond

Land and its Perils

Reviewed in Australia on 22 April 2021

A new Simon Winchester book is always a pleasure. His most recent work, “Land”, is no exception to this rule.

Winchester is fascinated by the very concept of land ownership. It’s a relatively modern invention especially in the new world. Indigenous societies in the Americas, Africa, Australia and New Zealand would have scoffed at the very idea. How can one have ownership of land? It would be just the same as trying to “own” the wind or the sea. Yet, here we are today where land has owners.

Winchester begins his book with a story about his first land purchase in upstate New York. From here, the reader is taken on a whirlwind tour of land and its issues around the world. One titbit on this tour that amused me was the story of how George Washington was effectively expropriated of land by George III’s decision to delineate a Proclamation Line in 1763. Land beyond this line would be left for native Americans. Washington owned some 32,000 acres of farmland on the “Indian” side of the line. How important was this one decision in encouraging US independence efforts?

By and large, Winchester outlines how land has driven a host of outcomes in history. These would include, amongst others, the removal of indigenous peoples in all parts of the new world, Stalin’s desire to “liquidate the kulaks” and the famine that ensued, the chaos of the middle east for numerous centuries where various religions have fought over scraps of dusty soil, and the list goes on. Winchester is nothing if not omnivorous in his coverage.

Recommended.

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Top reviews from other countries

C. Healiss

Interesting and thought provoking

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 February 2022

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I am enjoying reading the hard back version. Some interesting chapters recounting some lesser known land disputes and historical background

Matt Hook

Interesting and thought provoking.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 July 2022

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An interesting look on land , however it feels as if it’s a collection of long essays rather than a book. Nevertheless a great read.

Natalie Evans

Satisfactory

Reviewed in Canada on 20 October 2021

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This is a series of monographs on land, most quite interesting, but without an over-arching theme or thesis, except perhaps that concentration of land ownership is bad and that native peoples have been wronged. And this is fine as far as it goes. One chapter on land trusts, reviewing various models at a high level, was frustratingly parsimonious about how the arrangements actually worked, and the nomenclature was confusing. The description of how a land trust has elevated Cleveland was particularly lacunate. But I can't understand how the author effusively thanks his Harper Collins editors. I found a shocking incidence of sentence fragments, clumsy or ungrammatical constructions, and typographical errors. This was quite astonishing for an established publishing house. It may reflect an overall lack of unifying, scholarly rigour. But as stated, most of the chapters were quite interesting in themselves and worth reading.

2 people found this helpful

M Clark

Who would have imagined that a book about land ownership could be so interesting

Reviewed in Germany on 18 March 2021

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Who would have imagined that a book about land ownership could be so interesting. This is an eye-opening look at the question of who owns land and how that land ownership came about. The author provides examples from all over the world and addresses the topic from multiple points of view. This book is highly recommended.

Superb.

Reviewed in India on 18 March 2021

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Super appreciation of the way the world is.... And thebway governments and people are even today.

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Land: How the Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern World Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

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