FIGHT FOR BEAUTY: Our Path to a Better Future

A passionately written clarion call to all who value the quality of beauty in their surroundings which shines light on those inspired to try to reverse the damage done to wildlife and the landscape in the 19th century. The book fizzes with ideas and passion full of stories of politicians and officials who made a difference for good and it shows that politics matters. Fiona Reynolds has lived and worked at the heart of the struggle for more than 30 years and her book is a warning against thoughtless depredation authorised by policymakers who ignore or dismiss the fundamental truth. We live in a world where the drive for economic growth is crowding out everything that can't have a monetary value. Dame Fiona Reynolds DBE is Master of Emmanuele College, Cambridge. She proposes a solution that is at once radical and simple - to inspire us through the beauty of the world around us. Delving into our past, examining landscapes, nature, farming and urbanisation, she shows how ideas about beauty have arisen and evolved, being shaped by public policy, being knocked back and inched forward until they arrive lost in the economically-driven spirit of today. Hers is a passionate, polemical call to arms and she is an optimist. 336pp, paperback with colour photos and other illus, this is a nobler vision for a better world including National Parks and our cultural heritage.