Land: How the Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern World
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- Author：Simon Winchester
- ISBN：0008359156
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Summary
The author of The Professor and the Madman and The Perfectionists explores the notion of property—our proprietary relationship with the land—through human history， how it has shaped us and what it will mean for our future。
Land—whether meadow or mountainside， desert or peat bog， parkland or pasture， suburb or city—is central to our existence。 It quite literally underlies and underpins everything。 Employing the keen intellect， insatiable curiosity， and narrative verve that are the foundations of his previous bestselling works， Simon Winchester examines what we human beings are doing—and have done—with the billions of acres that together make up the solid surface of our planet。
Land: The Ownership of Everywhere examines in depth how we acquire land， how we steward it， how and why we fight over it， and finally， how we can， and on occasion do， come to share it。 Ultimately， Winchester confronts the essential question: who actually owns the world’s land—and why does it matter？
Land—whether meadow or mountainside， desert or peat bog， parkland or pasture， suburb or city—is central to our existence。 It quite literally underlies and underpins everything。 Employing the keen intellect， insatiable curiosity， and narrative verve that are the foundations of his previous bestselling works， Simon Winchester examines what we human beings are doing—and have done—with the billions of acres that together make up the solid surface of our planet。
Land: The Ownership of Everywhere examines in depth how we acquire land， how we steward it， how and why we fight over it， and finally， how we can， and on occasion do， come to share it。 Ultimately， Winchester confronts the essential question: who actually owns the world’s land—and why does it matter？
Reviews
Adam
，
Typically good for this author although the subject was maybe dryer than some of his other books。 I enjoyed the sections on figuring out the circumference of the earth and on the history of common ownership as well as ideas about common ownership in other nations。
Ed Stoddard
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This thoughtful and engaging narrative explores， on a global level， the concept of land ownership and many of the struggles and conflicts that risen out of it。 As a South African-based reviewer， initiatives such efforts at land reform in Scotland - where disparities are perhaps even more glaring - are of more than passing interest。 I plan a more comprehensive review in the Business Maverick， so stay tuned 。。。
Alison Fulmer
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Wide ranging look at the unusual European mania for state and individual ownership of land。 This concept has changed the course of history， caused immense suffering， and has warped society as land is the ultimate acquisition。 The author is a thoughtful and insightful guy and this is another very interesting book
Ted Meinhardt
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I found a bit cumbersome to read， but thought the issues covered worth the time to work through。
Paul Smith
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Very well researched and written though there are a few typos。A series of case studies of how land has been owned and stolen。 Only scant attention to how land ownership should develop in the future。 The book is more about history than politics。
Terri
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Just as the book details describes， accounts of mostly indigenous people dispossessed of their lands—that is assuming that land possession is possible。 I learned an interesting fact about the plutonium plant at the base of the Denver Front Range which will be toxic for thousands of years。 😨
Z
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In books like this， you hope the author brings something new to the subject， either with research （ala Bryson） or a unique viewpoint （ala Graeber）。 Unfortunately， Winchester doesn't do either， settling for a pretty run-of-the-mill book about。。。well。。。a grab bag of focuses all loosely tied to the titular "Land。" It starts， well enough， about the subject matter itself， a deep dive into the primordial histories of Winchester's own purchased plot。， That was the best part of the book， and he unfortun In books like this， you hope the author brings something new to the subject， either with research （ala Bryson） or a unique viewpoint （ala Graeber）。 Unfortunately， Winchester doesn't do either， settling for a pretty run-of-the-mill book about。。。well。。。a grab bag of focuses all loosely tied to the titular "Land。" It starts， well enough， about the subject matter itself， a deep dive into the primordial histories of Winchester's own purchased plot。， That was the best part of the book， and he unfortunately exhausts that subject by the quarter mark， and then veers to and fro from the earlier establishment of boundaries to the history of the American "settling。" The worst part， the back half of the book feels perfunctory， covering the same tragedies of colonialism， fascism， and racism that you and I have read dozens of accounts of already。 If Winchester was clever， he would've heavily reinterpreted the events through the lens of land， ownership， and settlement， similar to Graeber's exhaustive Debt: The First Five Thousand Years。 Instead you get a pretty tepid recounting with only nominal meaning-makings around the subject matter itself。 Look， Graeber's book Debt， I found to be vexing and irritating it the liberties Graeber took to make his points。 At least I was engaged！ I found Land to be pretty tedious。 2。5 stars。Edit: Oh！ Also， bizarrely， detachedly， at odds with himself in the way that only well off， suburbs-y liberals can be。 E。g。 anti-city （talking about the blight of cityscapes in the only chapter that focuses on cities） but also a kind of preservationalist， somehow ignoring that to preserve the wilderness you need to enable and encourage resilient， dense cities。 His utopian vision of pastoral communal living is either a fantasy or requiring horrific depopulation which I'd assume he's be against （hopefully）。 It's all tiresome but I found that an especially silly theme。 。。。more
Anne
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it was very informative audiobook to drive with。
aPriL does feral sometimes
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'Land' by Simon Winchester is a terrific read！ He has pulled together stories and facts about how people claimed possession of land all around the world from the beginning of human history up to the present。 The author bought land in 1999 for himself， and he wondered at the psychological impulse for ownership of land。 The paperwork of deeds， titles， maps made and plot boundaries explicitly described by local governments， the financial and legal processes for owning land through loans/cash， inher 'Land' by Simon Winchester is a terrific read！ He has pulled together stories and facts about how people claimed possession of land all around the world from the beginning of human history up to the present。 The author bought land in 1999 for himself， and he wondered at the psychological impulse for ownership of land。 The paperwork of deeds， titles， maps made and plot boundaries explicitly described by local governments， the financial and legal processes for owning land through loans/cash， inheritance - it all started where， and why？ His purchase of acres of forested hills led to the author writing this book。 Winchester learned his new property had been owned or settled by:-communities of Mohican Indians-communities of Schaghticoke Indians-three Dutch stadholders-English monarchs-the loyalist Philipse family-unknown farmers， hunters and charcoal makers-the Brasher family-a Sicilian immigrant named Vacirca-a German American named Doll-a Sicilian American named Cesare Luria-the author Simon WinchesterThe book tells of astonishing acts of evil done by governments and ordinary people against nonliterate aboriginals。 Often the act of claiming land was pure piracy made palatable by the cover of unjust laws and prejudices。 When falsehoods or legal mechanisms didn't work， people grabbed land with the open force of superior arms， ships and numbers， using murder and starvation to convince the original inhabitants， along with destroying homes and livestock。 Sometimes explorers simply told the local and clearly oblivious aboriginals， after rowing a dinghy to a beach， that the explorer and their sponsoring home governments now owned this island or that country。Almost no developed-world countries are free of colonizing blood。 The Netherlands and England were remarkably rapacious and legally inventive in claiming aboriginals' lands， as well as in taking over entire countries already claimed and established by other people - which the author describes。 The Dutch also became expert at creating land， making Netherland swamps into modern cities and productive farmland， another remarkable story。 England itself changed hands a number of times， from prehistoric people to ancient Romans to Normans。 Israel is still being bitterly fought over， which is a very interesting history。 New Zealand aboriginals， however， have managed to wrest their lands back from a greedy England， mostly， another interesting chapter in the book。Most aboriginal people believed no one owned land - it was communal property。 How did we change from that accepted policy of most of the ancients to the accepted practice of individual or government ownership of property today？ Some modern countries declare all of their land is owned by the national government alone， Israel being one of those， apparently， as well as China， North Korea and Russia。Speaking for myself， I wonder if other readers will be as shocked as I was to read the statistics of how a few wealthy individuals actually own most of the land in a democracy like England and Scotland。 Scotland has been working at changing this statistic - another fascinating chapter。I was amazed to learn how it was that large areas of land began being professionally surveyed and mapped in order to draw boundaries - it was the early nineteenth century。 How it was surveyed blew my mind！ Of course， locals have worked out boundaries of property between themselves for millennia， sometimes not without a lot of disputation because of the reliance on verbal history and customary usage。Why are some plots of land unloved？ Hello， Chernobyl。 But Winchester writes of an astonishing historical event I knew nothing about that was as terrible as Chernobyl。 It happened near Denver， Colorado。 The Rocky Flats plant processed plutonium for decades， and it did so with the result of long-term land and water pollution despite promises the owners made in how they would put in place safeguards for nearby Denver's land and population。 Not。 The people in their own nearby Colorado lands and property are still being threatened by possible radiation if they dig more than three feet down！I recommend 'Land' to all readers。 It's an important history and very interesting。 I thought the book well written， and the author includes only a few in-depth events which illustrate the general milestones of history in owning land。 There is a glossary of terms， a Bibliography and an Index。 。。。more
Andy Klein
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A typical book by Winchester。 In this one， there are dozens of pieces variously tied towards real property that meander; sometimes entertain， and sometimes not。 It being more entertaining than not， it gets 3， not 2， stars。
Peter Sidell
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Winchester makes a thoughtful presentation about land ownership and how it varies between cultures and at different times in history。 Winchester does his usual job of of telling an interesting story。 He has a lot of detail at his fingertips。 There is also Lot of history in the presentation as well。
Dustin G。 Wright
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I’ve come back to it every so often slowly over the last six months， but a fascinating look at the wide ways we’ve understood “land，” and “ownership” over the centuries mixed with incredible stories of how those understandings have been abused and used in more positive manners as well。
Mark
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Put Simon's name on the phone book and I'll 'read' it cover-to-cover。 Put Simon's name on the phone book and I'll 'read' it cover-to-cover。 。。。more
Robert Lowry
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Not my favorite Winchester book mostly due to his outdated vocabulary for discussing indigenous peoples and the colonial land grabs。 That is far from a fatal flaw，given his always meticulous research and his storyteller’s voice。 This is narrative history at some of its its best。
Alex Broughton
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Another great read from Simon Winchester。 Unlike some of his other books which are chronologically arranged， this one is centered around an overarching theme: land （as the title suggests）。 The chapters are self-contained， more like a series of magazine articles。 While the connections between the themes is loose， the book does hang together nicely。 Excellent writing as always。
Julie Capell
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As with all the books by Simon Winchester that I have read， the breadth of his interests， the elegance of his writing， and the depth of his research is on impressive display here。 The book started out strongly， with an in-depth explanation of how the first maps were developed of the world's surface。 After that， chapters on the struggles between the early colonists in America/New Zealand and the indigenous peoples there cover familiar ground， but do a decent job of showing the shameful way in whi As with all the books by Simon Winchester that I have read， the breadth of his interests， the elegance of his writing， and the depth of his research is on impressive display here。 The book started out strongly， with an in-depth explanation of how the first maps were developed of the world's surface。 After that， chapters on the struggles between the early colonists in America/New Zealand and the indigenous peoples there cover familiar ground， but do a decent job of showing the shameful way in which westerners encroached on， took advantage of， and generally mistreated the indigenous peoples who hindered their lust to own the land they "discovered。" I lost interest in the middle sections of the book， covering land struggles in Scotland and the Middle East， seemingly from a very British point-of-view。 Even the chapter on Africa， which was gorgeously written， felt to me to be a bit too much from a European's viewpoint。 It's not that the author is apologizing for what colonizers did in these places， but these chapters smacked of lots of research but little local voice。 The chapter on the Maori in Arcady was much more interesting， especially given that this nation is doing some innovative things to return land to the aboriginal peoples who first inhabited it， and would seem to have some lessons we could learn in the United States。 And I really loved his final chapter， where he covers land trusts， and the epilogue， dealing with global warming。This is a good book to read to get an overview of the many issues surrounding land and land ownership。 For a more personalized， Native American view of many of the issues explored here， I highly recommend the book "Braiding Sweetgrass" by Robin Wall Kimmerer。[I listened to this as an audio book read by Simon Winchester。 He always does a fantastic job of narrating his own books。] 。。。more
Stefan Styk
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This book is a collection of histories of "land" united by various themes like explotation or transaction。 I enjoyed the story about the Netherlands。 The New Zealand chapter was also new to me。 There were some well-known stories like Native Americans land confiscation and the African carve-up， but I didn't learn anything on these topics beyond what I learned in high school history。 Only two stars because a lot of the vignettes were boring and didn't seem to fit well together。 Also， the author ad This book is a collection of histories of "land" united by various themes like explotation or transaction。 I enjoyed the story about the Netherlands。 The New Zealand chapter was also new to me。 There were some well-known stories like Native Americans land confiscation and the African carve-up， but I didn't learn anything on these topics beyond what I learned in high school history。 Only two stars because a lot of the vignettes were boring and didn't seem to fit well together。 Also， the author advocates for collective / shared land， but does not connect the dots between the vignette on mass collectivization resulting in the Holdomor and the policies he is advocating for。 These work on a very micro level， in some cases， per this book， but it seems irresponsible to fight against ownership so aggressively when history has proven otherwise。 。。。more
Jared
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Land is the only thing on this earth that lasts。HOW DID IT ALL LIKELY START？- The concept of animal husbandry was being born; the concept of settled agriculture was begun。 And with this latter， so came the start of the demarcation of land。HOW BIG IS THE EARTH？- It was the Greek librarian-scholar-astronomer Eratosthenes who famously first computed the circumference of our planet， some 2200 years ago。BORDERS- By the latest count there are 316 other international land borders around the world。- The Land is the only thing on this earth that lasts。HOW DID IT ALL LIKELY START？- The concept of animal husbandry was being born; the concept of settled agriculture was begun。 And with this latter， so came the start of the demarcation of land。HOW BIG IS THE EARTH？- It was the Greek librarian-scholar-astronomer Eratosthenes who famously first computed the circumference of our planet， some 2200 years ago。BORDERS- By the latest count there are 316 other international land borders around the world。- The great majority of the world’s land borders were fashioned in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries: a fierce acceleration of nation building got under way in 1850， became territorial mayhem between 1875 and 1899—largely in consequence of European adventurism and imperialism—and reached its climacteric in the first two decades of the twentieth century， when 50，000 miles of extra borders， almost a third of those currently inscribed in our atlases， were agreed to and delineated。FENCING IN LAND- It was when people began building fences around it， enclosing public land for private purpose， and when others， more cruelly， began dismissing landed tenants and replacing them with livestock…that matters first started to go awry。DIFFERING VIEWS ON ENCLOSING LAND- The political left deplores the enclosing of land， believing it to have led to dispossession of the rural poor， the creation of a perpetually impoverished underclass- The political right， on the other hand， believes enclosure to have led to immensely more efficient farming， to ever greater food production， and to a healthier， better-fed， and richer population，PROBLEMS WITH HAVING COMMON AREAS - because people were greedy or careless， wouldn’t cooperate or take care of their land， would push as many of their own cattle to graze on fields that were already overgrazed， would take more than their fair share， and so on—- This， as Hardin described it， was the true tragedy of the commons， and the only sure way to avert it was to make the land private。PUBLIC VS PRIVATE USES FOR LAND- And so the Wilks brothers have become symbolic scapegoats， villains in the growing confrontation between—as a columnist for a Boise newspaper had it—“Two American dreams。” On the one hand all agree that there is an absolute right of private ownership; yet most surely also accept that there is a spiritual poetry to quiet pastoral beauty， and efforts to preserve such landscapes that offer such escape provide an incalculable benefit of the American public soul。- The agora was， in effect， the public commons; and in the centers of some cities still common land remains preserved， religiously:EFFORTS TO FORCE COMMUNAL USE OF LAND- The twenty million small family farms that existed in the Soviet Union in 1929 now needed to be converted， vigorously， into some two hundred thousand kolkhozes—a feat of territorial prestidigitation that could be achieved only through coercion， threats， or brute force。- The land was no longer theirs but belonged unequivocally to the state。 Anyone disagreeing with such precepts would be arrested， deported to the gulags， or shot on the spot。LAND CAN PREVENT YOU FROM MOVING ON; FEEL TIED TO IT- Their emotional investment tended to act as a drag on their willingness to move。SOME COUNTRIES BELIEVE THAT LAND SHOULD BE ENJOYED BY ALL- For in Scotland there is today essentially no such thing as trespass。 One now has an absolute statutory right to wander anywhere in the country at any time of night or day， no matter who the land belongs to， and no matter if the landowner objects to your presence on his acres。 Your right of access generally trumps his right to privacy—- In Scandinavia most particularly， this ancient right of land wandering—allemansrätten is the Swedish word for it， “the everyman’s right”—survives and is cherished;- The thought of erecting a “No Trespassing” sign is seen in Finland as vulgar， impolite， and quite unnecessary。- Parliament in London offered legislation—famously the CROW， the Countryside and Rights of Way Act， 2000—that opened up much of the country to more or less the same kind of everyman’s right as is recognized in Scandinavia。JUSTIFICATIONS SOME HAVE USED FOR TAKING LAND- And there was one other justification for land seizure， and that could be added to those permissions offered by international law， by the Bible， and by simple need。 There was， for the English most of all， the matter of the king， and the “divine grace” by which he reigned and ruled。INHERENT VALUE OF LAND- [William] Petty—mathematician， linguist， astronomer， surveyor， navigator， doctor， thinker of formidable breadth， and a prodigious talent—had convinced most in the English establishment of the day that land was not a merely static resource， rock and grass and little else， but was an asset with an inherent capital value that could be released by the simple process of working it。- A lust for land was from now on part of the quintessential allure of America，A LOT OF THE LAND HELD BY THE FEW- Fully a third of the English countryside， for instance—13 million acres of the 37 million that make up the totality of the surface land area of England and Wales—belong to private firms or land-rich families of often great antiquity。THE LOCALS KNOW THE LAND WELL- Similar Victorian-era bans were also enacted in North and South America， Africa， and in various parts of European-controlled Asia: natives armed with fire were seen as threatening， and skittish Europeans were scared to death by them， not knowing what the fires were for， assuming sinister purpose， and worse。- the Andamanese Islanders， who live remotely and have had little contact with “civilization” in the seas off southeastern India， astonished all by surviving en masse the devastating 2004 tsunami， which killed a quarter of a million people elsewhere。 The islanders had weathered the giant waves in large part because their ancient songs， handed down through the generations， had instructed them that when the seawaters suddenly receded， they should run and take to the hills， which they did—and all escaped drowning。SOMETIMES REMOVING PEOPLE FROM LAND HELPS （SOMETIMES NOT）- Take the Irish out of Ireland， and their dispute， no matter how ancient， somehow evaporates。 But take the Levantine out of the Levant， and wretchedly， the argument somehow manages to survive。HOW MUCH LAND A MAN NEEDS （ACCORDING TO TOLSTOY）- The hole is six feet long and three feet wide。 It is just the amount that poor Pakhom needs， no less and no more。 It is just the amount that any man needs。 Nice and dark and deep， and in area six feet by three feet， exactly。- Leo Tolstoy told story of a man who sought lots of land: https://youtu。be/IXd1sbhlOAoGOOD QUOTES- The first person who， having enclosed a plot of land， took it into his head to say this is mine， and found people simple enough to believe him， was the true founder of civil society。 What crimes， wars， murders， what miseries and horrors would the human race have been spared， had someone pulled up the stakes or filled in the ditch and cried out to his fellow men: “Do not listen to this imposter。 You are lost if you forget that the fruits of the earth belong to all and the earth to no one！” —JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU， Discourse on Inequality （1755）- “When the missionaries came to Africa，” Desmond Tutu famously （though not originally: that honor belongs to Jomo Kenyatta） remarked， “they had the Bible and we had the land。 They said ‘Let us pray。’ We closed our eyes。 When we opened them， we had the Bible and they had the land。”- The law locks up the man or woman Who steals the goose from off the common; But lets the greater villain loose Who steals the common from the goose。 —ANON。， IN The Tickler Magazine （1821）- We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us。 When we see land as a community to which we belong， we may begin to use it with love and respect。 —ALDO LEOPOLD， A Sand County Almanac （1948）- What befalls the earth befalls all the sons of the earth。 - Suquamish leader Chief Sealth*** *** *** *** ***FACTOIDS- Sir Cyril Radcliffe himself left India the day after his work was done; he burned all of his papers and， in dismay and disgust， returned the fee of some five thousand dollars that he had been promised。- there is effectively only one border crossing on the India-Pakistan border today…The crossing place is generally now known as Attari。- Rocky Mountains （known back then as the Stone Mountains）。- Oklahoma， a conflation of the Choctaw words meaning “Red People。”- Captain John Smith—the man who coined the phrase New England for the territories to the north and west of the Plymouth Colony—- But it was not until 1924， and passage of the Snyder Act， that the three hundred thousand Native Americans then living in the United States could become， automatically and without application， full citizens。- The word acre， so central to the concept of land and landownership， was born during these times， and it remains—along with bread and earl and half—one of the oldest recorded words in the language， indicating how important concepts relating to food， society， and arithmetic—and land—were to the earliest English。- The largest personal landholding in Britain is probably that of the Duke of Buccleuch， who is listed as presiding over some 270，000 acres，- By most accounts， the world’s very largest private landowners are all Australian—which is hardly surprising， given the size of even quite ordinary cattle or sheep stations。 The largest single property in the country， the Anna Creek sheep station in South Australia， is almost 6 million acres in extent—- the law specifically forbids the shooting of a trespasser， unless he is brandishing a weapon and threatening the life of the owner。 Warning signs declaring “Trespassers Will Be Shot” are to be seen on all sides in American states like these， and though the signs are permissible as a deterrent， they are not to be regarded as a warning of any impending fusillade。- Having so many cattle pinioned in one place， conveniently close to a railway line that led ultimately to the stockyards in Chicago， played into the great “beef bonanza” that was just then gripping the nation。 Beef became all of a sudden both cheap and available， with the result that almost overnight it would replace pork as the preferred national dinnertime dish。- of the world’s fifty most polluted cities， fourteen are in China， and one each in Mongolia and Bangladesh， but the remaining thirty-four are in Pakistan and India。- New Zealand was the last country on the planet to be discovered and settled by a human population。 The Polynesian canoeists were first， sighting the long chain of islands in， it is now generally assumed， the mid-fourteenth century。 And then， three hundred years later， came the Europeans—- Maori men were in fact given the vote in 1867， fully twelve years before their white counterparts， making New Zealand the first settler state in the world to give the vote to its indigenous population—and almost a century before Australia next door gave the vote to her aboriginals。- Five hundred million acres of African land currently remains uncultivated: and yet six hundred million African people—almost half of the continent’s population—exist below the World Bank’s recently upgraded $1。90-a-day poverty line。- I then proposed that we give the valley the name of Yo-sem-i-ty， as it was suggestive， euphonious， and certainly American; that by so doing， the name of the tribe of Indians which we had met leaving their homes in this valley，- Between 1996 and 2011， for example， the East Coast of the United States， from Maine to Florida， lost just 13，000 of its acres to the clawing waters of the Atlantic Ocean。- The Suquamish leader Chief Sealth， after whom the City of Seattle is named，BONUS- Bundle of Rights: https://youtu。be/RnbFDwRbVMI- Eratosthenes computed the circumference of the planet: https://youtu。be/wPR3XhIDP9w- Struve Geodetic Arc: https://youtu。be/Ko10grmu_4M- Creation of modern India and Pakistan border: https://youtu。be/r5Ps1TZXAN8- India-Bangladesh enclaves: https://youtu。be/qRMMogAUK64- Canada-USA border splits a town in half: https://youtu。be/EocJm3Dry4E- Northwest Angle （American town in Canada）: https://youtu。be/SkbuZfC06d8- How the Netherlands manages water: https://youtu。be/25LW_PG2ZuI- Clearance of Scottish highlands: https://youtu。be/fYTbxnMgCfk- Anna Creek Station （Australia） is 6 million acres: https://youtu。be/pg30-LKCzgY- What is ‘forest bathing’？: https://youtu。be/stuZaKB9j7I- Barbed wire patented in 1873: https://youtu。be/E-rwbR_I0G8- Shield taken by Capt Cook during first contact with Australian aborigines （1770）: https://youtu。be/SjJiqM66_F0- Aboriginal fire management techniques could help Australia prevent big fires: https://youtu。be/-meDcXoIhjE- Ukrainian Holodomor （hunger and extermination）: https://youtu。be/3sB3g8K7n7I- Dame Whina Cooper （Māori）: https://youtu。be/6Oh3dxWIQ18- Queen Elizabeth II apology to Māori （1995）: https://youtu。be/Os7NlOSvtuc- Community to buy Isle of Ulva （Scotland）: https://youtu。be/viAKJdMp-64- Impact of Zimbabwe land reforms: https://youtu。be/w7X2wtmElTg- Rising sea levels: https://youtu。be/6tesHVSZJOg 。。。more
Daniel G
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I picked up this book because I’ve enjoyed the author’s other works。 It was imminently satisfying。 I didn’t always agree with what he had to say， but I enjoyed how he said it。 Well， I enjoyed it to a certain extent。 He seriously overused the parenthetical statement， almost to the point of increasing reading difficulty。 There were times when I’d have to go back in the sentence， before the parenthetical， to figure out the sense of the sentence， and a reader should never have to do that。 Nonetheles I picked up this book because I’ve enjoyed the author’s other works。 It was imminently satisfying。 I didn’t always agree with what he had to say， but I enjoyed how he said it。 Well， I enjoyed it to a certain extent。 He seriously overused the parenthetical statement， almost to the point of increasing reading difficulty。 There were times when I’d have to go back in the sentence， before the parenthetical， to figure out the sense of the sentence， and a reader should never have to do that。 Nonetheless I give it five stars。 I’m a happy landowner， although I tend to think of myself as a happy HOME owner。 I own a home which sits on about one third of an acre of land。 And I’m not inclined to surrender even a part of it， although I am perfectly willing to will this parcel to my kids。 Still， the idea that some own so much more land than they could possibly use in a lifetime can be bothersome。 Of course， they can will their estate to their heirs as I can will mine。 Regardless， an enjoyable read。 。。。more
Clivemichael
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An enlightening and enjoyable read。 Full of fascinating facts and detailed descriptions。
Jerry Wall
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LibraryFrom land purchase by author to How much Land does a Man need， book tells of People and property， how it is thought of and how it is treated; from common wealth of mankind to possession ofthose who can dedicate it to themselves as Rousseau said。 （Though he said it as a curse。）Finishing up （spoiler alert） by juxtaposing the speech of Chief Sealth and the Tolstoy revelation of How much Land Does one need。 Considering Climate Change along the way 。Delightful how author covers church or spiri LibraryFrom land purchase by author to How much Land does a Man need， book tells of People and property， how it is thought of and how it is treated; from common wealth of mankind to possession ofthose who can dedicate it to themselves as Rousseau said。 （Though he said it as a curse。）Finishing up （spoiler alert） by juxtaposing the speech of Chief Sealth and the Tolstoy revelation of How much Land Does one need。 Considering Climate Change along the way 。Delightful how author covers church or spirits （miracles？） through many of my personal favoritesincluding Henry George。 Much food for thought as Covid Flu Pandemic shifts our attention frombuilding up treasures to survival。。 。 。 the most stable and most respected form of wealth， acreage p。 249Trespass discussed p。 33 et seq。Cities are where land comes to die。 p。 383。 。 。 eminent domain -- compulsory purchase *** allows razing of houses （homes to some） in the questionable name of progress。 p。 390USSR （Ukraine） The great hunger， Holodomor， discussed to p。456 Robert ConquestIn New Zealand Mount Cook was renamed Aoraki （Cloud Piercer in Maori） p。 530New Zealand anthem with Maori/English alternating discussed p。 5011972 Olympic rowing champs， NZ， 9 men weeping as anthem played。 p。 530Arcay chapter about NZ where when English came with the Bible and the NZers had the land and were asked to pray with English they closed eyes to pray and when opened eyes they had the Bibleand the English had the land。 Arcady chapter。Native reaction to being advised that the land was for sale "You might as well buy the wind。" p。 572 （''Zimbabwe）We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us。 When we see land as a community to which we belong， we may begin to use ti with love and respect。 Aldo Leopold p。 595To harm the earth in any way is sinful and unworthy。 p。 622 。。。more
Kyla Denae
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i feel like this book majorly misrepresents itself with the subtitle。 it’s less an overarching picture of “how” ideas of ownership developed & more a series of vignettes about （what seemed to me） obscure examples of strange ownership situations。 also， all the carefully politically correct talk about “””Indians””” & “””Maoris” （g-d， i cringed every time） couldn’t undo the visceral reaction i had to his opening， where he rhapsodized about his joy in owning a plot of new england land…and a paragrap i feel like this book majorly misrepresents itself with the subtitle。 it’s less an overarching picture of “how” ideas of ownership developed & more a series of vignettes about （what seemed to me） obscure examples of strange ownership situations。 also， all the carefully politically correct talk about “””Indians””” & “””Maoris” （g-d， i cringed every time） couldn’t undo the visceral reaction i had to his opening， where he rhapsodized about his joy in owning a plot of new england land…and a paragraph later started telling about the dispossessed & struggling schaghticoke whose land he holds a deed to， but without seeming particularly & actually distressed by this dichotomy。anyway。 that’s my hot take。 。。。more
Craig Earnshaw
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well researched， interesting and fact-filled
Sumit
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This was a fascinating book for me。 I bought it on a whim & I am glad I did because I got introduced to things I would never have thought of。 If this is not a topic that interests you， I would recommend you buy the book because once you get reading， you *will* be interested。
Hikari
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This book is about the history of how people have acquired and distributed land。It's a collection of histories that I have never learned before。 One history that I enjoyed reading about is that of how the land was distributed in Massachusetts and Scotland at some point in time。 That is， where voluntary people jointly owned and managed land as a community。 Another history I learned is about Japanese immigrants returning to their original holdings after World War II from the camps。 It's quite sad This book is about the history of how people have acquired and distributed land。It's a collection of histories that I have never learned before。 One history that I enjoyed reading about is that of how the land was distributed in Massachusetts and Scotland at some point in time。 That is， where voluntary people jointly owned and managed land as a community。 Another history I learned is about Japanese immigrants returning to their original holdings after World War II from the camps。 It's quite sad that they only found that the place had been taken by someone else and they had to fight to take it back。 Winchester shares a strong message in this book。 That is， the land on the earth is finite and not forever， hence it shall be shared more equally。 I totally agree with it。I somehow found Winchester's writing a bit hard to read。 （maybe because Winchester is British？） Still， this was a very informational read。 。。。more
Scott
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About 3/4 through and just couldn’t stay focused
Danny Lapin
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Winchester's book does a great job of compressing such a broad topic into just over 400 pages。 From how borders were demarcated to the lasting impact of imperialism across our planet， Winchester effectively balances storytelling with the technical aspects of land ownership。 I felt that a little more attention should have gone into the ways in which property rights and land-use were codified and used to exclude others from enjoying access to the land。 I also found it interesting that Winchester i Winchester's book does a great job of compressing such a broad topic into just over 400 pages。 From how borders were demarcated to the lasting impact of imperialism across our planet， Winchester effectively balances storytelling with the technical aspects of land ownership。 I felt that a little more attention should have gone into the ways in which property rights and land-use were codified and used to exclude others from enjoying access to the land。 I also found it interesting that Winchester interchangeably used warming and climate change even though they were not the same thing。 More attention should have been given to that section- and the current efforts to address climate migration， too。 。。。more
Signora
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Read for an Omnilore class。。。well written and lots of food for thought！
Don Kent
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Th is a marvelous book that touches on all the reasons man has lusted for ownership and control of land。
Jeffrey （Akiva） Savett
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