Heritage Obsession: The Battle for England's Past

The Past has become a national obsession, spawning innumerable heritage organisations and occupying hours of TV time. How and when did this passion for the past become a collective fixation? Ben Cowell traces the rise of heritage consciousness over the last 300 years from its origins in the writings of the seventeenth- and eighteenth-century antiquarians to the founding of the first heritage organizations in the nineteenth century and on to the present day - when the National Trust alone boasts 3.5m members. This year sees the centenary of the National Trust Act. This is a unique and important book, with a wide appeal - from general readers, through students on heritage management courses, to members of conservationist bodies and policy-makers at all levels.