1
of
1
The Edge of the Plain
How Borders Make and Break Our World
Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.
Check link for latest rating. ( 299 ratings, 43 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still
learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Summary
Read More
Format: Hardback
TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK
Please add to wishlist to be notified when back in stock
Sorry, we're currently out of stock of The Edge of the Plain. Please add to your Wishlist and we'll send you an email as soon as it's back in stock.
Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
Blending history, travel and reportage, this is a wide-ranging journey through the history of borders and an examination of their role in shaping our world today.
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
still learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Description
In this book, James Crawford argues that our enduring obsession with borders has brought us to a crisis point: that we are entering the endgame of a process that began thousands of years ago, when we first started dividing up the earth.
Today, nationalism, climate change, globalisation, technology, and mass migration are all colliding with ever-hardening borders. Something has to give. At stake is the future of the world as we know it. Borders are the ultimate test - can we let go of the lines that separate us? Or are we fated to repeat the mistakes of the past, as our angry, warming, and segregated planet lurches towards catastrophe?
Combining history, travel, and reportage, The Edge of the Plain takes us through the history of borders - from the first-ever marker which denoted the edge of one land and the beginning of the next, to the walls going up around the world today. It is a story told in four parts: Making, Moving, Crossing and Breaking. Each part explores a different aspect of the lifecycle and experience of borders all around the world and throughout history - how they are created, how they can change and evolve, how they are crossed or breached, and, finally, how they are overcome or broken.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781838852023
Publisher: Canongate Books
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 04 August 2022
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Canongate Books
Edition: Main
Illustration: Integrated B&W photos
Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 38.0mm
Width: 162.0mm
Height: 240.0mm
Weight: 667g
Pages: 432
About the Author
James Crawford is an acclaimed historian, publisher and broadcaster. He is the author of Fallen Glory: The Lives and Deaths of the World's Greatest Lost Buildings, which was shortlisted for the Saltire Non-Fiction Book of the Year Award. In 2016 he was elected as Chair of the Board of Publishing Scotland, the network body for the publishing industry in Scotland; and in July 2019 he was appointed as the first ever Scottish ambassador for the UK Archive and Records Association's 'Explore Your Archives' campaign. He lives in Edinburgh.
@Jdcrawf | jamescrawford.space
Also by James Crawford
View all-
The Edge of the Plain
No matter where you turn, it seems that the taut lines of borders are vibrating to—or even calling—the tune of global events. Today, there are more borders in the world than ever before in human history. Beginning with the earliest known example, Crawford travels to many borders old and new: from a melting glacial landscape to the conflict-torn West Bank...Paperback$3699Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Wild History
Shortlisted for The Great Outdoors Reader Awards Longlisted for the Highland Book Prize You scramble up over the dunes of an isolated beach. You climb to the summit of a lonely hill. You pick your way through the eerie hush of a forest. And then you find them. The traces of the past. Perhaps they are marked by a tiny...Paperback$3499Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Pre-orderThe Vanishing Earth
A deeply reported journey into the scarred landscapes of global extraction. Humanity has remade the Earth with astonishing speed. In the last fifty years alone we have taken more out of the planet than in all prior history combined. Across every continent lie the immense wounds left behind by extraction—the mines, quarries, poisoned rivers, and hollowed-out towns that now form...Paperback$4800Unit price /UnavailableOut 8 Sep 2026Pre-order -
Wild History
You scramble up over the dunes of an isolated beach. You climb to the summit of a lonely hill. You pick your way through the eerie hush of a forest. And then you find them. The traces of the past. Perhaps they are marked by a tiny symbol on your map, perhaps not. There are no plaques to explain their...PaperbackSold Out
More from Travel & Adventure
View all-
The Salt Path
The bestselling true story of the couple who lost everything and embarked on a journey not of escape but salvation, soon to be a major motion picture starring Golden Globe winning Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs. Just days after Raynor learns that Moth, her husband of 32 years, is terminally ill, the couple lose their home and their livelihood. With...Paperback$2700Elsewhere:$3000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
Lonely Planet Japan
#1 Bestselling guidebook to Japan "Classic. Comprehensive. Crucial." - Library Journal Lonely Planet's local travel experts reveal all you need to know to plan the trip of a lifetime to Japan. Discover popular and off the beaten track experiences from visiting Yoshino for Japan's most famous cherry-blossom-viewing festival to sipping sake at a 300-year-old brewery in Niigata, and exploring the...Paperback$4100Elsewhere:$4499Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
Maintenance: Of Everything
The first in-depth exploration of maintenance and a powerful argument for its civilisational importance from the author of How Buildings Learn and creator of the Whole Earth Catalog. Maintenance is what keeps everything going. It's what keeps life going. Yet it's also easy to shirk or defer until the thing breaks, the system falters, and everything stops. The apparent paradox...Hardback$7999Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Abroad in Japan
The hilarious number one bestselling memoir from YouTube sensation Chris Broad, a Brit trying to assimilate into life in Japan as he unravels the wonders and eccentricities of one of the world's most mysterious cultures. When Englishman Chris Broad landed in a rural village in northern Japan, he wondered if he'd made a huge mistake. With no knowledge of the...Paperback$2500Elsewhere:$3000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
The Cat's Tales
Once upon a time, the enchanting creature that is the cat infiltrated our lives – and our folklore. Cats have a long association with the supernatural – from being worshipped as gods in ancient Egypt to vilified as witches’ familiars in Europe – and they appear in countless fairy tales throughout history. Every part of the world has its own...Hardback$3099Elsewhere:$3799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
The Penguin Lessons
Now a major film, this is the true story of an unlikely friendship between a flightless bird and a teacher out of his depth. When schoolteacher Tom Michell pulls a penguin from an oil slick off the coast of Uruguay, he has no idea what to do. Back at his apartment, Tom cleans him, but upon returning to the beach,...Paperback$2400Elsewhere:$3000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
Rambling Man
THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLING HILARIOUS NEW BOOK FROM THE NATION'S FAVOURITE COMEDIAN, BILLY CONNOLLY "Being a Rambling Man was what I always wanted to be, to live the way I damn well pleased. I've met the weirdest and most wonderful people who walk the Earth, seen the most bizarre and the most fantastic sights - and I've rarely come across...Paperback$2299Elsewhere:$2799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
22% offLonely Planet Pocket Lisbon
Lonely Planet's Pocket Lisbon is your guide to the city's best experiences and local life - neighbourhood by neighbourhood. Experience the city's most scenic tram routes, find the best pastéis de nata and discover the winding backstreets of Alfama; all with your trusted travel companion. Uncover the best of Lisbon and make the most of your trip! Inside Lonely Planet's...Paperback$1800Elsewhere:$2499Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
Cozy Bookshops: Colouring Book
Cozy Bookshops—your ultimate escape into a world of bookish bliss and mindful relaxation in 46 adorable scenes, from the coziest book nooks. Wander labyrinthine bookshelves, sink into soft armchairs by roaring fireplaces, and lose yourself in snug, atmospheric corners. Escape, relax, and unwind with this colouring book for all skill levels and bring your own personality. The possibilities are endless!...Paperback$2000Elsewhere:$2299Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
22% off
Lonely Planet Pocket Porto
Lonely Planet's Pocket Porto is your guide to the city's best experiences and local life, neighbourhood by neighbourhood. Experience the historic Se cathedral, marvel at the stunning Palacio da Bolsa, and visit peacocks in Jardim do Palacio de Cristal, all with your trusted travel companion. Uncover the best of Porto and make the most of your trip! Inside Lonely Planet's...Paperback$1800Elsewhere:$2499Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
Auto Biography
From one of the world's most popular motor journalists, a highly entertaining, clued-up and panoramic guide to cars. A highly entertaining, clued-up and panoramic guide to cars by Mat Watson, the world's most followed car journalist on social media. Mat Watson knows everything there is to know about cars. In his 25-year career as a motor journalist, he has driven...Hardback$4600Elsewhere:$6000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
Brilliant Maps
With a foreword by Tim Harford Which nations have North Korean embassies? Which region has the highest number of death metal bands per capita? How many countries have bigger economies than California? Who drives on the 'wrong' side of the road? And where can you find lions in the wild? Revelatory, thought-provoking and fun, Brilliant Maps is a unique atlas...Paperback$3799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow
Why buy from us?
Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!
Service & Delivery
Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.
Auckland Bookstore
We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.
Our Gifting Service
Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.
