The author ofThe Professor & the MadmanandThe Perfectionistsexplores the notion of property—our proprietary relationship with the land—through human history, how it has shaped us & 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 & underpins everything. Employing the keen intellect, insatiable curiosity, & narrative verve that are the foundations of his previous bestselling works,Simon Winchesterexamines what we human beings are doing—& have done—with the billions of acres that together make up the solid surface of our planet.Land: How the Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern Worldexamines in depth how we acquire land, how we steward it, how & why we fight over it, & finally, how we can, & on occasion do, come to share it. Ultimately,Winchesterconfronts the essential question: who actually owns the world's land—and why does it matter?°°°Simon Winchesterwas born & educated in England. He was a foreign correspondent for more than thirty years includng twelve years for theGuardianin Asia, reporting on the Hong Kong handover to China for the newspaper in 1997, & twenty years as the Asia editor forCondé Nast Traveler. He is the author of many highly acclaimed & bestsellng works of non-fiction. He now lives in Massachusetts.