Craftland

An impassioned and inspiring account of the extraordinary men and women still doing traditional artisanal work in Britain * Sunday Times, *Book of the Week* *
Craftland is a book that shimmers with love for a dwindling world of meticulous, patient labour … Lyrical … Deftly written and well researched * Guardian *
Superb … A book with many highlights … [Fox] brings his critical intelligence to platform the usually silent process of mastering a craft. I read the book with admiration not only for the remarkable subjects individually, but also the human spirit that unites them all * New Statesman *
If you want to know about Britain and yourself, read this book … This is a tremendous book that urges us – in spite of the seductions of crass modernity – to believe in the craftspeople, living and dead, who made us who we are. * Spectator *
Meet the weavers, watchmakers and wheelwrights keeping Britain’s noble craft traditions alive … Fox effortlessly persuades the reader about the superiority of all things crafted * Mail on Sunday *
Utterly enchanting -- Amol Rajan * BBC Radio 4 Today *
This hugely absorbing book is so full of stories of crafts and craftspeople and communities, and of creativity over the ages. It’s such an important story to tell and told so compellingly. Wonderful -- Michael Morpurgo, author of War Horse
Beautiful, eye-opening and surprisingly moving - a treat to treasure -- Lucy Worsley, author of Jane Austen at Home
A beautifully crafted book – akin to the beautifully crafted objects it describes … What a treat to discover facts and stories that feed the heart and prove that craft is as ever present as it has forever been -- Kate Malone, ceramist
It is so rare to come across a book brimming with fresh news and seasoned with hope. James Fox uncovers a largely hidden history which is still alive all around us today. I read it in two gulps with delight -- Andrew Marr, author and journalist
A dazzling combination of evocative prose and meticulous research, Craftland is an impassioned undertaking and novel portrait of the country’s past and how we might rethink our future -- Kate Bryan, art historian
This extraordinary book is essential reading. It will leave you awestruck at the complexity and persistence of the crafts that shaped our world, and inspired to engage more deeply with our vanishing material world of objects and skills. Anyone who has ever felt a disconnection from modern life will find themselves irresistibly drawn in -- Xand Van Tulleken
Brillian[t] … I recommend that the book be read slowly, section by section, so all the details can be appreciated * Literary Review *
Cambridge art historian James Fox considers our heritage of artisanal labour, and documents those who are struggling to keep it alive. His accounts of such work are often thrilling * The Week *
Craftland teems with detail … [It] is a tour through the world of British craft … Fox is very good at putting objects and materials into words * Financial Times *