The Lie of the Land has garnered some nice reviews since publication - here are a few of them.


Dales Life

“Anyone who has ever picked up a pebble at the seaside or a rock on a moorland path will find invaluable Ian Vince's geological guide... you will understand the area round your British holiday cottage far more deeply than before.” Giles Foden (Author of The Last King of Scotland), Condé Nast Traveller

“Takes the reader on an explosive journey across millennia. Continents glide thousands of miles like contestants in Strictly Come Dancing, Scotland swelters on the Equator and Snowdonia boasts a volcanic ring of fire with mountains taller than Everest.” Daily Express

Full Review

“Brings an easy touch to a subject most would leave to a hirsute geographer” The Field

“The English Channel is a relatively recent addition to the landscape, caused by two enormous floods which took place 450,000 and 200,000 years ago respectively, as huge, glacier-fed lakes burst their banks. Had it not been for these two inundations, Vince muses, the history of Britain - and even the world - could have turned out very differently” The Scotsman

“Far from a dry, scholarly tome, The Lie of the Land is brim full of facts dressed up in a lively narrative more akin to a fictional adventure. Ian is a passionate soul and natural wordsmith.” Western Morning News

There’s a lovely review of the BLC manual The Lie of the Land in the August issue of Geographical Magazine, the official magazine of the Royal Geographical Society. I’ve clipped out the body of it below.



“This is a layperson's guide to why the scenery in Britain is so varied. It starts in the far north-west of Scotland, describing and explaining the oldest rocks in the British Isles. It then explains the concept of geological time before starting a backwards journey from the most recent past. The geology of each period is explained with reference to its effects on the landscape we see around us and how the rocks were formed. There is a map with each chapter showing where rocks of the period being discussed are at the surface.

The book is written in a friendly and accessible style, with enough use of anecdote and humour to make it an enjoyable and relatively light read, while still being informative. There are suggestions for further reading in the back for anyone who wants to go into the geology in more detail. I enjoyed reading it even though (in theory) I should already know most of what it says. I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in landscapes.” Science File book reviews - sciencefile.org

“Anyone who has ever picked up a pebble at the seaside or a rock on a moorland path will find invaluable Ian Vince's geological guide... you will understand the area round your British holiday cottage far more deeply than before.”

Giles Foden

“Takes the reader on an explosive journey across millennia. Continents glide thousands of miles like contestants in Strictly Come Dancing, Scotland swelters on the Equator and Snowdonia boasts a volcanic ring of fire with mountains taller than Everest.”

John Ingham

Full Review