The History of Paradise on Earth
As dazzling and seductive as the landscape it celebrates, here is the first book to tell the story of the beach - its history, customs, spectacles and scandals. From being a wasteland at the margins of civilisation - remote, unknown, dangerous - the beach is now seen as nature's most potent anti-depressant, everyone's favourite get-away destination. Using a hugely entertaining historical account as its narrative framework, this lavishly illustrated book charts the evolution of the seaside from ancient societies to its present role as the central staging ground for diversions of all sorts.
