{"product_id":"the-way-to-the-sea-the-forgotten-histories-of-the-thames-estuary-1","title":"The Way to the Sea: The Forgotten Histories of the Thames Estuary","description":"Product Description  'Like the Thames itself, this book carries you along on a journey full of rich detail and fascinating insight', Madeleine Bunting  'Atmospheric and movingly written...rich and haunting',the Spectator  Raised on its banks and an avid sailor, Caroline Crampton sets out to rediscover the enigmatic pull of the Thames by following its course from the river's source in a small village in Gloucestershire, through the short central stretch beloved of Londoners and tourists alike, to the point where it merges with the North Sea. As she navigates the river's ever-shifting tidal waters, she seeks out the stories behind its unique landmarks, from the vast Victorian pumping stations that carried away the capital's waste and the shiny barrier that holds the sea at bay, to the Napoleonic-era forts that stand on marshy ground as eerie relics of past invasions. In spellbinding prose, she reveals the histories of its empty warehouses and arsenals; its riverbanks layered with Anglo-Saxon treasures; and its shipwrecks, still inhabited by the ghosts of the drowned.  The Way to the Sea is at once a fascinating portrait of an iconic stretch of water and a captivating introduction to a new voice in British non-fiction.  Review  [A] praise-hymn to the muddy, marshy far reaches of the river... captivating -- Rose George ― New Statesman Published On: 2019-06-06  Short but rich... [Crampton] writes movingly, sometimes with flecks of nostalgia or melancholy, but ultimately her book is a rallying call for greater appreciation of the maligned and overlooked ― Evening Standard  Like the Thames itself, this book carries you along on a journey full of rich detail and fascinating insight -- Madeleine Bunting  An affectionate portrait of an often neglected landscape... rich and fascinating... Crampton writes beautifully of the area's charms. Her first-hand knowledge of navigating the river gives the book the descriptive power that brings the whole area superbly to life ― Sunday Times  Atmospheric and movingly written...rich and haunting ― Spectator Published On: 2019-06-01  In The Way to the Sea, the Thames - from its indistinct origins in a muddy Gloucestershire field, all the way east to the Nore sandbank in the estuary - runs through a lush landscape of personal memories of family sailing trips and Oxonian dunkings, of histories of cities and suburbs that rose and fell on its banks, populated by poets and painters singing the Thames' 'sweet song'. A memorial to Joseph Bazalgette, architect of the Thames' central London embankments, claimed he had 'put the river in chains', but in this tender, often startling, blend of memoir, nature-writing and social and cultural history, Caroline Crampton reveals instead how the river shapes us -- Rachel Hewitt  This is a remarkable, superbly researched book, and I was swept along by it from source to mouth. The Thames Estuary has found its chronicler, a young writer who opens a reader's eyes to its mystery, moodiness and downbeat beauty -- Christopher Somerville  Caroline Crampton's The Way to the Sea is a re-enchantment of the overlooked, everyday world of the Thames Estuary. A love letter to a place too changeable to define, this seductive journey is both beautifully written and highly recommended -- John Higgs  A fascinating, brilliant book that carries you downstream on its quick-flowing current' -- Cal Flynn  Fascinating ― Bookseller Published On: 2019-03-08  Lyrically written... this book was a treat ― Practical Boat Owner Published On: 2019-05-02  A beautiful book ― Five Books Published On: 2019-05-13  Deeply literary and well researched... A thoughtful, beautifully-written appreciation ― Yachting Monthly Published On: 2019-06-19  [A] lyrical meditation on the meaning of the Thames...you won't find a more elegantly written guide ― Literary Review Published On: 2019-06-01  [A] wonderful account... [Crampton] writes with the quiet confidence and terminology of someone who has spent plenty of time ","brand":"Granta Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40811415928917,"sku":"9781783784141N","price":11.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2481\/5790\/files\/518cd7b0-9753-4539-a4d7-9a9b1e6e653e.jpg?v=1712491174","url":"https:\/\/smeikalbooks.co.uk\/en-us\/products\/the-way-to-the-sea-the-forgotten-histories-of-the-thames-estuary-1","provider":"smeikalbooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}