Alumni Travel Reading Lists 2025: Heart of Britain: Yorkshire, Lake District, Wales

See also Home's Yorkshire: Coast and Mooreland Scenes and York: A Sketch-Book

This 19th century tourist guide begins with the quote from a 9th century poem:
The child of Rome, the nurse of kings! around thy name has grown
A power of majesty and might to ancient days unknown:
Old Tiber saw the world enslaved, and wreck pronounced her name,
But to old Ouse her grandsons bring the spread of freedom’s fame:
Rome lived the mistress of the world, to die in shattered pride:
York lives in growing nations’s hearts, their mother and their guid!

Penn & Sword publishes widely on the people, places, events, political and military history, and material culture of ancient Rome. Chrystal documents his work with recent archaeological and epigraphical evidence. Available as a print or e-book.

Palliser examines York following the Roman era, (c. 600) to the major changes of the 1530s and 1540s and the end of the Medieval period in England. Available through libraries.

This children's novel is set in the Lake District. Its story relates the outdoor adventures and play of two families of children. Their activities include sailing, camping, fishing, exploration and piracy.

All Creatures Great and Small originated as a series of 8 novels in the UK, the first volume of which appeared in 1970. In the US, they were published as three larger volumes, beginning with this title.

A richly illustrated book providing a perspective on the landscapes that have defined the British Isles. Available in libraries

A history of Great Crosthwaite Parish, a community within the Lake District and the work of the community preserve its natural landscape through the National Trust. This successful effort created a path for a broader movement to preserve England's natural areas. Available in print

From the publisher: "This volume showcases Potter's charming characters against the backdrop of her exquisite botanical drawings, humorous illustrated letters to friends, Lake District landscapes, and rarely seen photographs." Available in print and at libraries

text and photographs with chapters on individual poets, their families, and living spaces

When Coleridge arrived to join the Wordsworths in the Lakes in 1799, he explored the high fells on his own--this was unusual at the time for all but those who grew up in the area. This book represents Coleridge's written account of his sojourn and rambles. Available in print.

From the preface: "A residence of fifteen years in the Lake District had led me to believe that for lack of some compendium of the Literary Associations of the country-side, the memories of the men and women whose life and work have added such charm to the scene of their labours are fading from off the circle of our hills. This book ... preserve[s] …the names, the individualities, the presence of the minds and hearts, that have here gathered inspiration and shed lustre upon their homes.”

Green Victorians tells the story of a 19th century community in the English Lake District seeking to live away from Victorian consumer culture and social hierarchy. Available as print and ebook

This book explores the history of Wales's castles, whether dating from Roman times or from the "iron ring" of King Edward in the 13th century, whether in ruins or still inhabited. Davis explores their tales, myths, and mysteries. Available as print or ebook.

This publication marks the seventh centenary of the death of King Edward I. It provides an examination of recent scholarship on the castles built by Edward in the 13th century. The essays included in this collection create a broader picture of the built environment of the time, the towns and households, Welsh society, and the literary tradition. Available as a print or ebook.

This volume explores the landscape settings of megalithic chambered monuments in Wales. The authors assess the significance of landscape features that were likely visible from the monuments. This work includes an illustrated inventory of sites. Available as print or ebook

In his book, "Tir--the Welsh word for "land"--writer and ecologist Carwyn Graves takes us on a tour of seven key characteristics of the Welsh landscape. He explores such elements as the ffridd, or mountain pasture, and the rhos, or wild moorland, and examines the many ways humans interact with and understand the natural landscape around them." From the publisher. Available as print and ebook

This book examines the history and traditions that have come together since the medieval period to make Wales the musical nation. Available as print or ebook

In this book, we learn why Wales is known as the 'the Land of Song.’ Williams provides a social and cultural history of the intense popularity of choral music dating from the 19th century into the 20th century. Available through libraries.