Craftland
A Journey Through Britain's Living Past
Will be published approx. on 3. September 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
368 pages
978-1-5299-2417-6 (ISBN)
Description
Connect with Britain's extraordinary heritage and be awakened to the beauty all around you with the Sunday Times bestselling, soul-stirring journey to Craftland that reveals a richer, more meaningful way of living - by award-winning historian and broadcaster James Fox.
'Inspiring' Sunday Times
'Wonderful' Michael Morpurgo
'Enchanting' Amol Rajan
*SHORTLISTED FOR THE NERO NON-FICTION BOOK AWARD 2025*
*SHORTLISTED FOR WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025*
For generations, what we made with our hands shaped who we were. The skills and knowledge passed down to us built our communities and defined our regions. And if you know where to look, they still do.
In Craftland, James Fox seeks out Britain's last great craftspeople - those who are keeping our vanishing trades and traditions alive. Through them, we witness not only the living past but a deeper, more connected way of living today: one that is not yet lost and might still shape our future.
This soul-stirring journey shows that Britain is still a craft land, if only we have eyes to see it.
'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
'This extraordinary book will leave you awestruck and inspired. Anyone who has ever felt a disconnection from modern life will find themselves irresistibly drawn in' Xand van Tulleken
'Superb... 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...tremendous' Spectator
'Beautiful, eye-opening and surprisingly moving - a treat to treasure' Lucy Worsley
'Superbly written and completely absorbing' Tracy Chevalier
'A book that shimmers with love for a dwindling world' Guardian
'A close-up study of human work at a moment when we're all trying to understand what that means' Ian Leslie
'Succeeds in defining the new role of craft in a world where machines appear to be eclipsing both the brain and the hand' Country Life
'A joy' Edmund de Waal
'A richly satisfying read' Times Literary Supplement
'Dazzling. An impassioned and novel portrait of the country's past and how we might rethink our future' Kate Bryan
'What a treat to discover that craft is as ever present as it has forever been' Kate Malone
'Wonderful' Jonathan Anderson
'Inspiring' Sunday Times
'Wonderful' Michael Morpurgo
'Enchanting' Amol Rajan
*SHORTLISTED FOR THE NERO NON-FICTION BOOK AWARD 2025*
*SHORTLISTED FOR WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025*
For generations, what we made with our hands shaped who we were. The skills and knowledge passed down to us built our communities and defined our regions. And if you know where to look, they still do.
In Craftland, James Fox seeks out Britain's last great craftspeople - those who are keeping our vanishing trades and traditions alive. Through them, we witness not only the living past but a deeper, more connected way of living today: one that is not yet lost and might still shape our future.
This soul-stirring journey shows that Britain is still a craft land, if only we have eyes to see it.
'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
'This extraordinary book will leave you awestruck and inspired. Anyone who has ever felt a disconnection from modern life will find themselves irresistibly drawn in' Xand van Tulleken
'Superb... 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...tremendous' Spectator
'Beautiful, eye-opening and surprisingly moving - a treat to treasure' Lucy Worsley
'Superbly written and completely absorbing' Tracy Chevalier
'A book that shimmers with love for a dwindling world' Guardian
'A close-up study of human work at a moment when we're all trying to understand what that means' Ian Leslie
'Succeeds in defining the new role of craft in a world where machines appear to be eclipsing both the brain and the hand' Country Life
'A joy' Edmund de Waal
'A richly satisfying read' Times Literary Supplement
'Dazzling. An impassioned and novel portrait of the country's past and how we might rethink our future' Kate Bryan
'What a treat to discover that craft is as ever present as it has forever been' Kate Malone
'Wonderful' Jonathan Anderson
Reviews / Votes
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 A joy -- Edmund de Waal Beautiful, eye-opening and surprisingly moving - a treat to treasure -- Lucy Worsley, author of Jane Austen at Home Craftland offers insights into the future as well as the past. It is a close-up study of human work which arrives in a moment when we're all trying to understand what that means -- Ian Leslie, author of John and PaulMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Vintage Publishing
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 35 mm
Weight
500 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5299-2417-6 (9781529924176)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Person
James Fox is an academic and multi-award-winning, BAFTA-nominated broadcaster, known for his many acclaimed BBC documentaries. He is Director of Studies in History of Art at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and Creative Director of the Hugo Burge Foundation, a charity dedicated to supporting the arts and crafts across Britain. He is also the author of the celebrated The World According to Colour: A Cultural History.