Welsh Journals

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REVIEWS WALES: A NEW STUDY. Edited by David Thomas. David & Charles, Newton Abbott, 1977. Pp. 338; maps and plates. Price £ 10.50. Whenever a major new book on Wales appears inevitably comparisons are drawn with existing works in the same genre. Apart from specialized studies of towns, there has been no comprehensive treatment of the evolution of Wales as interpreted by geographers since Wales, a physical, historical and regional geography (Methuen & Co., edited by E. G. Bowen) first appeared in 1957. Like that important but now dated book, Wales: a new study has been prepared by a team of contributors (eight geographers, two historians, one planner) under the editorial guidance of David Thomas, professor of geography at Lampeter before his recent translation to the chair of geography at the University of Birmingham. The editor sets out his aims briefly and most concisely in the introduction. These are first to 'portray the contemporary landscapes of Wales in the context of its and their physical and historical setting' (my italics); and, secondly, to do this for the 'informed general reader and student (in the widest sense of the term)' by avoiding the use of unnecessary technical terms without too much over-simplification. In general, each of these aims is achieved and throughout the emphases are placed squarely on a full appreciation of present-day circumstances in the context of their recent historical evolution. From the ways in which all the various chapters are made to hang together it is clear that this book carries many echoes of the approaches which were once so widespread in traditional regional geography. In their treatment of landforms, climate and vegetation, the opening chapters set the 'physical background' against which the distinctive origins of Welsh society are sketched briefly. Next, evolutionary aspects of the modern society are explored before we arrive at the Wales of the 1970s. The latter themes start with a treatment of man-environment relations as expressed in agriculture and, to some extent, in extractive industries. All the remaining chapters are concerned with man-made systems-towns and villages, communications, tourism (its inclusion here justified by its great importance in the Welsh economy today) and the very distinctive nature of Welsh culture itself. The final chapter looks ahead and reviews likely developments during the next thirty years from the viewpoint of the regional planner. Key chapters in the book are used primarily for a discussion of pro- cesses through time and for an analysis of how these processes have contributed to present-day circumstances. The chapters on 'Early settle- ment' (by E. G. Bowen), 'Modern history' (by Brian Howells), 'Tcwns and villages' (by W. K. D. Davies) and 'The character of Welsh society' (by P. T. J. Morgan) are particularly valuable in fulfilling these functions. Others, such as 'Industrial Wales' (by Graham Humphrys) and 'Tourist Wales' (by David Thomas) present much more descriptive treatments of the contemporary scene, drawing briefly on the historical background where it is thought to be of relevance.