We are surrounded by the greatest of free shows. Places Jonathan Meades has an obsessive preoccupation with places. He has spent thirty years constructing sixty films two novels & hundreds of pieces of journalism that explore an extraordinary range of them from natural landscapes to man-made buildings & the gaps between them drawing attention to what he calls the rich oddness of what we take for granted. This book collects 54 pieces & six film scripts that dissolve the barriers between high & low culture good & bad taste deep seriousness & black comedy. Meades delivers heavy entertainment
- strong opinions backed up by an astonishing depth of knowledge. To read Meades on places buildings politics or cultural history is an exhilarating workout for the mind. He leaves you better informed more alert less gullible. " Everything is fantastical if you stare at it for long enough. Everything is interesting.""