Diamond Dog wrote:
Only just started this but it already looks to be a fascinating insight into how land was originally acquired in England, how the law has been amended over the centuries to make it incredibly difficult to actually trace who owns what - and why those that own it really don't want you to know they do....and the influence (and wealth) it attracts.
It's a very, very good book - but not really about the subject matter promised.
The author has a clear political leaning which means the book becomes very much a tome about how 'the rich' have dispossessed 'the poor' since the Norman Conquest, to acquire more and more land and hide that ownership through various schemes and tricks. The book also highlights how something as (seemingly) simple as the Land Registry is still only 80% complete, despite being set up over 150 years ago!
It is a really good book - but takes an age to arrive at its conclusions... which only partly answer the question in the books title.