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HarperNorth has bagged All the Wide Border: England, Wales and the Places Between from Mike Parker.
Jonathan de Peyer, senior commissioning editor, acquired world English language rights from Julian Alexander at the Soho Agency. The book will publish in hardback, e-book and audio in March 2023. The publishing campaign will be tailored for both English and Welsh media, with press releases and author interviews in both languages.
De Peyer said: “Mike is such a pleasing writer: witty, insightful and in total command of his material. Books about this fascinating part of the world are few and far but this border has rarely been more worthy of exploration. This is such a multi-textured work and I cannot wait to see its reception. I’m particularly looking forward to working with the many incredible indie bookshops to be found on this patch.”
The synopsis said: “Mike Parker has adored and explored these places his entire life. Born in England but settled in Wales, he finds himself typical of many in being pulled in both directions. His journey is divided into three legs corresponding with the watersheds of the three great border rivers: the Dee in the north, the Severn in the centre, the Wye in the south. Neither quite England nor Wales, the furzy borderland he uncovers — the March — is another country, encompassing some of our loveliest landscapes and our darkest secrets. A hefty schlep from everywhere, these are A E Housman’s ‘blue remembered hills’ — and ours too.”
Parker said: “In recent years the England-Wales border has roared into life like never before. I have spent half my life on the English side, and the last half on the Welsh. In All the Wide Border, I wanted to examine not just the history and geography of the frontier, the beautiful between-land of the Marches, but also its place in our collective psyche, the faultline that it represents through the very heart of Britishness. It is no less significant than that. This is a timely book, and one that I hope will spark many exciting debates.”