{"product_id":"steeple-chasing-around-britain-by-spire-9781472281951","title":"Steeple Chasing: Around Britain by Spire","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe \u003ci\u003eSunday Times \u003c\/i\u003epaperback bestseller and Waterstones Non-Fiction Book of the Month\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e*Featuring a brand new chapter!*\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Never have the joys of exploring the churches and cathedrals of this country been so vividly conveyed as they are in this engaging and elegiac book.' - \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew Statesman\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e **BOOK OF THE YEAR pick 2023**\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'A delicious treat' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e- Financial Times **\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eTRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR pick 2023**\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eA charming odyssey' \u003c\/b\u003e- \u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'A wonderful book; thoughtful and challenging' \u003c\/b\u003e- \u003ci\u003eDaily Telegraph *****\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e'\u003c\/i\u003eA beautiful book' \u003c\/b\u003e- Gabriel Byrne \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Beautiful and brilliant. I loved it' \u003c\/b\u003e- Fergus Butler-Gallie \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e From the author of \u003ci\u003eA Tomb With a View\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e - Scottish Non-Fiction book of the Year \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eChurches are all around us. Their steeples remain landmarks in our towns, villages and cities, even as their influence and authority has waned. They contain art and architectural wonders - one huge gallery scattered, like a handful of jewels, across these isles. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAward-winning writer Peter Ross sets out to tell their stories, and through them a story of Britain. Join him as he visits the unassuming Norfolk church which contains a disturbing secret, and London's mighty cathedrals with their histories of fire and love. Meet cats and bats, monks and druids, angels of oak and steel. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eSteeple Chasing\u003c\/i\u003e, though it sometimes strikes an elegiac note, is a song of praise. It celebrates churches for their beauty and meaning, and for the tales they tell. It is about people as much as place, flesh and bone not just flint and stone. From the painted hells of Surrey to the holy wells of Wales, consider this a travel book . . . with bells on. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for Peter Ross\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Ross is a wonderfully evocative writer, deftly capturing a sense of place and history, while bringing a deep humanity to his subject. He has written a delightful book.' \u003c\/b\u003e- \u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Fascinating . . . Ross makes a likeably idiosyncratic guide and one finishes the book feeling strangely optimistic about the inevitable.'\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003ci\u003eThe Observer\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e'The author's humanity has acted as a beacon of light in the darkness.' \u003c\/b\u003e- \u003ci\u003eThe Sunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePeter Ross is an Orwell journalism fellow. His writing has appeared in national newspapers and magazines in the UK and US. His most recent work, \u003ci\u003eA Tomb With A View: \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003e Stories \u0026amp; Glories of Graveyards\u003c\/i\u003e, won the non-fiction prize at Scotland's National Book Awards. He is also author of the collections \u003ci\u003eDaunderlust\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Passion Of Harry Bingo\u003c\/i\u003e. He lives in Glasgow.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Headline","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50899192283410,"sku":"9781472281951","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_ee19a454-05ae-43e0-821a-9c970993d611.jpg?v=1738348629","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/steeple-chasing-around-britain-by-spire-9781472281951","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}