THE Langdales: Landscape and Prehistory in a Lakeland Valley, by Mark Edmonds. Tempus Publishing, £15.99.

IN HIS latest publication, The Langdales: Landscape and Prehistory in a Lakeland Valley, author Mark Edmonds looks beyond the romanticism of the poets and painters who have flocked to the much-loved Langdales, to study the true history of some of the area's most treasured crags and dales.

Delving first into the Neolithic period, when man arrived on the scene to quarry the distinctive grey-green stone for axes, Edmonds explores how life in the area has changed over the last 5,000 years, tracing patterns of settlement, land use and perception - from prehistory to the heavily managed tourist landscapes of modern times.

A reader in landscape archaeology at the University of Sheffield, Mr Edmonds looks at the details of walls, buildings, place names and other archaeological features and these - alongside stylish illustrations, maps and photographs - make for a comprehensive guide to the valley.

He writes in the hope his book will "encourage all of us to tread more carefully" over landscape which he and troops of tourist each year have come to love.

For anyone who has experienced this area at the heart of the Lake District, this book should really appeal.