As Britain approaches the end of the century it has become increasingly apparent that the relationship between town and country is breaking down and that both are in crisis: policies concerning urbanisation, industry, housing and transport are in disarray, while new issues have arisen concerning the enviroment, farming, the rural economy, food quality and the treatment of animals. In Town and Country, members of the Town and Country Forum, a body established in 1995 to bring together influential and thoughtful people concerned with this issue, explore the many-faceted problem of the relationship between urban and rural communities with the aim of providing both a focus for debate and an authoritative reference point for contemporary argument. The contributors include academics, philosophers, writers (including Ian McEwan, Ted Hughes and Ruth Rendell), political activists, enviromentalists, and other experts on urban and rural affairs. The result is a book of immense importance, raising fundamental questions about the way we live now.