Constructing Cultural Tourism

Focusing on the formative influence of the works of John Ruskin in defining and developing cultural tourism, this book describes and assesses their effects on the ‘tourist gaze’ (‘where to go and what to see’, and how to see it) as directed at landscape, scenery, architecture and townscape, from the early Victorian period onwards.

Keith Hanley is Professor of English Literature at Lancaster University where he directed the former Ruskin Centre for eight years. He has written monographs on Wordsworth and Ruskin, has edited many essay collections on nineteenth-century indisciplinarity, including, with Greg Kucich, Nineteenth-Century Worlds: Global Formations Past and Present (Routledge, 2008), and co-edits, with David Thomas, the quarterly journal Nineteenth-Century Contexts.Walton John K. :

John K. Walton is an IKERBASQUE Research Professor in the Department of Contemporary History, University of the Basque Country UPV/ EHU, Bilbao. He has published extensively and internationally on tourism and identity, especially with regard to coastal towns, and edits the Journal of Tourism History.

Keith Hanley is Professor of English Literature at Lancaster University where he directed the former Ruskin Centre for eight years. He has written monographs on Wordsworth and Ruskin, has edited many essay collections on nineteenth-century indisciplinarity, including, with Greg Kucich, Nineteenth-Century Worlds: Global Formations Past and Present (Routledge, 2008), and co-edits, with David Thomas, the quarterly journal Nineteenth-Century Contexts.

John K. Walton is an IKERBASQUE Research Professor in the Department of Contemporary History in the University of the Basque Country, based in Bilbao. He previously held chairs at Lancaster University, the University of Central Lancashire and Leeds Metropolitan University. He has published extensively on histories of regions, identities, resorts and tourism, especially in Britain, Spain, Belgium, France and the United States, and he contributes to debates on the role of history and ‘heritage’ in the regeneration of coastal resorts.

Hanley and Walton provide an historical and literary examination of Ruskin's influence on the development of cultural tourism--an aesthetic and novel appreciation of what the tourist sees rather than racing from place to place to visit as much as possible. Recommended for specialists, this work will create interest and debate among those working in the expanding field of tourism studies.

Les Lumsdon, University of Central Lancashire, UK:

As to be expected from Professors Hanley and Walton, this book offers a challenging examination of Ruskin’s place in the history of British cultural tourism. However, it delivers far more than this; it brings a rich tapestry of historical experience to the understanding of contemporary European tourism. This rigorous and incisive critique of the role of Ruskin, the renowned 19th century polymath, is beautifully illustrated with pictorial and textual references; it is a must for scholars of tourism. It will also greatly benefit those whose studies include interpretation, leisure and outdoor education. It is written in a style which invites the reader to immerse themselves in a fascinating journey where new knowledge is unfolded in every chapter.

Alastair Durie, University of Stirling, UK:

Best known as a writer and art critic, this study makes a compelling case for the importance of Ruskin as a key figure in inspiring and shaping cultural tourism whether in Europe or in England for the serious minded of all social classes.