The Geographer's Craft (1967) - Percy Maude Roxby

While researching something on the history of the RGS, I came across a book called 'The Geographer's Craft' by Emeritus Professor T.W. Freeman (of Manchester University) published in 1967.

It can be accessed via the Internet Archive site and borrowed if you have a free account.

One of the chapters focussed on two British Geographers, and one of them was Percy Maude Roxby.

It included the image opposite.

Roxby was GA President in 1933.

The chapter starts with a description of Roxby which is excellent - he had panache.

He was 6'5" tall and saw each lecture as a performance.

There is a reminder that he trained as a Historian originally. He was influenced by lectures by Herbertson and Mackinder, and also Linton Myres.

He became particularly interested in China, which became a preoccupation.

He was also interested in the geography of East Anglia.

He produced his own regionalisation of East Anglia.

According to Roxby, I live in an area he called High Norfolk (some of this is now called Breckland)

It is described by Roxby as having:

Mainly heavy and tenacious boulder clays, mixed arable farming, many commons.

He died suddenly in 1946, 2 years after retiring from his Chair at Liverpool University.