Behind the black door in a quiet Bloomsbury Square, the Art Workers Guild has guarded its secrets. Since the time of William Morris, whose portrait bust has pride of place in the meeting hall, the body of members has spanned generations and more artistic activities than that of any comparable organization. Lara Platman turns he lens to the art workers in their workplaces. The words and pictures show 130 of the many outstanding designers and makers at work in Britain, recording lives of dedicated commitment practical wisdom and enjoyment of the unexpected.

'Superb regional guide ... Shots of the distilleries combine with wonderful landscape photography' Country Life 'Mr MacLean serves up dram after dram of useful detail... This is armchair travel at its best' Wall Street Journal A new handbook sized editon of Spirit of Place, a wide-ranging and evocative portrait of Scotland's distilleries, with text by renowned whisky expert Charles MacLean and photographs by Lara Platman and Alan MacDonald. Treating Scotland as eight distinct regions, this fascinating book describes the 'cultural terroir' of the country's fifty greatest distilleries; the ingredients, practices and traditions that result in such an exquisite range of whiskies. Specially commissioned photographs capture the texture of the surrounding landscapes and communities through the changing seasons, as well as portraits of those craftsmen who work there, and the fabric of the buildings themselves. Spirit of Place is a unique addition to the literature on Scotch whisky, from the world's greatest expert on the subject. The perfect gift for anyone planning a tour of Scotland's distilleries, a souvenir for anyone who has visited them, and simply the perfect companion to a dram at home.