IN 1600, 50% OF ENGLAND WAS COMMON LAND.IT’S NOW 3%.THIS IS THE STORY OF HOW THAT HAPPENED. This is a visual journey through the history of the enclosure of common land in England and the stories of those who have attempted to resist. Richly illustrated with Leah Gordon’s photography alongside fine art and folk customs past and present, discover: A timeline of this centuries-long struggle for access to the land. The stories of rural resistance such as the Levellers, the Diggers, the Luddites and Captain Swing. The links between the struggles of the industrial working-class and the peasants. Contemporary conflicts around land rights, such as the New Age travellers and rave scene, the anti-road campaign and the Right to Roam movement. Common People offers a reimagining of English history told by the people themselves, giving voice to the silenced history of the enclosures and the incredible visual creativity inspired by rural resistance and protest.

"Common People is a unique and truly magnificent book, from its luminous art images, to its sharp, probing essays, to its enduring love for the commoners past and present who are its subject — a monument to the vanquished and a monument of “history from below.” Three cheers!"
– Marcus Rediker, co-author of The Many-Headed Hydra

"It is a major achievement by any measure, and it does what all great books do, it encourages our humanity."
– Ben Fountain, author of Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, Beautiful Country Burn Again: Democracy, Rebellion, and Revolution and Brief Encounters with Che Guevara

Stephen Ellcock is a London-based online collector and curator of images, writer, researcher and former musician and bookseller who spends most of his time nowadays creating an ever-expanding, virtual museum on Facebook and Instagram. His ongoing attempt at creating the ultimate social media ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ has so far attracted more than 350,000 followers and increasing media attention, not all of which is unwelcome.