Geoff Dyer on his selection: I've chosen two passages, both about place. The first is from the start of D. H. Lawrence’s essay, "Taos," published in 1923. Lawrence had arrived in New Mexico with his wife Frieda at the invitation of Mabel Dodge in September the previous year. As was his way, Lawrence began making  pronouncements about the place almost from the moment he arrived. The second passage is from "The Country and the City" by Raymond Williams, published fifty years later, in 1973. It’s from the chapter where Williams discusses the magnificent country houses or stately homes that are such beautiful—and persistently alluring—features of the English countryside.   The Bad Side of Books: Selected Essays of D.H. Lawrence, edited by Geoff Dyer at Bookshop.org The Country and the City by Raymond Williams at Bookshop.org Music: “Shift of Currents” by Blue Dot Sessions // CC BY-NC 2.0