The unique beauty of the British countryside has been celebrated down the ages in music,poetry,and art. It has also been celebrated in countless private diaries. This delightful treasury gathers together the very finest - from Rev Gilbert White's journal of life at his famous home in Selborne to Beatrix Potter's holiday diaries from Perthshire. Elsewhere,the thoughts of Dorothy Wordsworth and John Fowles rub shoulders with the words of Queen Victoria,Siegfried Sassoon and Roger Deakin. Together,these private records,which have been arranged as a diary of the calendar year,paint a rich and surprising portrait of a landscape and a life we think we know so well.
Publisher: Canongate BooksISBN: 9781847673268Number of pages: 384Weight: 256 gDimensions: 198 x 129 x 23 mmEdition: Main
MEDIA REVIEWS
This is an altogether life-enhancing compendium...It reminds us how the countryside is rapidly changing,and how,today,one person's fallow field is another's luxury development or power station.
The arch-editor appears to have scoured the hedgerows,rolled over boulders and scaled Britain's mountains in his search. For he has unearthed a diverse range of authors - from literary greats such as Hardy and Scott; to playwrights and poets,such as Bennett and Sassoon to more contemporary sources,like Roger Deakin and Derwent May.A fascinating portrait of country life across the centuries told by the nation's greatest diarists...dip into it each day to see how endlessly gripping and entertaining everyday life can be.
Collectively the entries give a fascinating insight into the lives and values of people as well as the country in which they live. It is not so much of an insight into the British Countryside,as an insight into Britain the country.
Delightful.this book provides a rich tapestry of life in Britain.Combines keen observation with wry nostalgia and an awareness of what it means to be part of a landscape.
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