Rural Rides by William Cobbett (Penguin English Library)

Description

Between 1821 and 1836 William Cobbett toured the southern English countryside by foot and on horseback, and Rural Rides is his remarkable account of what he saw. A prolific writer and journalist of genius, Cobbett matured into a radical left-wing politician, and a farmer who ensured his labourers had access to the three Bs: bacon, bread and beer. Recording swiftly changing ways of life, Rural Rides juxtaposes lyrical evocations of the countryside with attacks on the poverty of agricultural workers consigned to hovels with a diet of potatoes and tea. It remains one of the greatest celebrations of agrarian England, admired by thinkers as diverse as Marx, Chesterton and Belloc.