Travelling on horseback through southern England in the early 19th century, William Cobbett provides evocative and accurate descriptions of the countryside, colourful accounts of his encounters with labourers, and indignant outbursts at the encroaching cities and the sufferings of the exploited poor. Ian Dyck's new edition places these lively accounts of rural life in the context of Cobbett's political and social beliefs and reveals the volume as his platform for rural radical reform.
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From the Back Cover
Son of an innkeeper, former soldier, champion of the working class, early anti-corporate activist, and future Member of Parliament-Will Cobbett's unique eye offers us a perspective on 19th-century England we won't find anywhere else. Cobbett roamed Southern England on horseback in the years between 1821 and 1832, gathering his "economical and political observations relative to matters applicable to, and illustrated by, the state of" that charming part of the world, one in the throes of massive change in the wake of the Industrial Revolution.
This is an extraordinary record of a world long gone, one very little documented when it existed, by a voice who was far ahead of his time.
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
About the Author
William Cobbett (1763-1835) spent his youth as a farm worker and gardener. He lived in revolutionary France and Philadelphia where, as 'Peter Porcupine', he rose to fame as a pro-British and anti-Jacobin journalist. Later, back in England, he became a Radical and promoted the cause of reform in politics and agriculture. Ian Dyck is Associate Professor of History at Simon Fraser University, British Columbia. He is the author of 'William Cobbett and Rural Popular Culture' (CUP, 1992).
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First Sentence
This morning I set off, in rather a drizzling rain, from Kensington, on horse-back, accompanied by my son James,1 with an intention of going to Uphusband, near Andover, which is situated in the North West corner of Hampshire. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
This morning I set off, in rather a drizzling rain, from Kensington, on horse-back, accompanied by my son James,1 with an intention of going to Uphusband, near Andover, which is situated in the North West corner of Hampshire. Read the first page
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
54 of 54 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a wonderful book, written by a man whose passions are plain for all to see. His obvious love for the English countryside and the people who work it are equalled only by his bitter contempt for those who rule. The descriptions of the places he visits are beautifully observed and have you fumbling for your roadmap with an itching desire to go and see them for yourself. He views the land he passes through farmers eyes, and the work is somehow elevated by this injection of knowledge and experience. People with radical tendencies will sympathise with much of the political comment that he makes and wonder if he would think much has changed in the almost two hundred years that has elapsed since he wrote this book. I would like to have seen more editorial explanations of many of the terms and expressions he uses which are now out of use.
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
By Ron Strutt
Format:Paperback
We think that recent decades have seen the greatest possible changes that mankind could possibly go through. We're wrong.
William Cobbett lived through an era that was breathtaking in the change that it experienced. The agrarian economy that had sustained the country for centuries was being pushed aside by the industrial revolution, indeed, agriculture was about to experience deep decline. In politics, the loss of the American colonies - the first step in the end of the Empire - still haunted the country. The age of patrician rule was about to yield - if no more than that - with the Reform Act of 1832.
Cobbett exemplifies the contradictions of this age - passionately opposed to 'modern' economics, yet deriding of the 'old ways', patrician yet a powerful advocate of the enhanced franchise.
Cobbett gives us a record of an important turning point in our country's history and sheds light upon the causes and impacts of this period of change. He offers us lessons that may be of equal relevance in our own period of immense change.
Apart from that, Cobbett paints us a picture of a landscape that is, on the one hand, so very familiar to us, but on the other, totally alien.
However, the editorial contribution of this version of his work is poor. That anyone in the early 21st century should understand the intricacies of early 19th century politics is asking too much, and the vital explanation and understanding that the average paperback reader needs is entirely missing.
William Cobbett lived through an era that was breathtaking in the change that it experienced. The agrarian economy that had sustained the country for centuries was being pushed aside by the industrial revolution, indeed, agriculture was about to experience deep decline. In politics, the loss of the American colonies - the first step in the end of the Empire - still haunted the country. The age of patrician rule was about to yield - if no more than that - with the Reform Act of 1832.
Cobbett exemplifies the contradictions of this age - passionately opposed to 'modern' economics, yet deriding of the 'old ways', patrician yet a powerful advocate of the enhanced franchise.
Cobbett gives us a record of an important turning point in our country's history and sheds light upon the causes and impacts of this period of change. He offers us lessons that may be of equal relevance in our own period of immense change.
Apart from that, Cobbett paints us a picture of a landscape that is, on the one hand, so very familiar to us, but on the other, totally alien.
However, the editorial contribution of this version of his work is poor. That anyone in the early 21st century should understand the intricacies of early 19th century politics is asking too much, and the vital explanation and understanding that the average paperback reader needs is entirely missing.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
For readers interested in the minutiae of rural life and the working and living conditions of the rural agricultural labourers around the time of the Industrial Revolution this book is a must. It influenced many later socialist thinkers including Karl Marx. Written by William Cobbett, himself born to working on the land as a humble bird scarer then a ploughboy, he later rose to prominence as an MP. The book provides a detailed and balanced account of the working poor in 19th Century England. The book is readable and the English refreshingly clear for works of this period, but I would not describe it as a page turner. I may be biassed however, since I am a descendent of William Cobbett!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Rural Rides
The best bits are where Cobbett rides through a landscape that you know well today. He was a keen observer of nature and agriculture, and you can get a wonderful image of how the... Read more
Published 10 days ago by William Pike
5.0 out of 5 stars
EYEWITNESS
The problem I had in writing this review, was to decide which category it should be reviewed under
I finally decided it was a guide, not primarily a travel guide, as the... Read more
I finally decided it was a guide, not primarily a travel guide, as the... Read more
Published 1 month ago by John Bailey
4.0 out of 5 stars
Historical curiosity
Cobbett's prejudices and enthusiasms shine through every page, but he unwittingly reveals plenty about hard daily life in his era
Published 3 months ago by Mr Graham Cooper
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating but the detail sometimes smothers his observations
This is fascinating for a variety of reasons :
Geographical. It is really interesting to read his descriptions and impressions of the landscape he is passing through and... Read more
Geographical. It is really interesting to read his descriptions and impressions of the landscape he is passing through and... Read more
Published 3 months ago by L. Hughes
4.0 out of 5 stars
A very interesting book
The book is a copy of the original text so it seems rather quaint at times. It is very interesting to hear the authers views on conditions of rural communities in the 1830s.
Published 4 months ago by D Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent
Book just as described. Sent well within time frame and well packaged. A bargin price. What more do you want.
Published 5 months ago by Mrs. B. A. Aston
3.0 out of 5 stars
xxx
content was as expected but quality of book was not very good. first 100 pages were not properly inserted, the text sloping across the page and 1 page became detached.
Published 12 months ago by jofre
3.0 out of 5 stars
COUNTRYFILE
Saw this on BBC1 Countryfile and decided to get the free download. Have not read it yet but I am looking forward to it.
Published 13 months ago by Portlander
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding for a free work
A strange, but more or less functional table of contents puts this well above the average free Kindle book. I see no reason to go for one of the paid-for editions.
Published 21 months ago by R. M. M.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Book review
As a student of this period of history an invaluable book. Also a good read.
Published on 8 April 2009 by Mr. M. Lawrence
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