RICHARD JEFFERIES

"The old men say their fathers told them that soon after the fields were left to themselves a change began to be visible."After an apocalyptic event has decimated London, Richard Jeffries tells how England returns to a state of nature and surviving people live in a society pretty much the same as the Middle Ages.Written in 1885, this novel is one of the most important early examples of "post-apocalyptic fiction".This premium edition comes with a beautiful Easy-to-Read layout which makes reading comfortable.

Highly acclaimed author and naturalist Richard Jefferies (1848-1887) made his living writing about the countryside in which he lived. He made his name through his newspaper columns about the countryside and rural life, and achieved the peak of his fame as author of The Gamekeeper at Home and The Amateur Poacher. His love of nature and wildlife was nurtured by his father who taught him much about the life of the fields and woods. Jefferies own remarkable powers of observation infuse his writing on the habits and habitat of his quarry, the techniques of fieldsports and the enjoyment of outdoor pursuits. These sporting articles are collected here for the first time in a new anthology.

Commentator: Edward Thomas

THOSE who delight in roaming about amongst the fields and lanes, or have spent any time in a country house, can hardly have failed to notice the custodian of the woods and covers, or to observe that he is often something of a character. The Gamekeeper forms, indeed, so prominent a figure in rural life as almost to demand some biographical record of his work and ways. From the man to the territories over which he bears swaythe meadows, woods, and streamsand to his subjects, their furred and feathered inhabitants, is a natural transition. The enemies against whom he wages incessant warfarevermin, poachers, and trespassersmust, of course, be included in such a survey.

JefferiesAfter London; Or, Wild England can be seen as an early example of post-apocalyptic fiction. After some sudden and unspecified catastrophe has depopulated England, the countryside reverts to nature, and the few survivors to a quasi-medieval way of life.