The untold story of rural Britain revealed through its artefacts
'A really lovely, fascinating book. I dived straight into this clever, joyous, celebration of nature, history, and – of course – the countryside.' Charles Spencer, author of The White Ship
‘A charming trayful of historical canapés, always and repeatedly surprising. Sally Coulthard has the lightest of touches and is able to conjure a wonderful sense of intimacy with the lives of the past.’ Adam Nicolson, author of Life Between the Tides
'A really lovely, fascinating book. I dived straight into this clever, joyous, celebration of the countryside.' Charles Spencer, author of The White Ship
'An unusual and ingenious collection of objects, each unexpected and always fascinating. Very enjoyable.' Christopher Hadley, author of The Road
'Beautifully illustrates the challenges people faced and the ingenuity and humour they used to overcome them. Relaxed and conversational, I couldn't put it down.' Francis Pryor, author of Scenes From Prehistoric Life
'Exquisitely detailed and informative, every one of the hundred objects comes to glorious life. A heady joy that I am delighted to recommend.' John Wright, author of The Forager's Calendar
‘Explores how the artefacts peasants, farmers and craftspeople left behind, from toys to tools, provide a connection with our rural forebears.’ Campaign to Protect Rural England
'Informative and illuminating. A portable museum of a book that I will return to again and again.' Ruth Allen, author of Grounded
'Terrific. Authoritative but very readable.' Alex Johnson, author of The Book Lover's Almanac
''Coulthard explores our rural past through a gathered assemblage of wonderful and intriguing objects.' Rose Ferraby
'This book should come with a warning – pick it up and you'll find it very difficult to put down!' Countryside Magazine Book of the Year
Sally Coulthard is an expert in all things nature, history and craft. She has published over twenty-five non-fiction books and her titles have been translated into a dozen languages. She studied Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Oxford and worked in television before becoming a writer. She lives on a smallholding in North Yorkshire with her family and writes a column for Country Living magazine called ‘A Good Life’.