{"product_id":"a-brief-history-of-the-countryside-in-100-objects-9780008559427","title":"A Brief History of the Countryside in 100 Objects","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eThe untold story of rural Britain revealed through its artefacts\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003e'\u003c\/em\u003eA really lovely, fascinating book. I dived straight into this clever, joyous, celebration of nature, history, and - of course - the countryside.' \u003cstrong\u003eCharles Spencer, author of \u003cem\u003eThe White Ship\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eFor most of human history, we were rural folk. \u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOur daily lives were bound up with working the land, living within the rhythm of the seasons. We poured our energies into growing food, tending to animals and watching the weather. Family, friends and neighbours were often one and the same. Life revolved around the village and its key spaces and places - the church, the green, the school and the marketplace.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd yet rural life is oddly invisible our historical records. The daily routine of the peasant, the farmer or the craftsperson could never compete with the glamour of city life, war and royal drama. Lives went unrecorded, stories untold.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere is, though, one way in which we can learn about our rural past. The things we have left behind provide a connection that no document can match; physical artefacts are touchstones that breathe life into its history. From farming tools to children's toys, domestic objects and strange curios, the everyday items of the past reveal fascinating insights into an often-forgotten way of life. Birth, death, celebration, work, crime, play, medicine, beliefs, diet and our relationship with nature can all be read from these remnants of our past.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom ancient artefacts to modern-day memorabilia, this startling book weaves a rich tapestry from the fragments of our rural past.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eSally 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 \u003cem\u003eCountry Living\u003c\/em\u003e magazine called 'A Good Life'.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Harpernorth","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50899521011986,"sku":"9780008559427","price":23.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_d14ab2be-4dcd-4539-9eed-0546ebc88116.jpg?v=1738359032","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/a-brief-history-of-the-countryside-in-100-objects-9780008559427","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}