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.
About the author
Rebecca Welshman has been researching and writing about the works of Richard Jefferies for more than a decade.
In 2013 she completed a doctorate in English about nature and landscape in the works of Richard Jefferies and Thomas Hardy. She has published articles about Jefferies in magazines and journals, written introductions to his novels, and made several media appearances in connection with the author, including an interview with Tony Robinson in 2016 for the Channel 4 programme ‘Britain’s Ancient Tracks’.
She speaks at literary festivals and gives public lectures. Sport in the Fields and Woods is her second edited anthology of Jefferies’ works. Rebecca lives in rural Shropshire where she works as a freelance author and researcher.