Country Life
Talking Books
The titles in this booklist are just a selection of the titles available for loan from the
RNIB National Library Talking Book Service.
Don’t forget you are allowed to have up to 6 books on loan. When you return a title,
you will then receive another one.
If you would like to read any of these titles then please contact the Customer Services
Team on 0303 123 9999 or email library@rnib.org.uk.
If you would like further information, or help in selecting titles to read, then please
contact the Reader Services Team on 01733 37 53 33 or email
libraryinfo@rnib.org.uk
You can write to us at RNIB NLS, PO Box 173, Peterborough
PE2 6WS
Non-Fiction
Addis, Faith
The year of the cornflake. 1983. Read by Syd Ralph, 7 hours 5 minutes. TB 5095.
Down to earth series; book 1. The story of the first year at "Phyllishayes", the roomy
Devon farmhouse bought by Faith and Brian Addis to offer "memorable holidays for
children". From snowball fights with farmyard dung to tea-parties in the rabbit run, the
vividness of the children's own comments is faithfully recorded. Small wonder that
one young visitor wrote to his parents to "lose your way when you fetch me". The
series ties in with the BBC TV series starring Pauline Quirke and Warren Clarke. TB
5095.
Addis, Faith
Green behind the ears. 2000. Read by Elizabeth Proud, 8 hours 13 minutes. TB
12364.
Down to earth series; book 2. Phillishayes Children's Holidays is established, and
Faith and Brian are settling down for the winter after a frenetic summer of holidaying
children. A minor upset with a dog giving birth to puppies under the house and a
serious scare when Marcus is hurt in a road accident set the scene as Faith, Brian
and the rest of the Addis family continue to settle into rural Devonshire life. TB 12364.
Addis, Faith
Buttered side down: a slice of country life. 2000. Read by Elizabeth Proud, 7
hours 59 minutes. TB 12401.
Down to earth series; book 3. This series follows Faith and Brian Addis as they work
to keep open their holiday home "Phyllishayes" - a roomy farmhouse in Devon
offering memorable holidays for children who may never have experienced the
countryside in their lives. TB 12401.
Addis, Faith
It's better than work. 2000. Read by Elizabeth Proud, 8 hours 22 minutes. TB
12415.
Down to earth series; book 4. Faith is back in London learning the delicate art of dog
grooming, while Brian insists on getting his and the dog's frozen food mixed up. In
Devon Faith and Brian launch their next venture: a nursery and market garden. Once
up and running they have to deal with the eccentric customers that come by, including
a TV crew searching for daffodils in August! In the fourth instalment of the Down to
Earth series Faith once again proves that life in Devon is never dull. TB 12415.
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Addis, Faith
Taking the biscuit. 2000. Read by Elizabeth Proud, 6 hours 20 minutes.
TB 12468.
Down to earth series; book 5. A gift of 800 worms isn't to everyone's taste, but Faith is
delighted and plans to become Devon's first worm tycoon. Meanwhile Brian, in a
government youth motivating programme, is ferrying a bunch of Totnes' young
bohemians around the countryside charting the local by-ways. Add to this Faith's very
conservative dog-grooming customers and her irrepressible mother's love of Totnes
and this book does exactly what its title suggests. Contains strong language. TB
12468.
Archer, Fred
The cuckoo pen. 1998. Read by Vincent Brimble, 6 hours 35 minutes. TB 12749.
This text recreates the days of the 1920s and 1930s when long days of hard work
were broken only by the turning rhythm of the seasons and the pleasure of a chat
when workers broke for their bait of bread and cheese. The author describes the
character and tenor of rural England during the period between the wars. TB 12749.
Archer, Fred
Fred Archer, farmer's son. Read by Brian Hewlett, 8 hours 50 minutes. TB
12736.
Fred Archer grew up on his father's farm in the Vale of Evesham in the 1920s. In this
text he describes local characters, and documents a forgotten rural life - the way an
elevator pole was used to build a hayrick, how small boys were sent under cornricks
to cut off with scissors hanging straws that mice could use as ladders, and how
cottagers kept songbirds in cages. TB 12736.
Archer, Fred
A lad of Evesham vale. 1999. Read by Vincent Brimble, 6 hours 30 minutes. TB
12705.
Fred Archer has gathered a collection of Worcestershire country folk. From the
alluring barmaid Amy Lights - 'a rural Venus' - to the Reverend Vernon, who rides a
tricycle 'religiously' and excels at funerals, all the characters embody earthy, warm
and ruddy humour. Central to the tale is Sacco, a builder's apprentice, who seduces
the local girls and startles older folk with his much-prized motorbike. TB 12705.
Archer, Fred
The village doctor. Read by Vincent Brimble, 3 hours 40 minutes. TB 12706.
Edward Roberson was the doctor at Ashton-under-Hill for forty years, until his death
in 1928. Revered and respected by the men on the farms, he visited his patients on
horseback until the day he died. To young Fred Archer he was a mystic, a miracle
man, mixing his medicines from the herbs that grew on the hill. For all his faults, he
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was kindly and benevolent, never sending his bill to the poor but counting on their
votes when he stood for the District Council. TB 12706.
Archer, Fred
The village of my childhood. 2000. Read by Daniel Philpott, 6 hours 45 minutes.
TB 12403.
To Fred Archer, born in the village of Ashton-under-Hill in 1915 and growing up in the
1920s, nothing seemed to change except the seasons. This was the age of paraffin
lamps, earth closets, and the last train from Evesham at 7pm. The village was a selfsufficient community with its hierarchy, strong Church and Chapel, fierce politics and
home-made entertainment. But change was coming, and the motor car, wireless,
telephone and the service bus to Evesham cinema meant that village life would
change forever. TB 12403.
Archer, Fred
By hook and by crook. 1978. Read by Stephen Jack, 5 hours 45 minutes. TB
3487.
More memories from the author's family archives. TB 3487.
Archer, Fred
The distant scene. 1967. Read by George Hagan, 6 hours 15 minutes. TB 548.
A country book about life and events in Ashton-under-Hill between 1876 and 1939.
TB 548.
Archer, Fred
Golden sheaves, black horses. 2004. Read by Brian Hewlett, 4 hours 33
minutes. TB 14364.
This book records the beauty of the West of England and the villagers living in the
area during the last decades of the nineteenth century. TB 14364.
Archer, Fred
Hawthorn Farm. 1998. Read by Daniel Philpott, 6 hours 33 minutes. TB 12225.
The story of life on a Worcestershire farm from the 1930s to the 1970s, highlighting
the changes in farming practices and the people who found themselves part of
agriculture and country life. TB 12225.
Archer, Fred
The secrets of Bredon Hill. Read by Brian Hewlett, 5 hours 20 minutes. TB
12735.
The local newspaper of 1900 covered the weekly happenings of men, farming and
weather, but what of the Secret Things that were not reported in the papers that first
year of the new century? Fred Archer resurrects the way of the village folk: how they
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lived in the cottages tucked away in every coomb under the hill. Here is the true smell
of the hayloft and the farmyard, a documented account, month by month, of the year
1900 in a Cotswold village. TB 12735.
Askwith, Richard
The lost village: in search of a forgotten rural England. c2008. Read by Richard
Derrington, 13 hours 31 minutes. TB 15867.
Writer and journalist Richard Askwith describes a journey in search of the true country
dwellers, through dales and suburbs, down ancient lanes and estates. He captures
the voices of poachers and gamekeepers, farmers and huntsmen, publicans and
clergymen, thatchers and blacksmiths, and demonstrates that, while the landscape is
more changed than we thought, the past is never so simple as we imagine. Contains
strong language. TB 15867.
Baker, Denys Val
The sea's in the kitchen. 1962. Read by Michael Aspel, 7 hours 37 minutes. TB
652.
Autobiography; book 1. Life is not easy for a writer, his wife and six children when
they settle in Cornwall, but they have many hilarious experiences. TB 652.
Baker, Denys Val
The door is always open. 1963. Read by Duncan Carse, 6 hours 34 minutes. TB
653.
Autobiography; book 2. Continuing the humorous description of the trials that beset
the author and his family in Cornwall, particularly when running a beach cafe and a
pottery. TB 653.
Baker, Denys Val
An old mill by the stream. 1973. Read by Peter Gray, 8 hours 24 minutes. TB
2582.
Autobiography; book 7. Sequel to: The petrified mariner. With disarming candour, the
author writes of the many adventures that took place between his decision to return to
the west of Cornwall and the establishment of his new home at the Mill House. TB
2582.
Baker, Denys Val
Upstream at the mill. 1981. Read by Andrew Timothy, 7 hours 9 minutes. TB
4298.
Autobiography; book 16. Sequel to: As the stream flows by. Those who have read An
Old Mill by the Stream need no introduction to the turmoil of Denys Val Barker's
Cornish valley home. New readers join the family on a voyage to Portugal in 'Sanu',
their ex-Admiralty MFV. TB 4298.
5
Baker, Denys Val
A family at sea. 1981. Read by Brian Perkins, 7 hours 58 minutes. TB 4988.
Autobiography; book 17. Twenty years ago the author fulfilled his life-long ambition of
owning a boat by acquiring the MFV `Sanu.' This is the story of how, with his wife and
six children, he sailed the waters of Northern Europe and the Mediterranean
sampling, as well as exotic coastlines, a cyclone and two sinkings. TB 4988.
Beckwith, Lillian
The hills is lonely. 1959. Read by Hannah Gordon, 8 hours 6 minutes. TB 11948.
Autobiography; book 1. When Lillian Beckwith advertised for a quiet, secluded place
in the country, she received the following unorthodox description of the attractions of
life in an isolated Hebridean croft; 'Surely it's that quiet even the sheep themselves on
the hills is lonely, and as to the sea, it's that near as I use it myself everyday for the
refusals...' Intrigued by her would-be landlady's letter and spurred on by the
scepticism of her friends, Lillian Beckwith replied in the affirmative. TB 11948.
Beckwith, Lillian
The sea for breakfast. 1961. Read by Hannah Gordon, 7 hours 5 minutes. TB
11985.
Autobiography; book 2. After three years of rest cure in the Hebrides, Lillian must
move house. The upside is that be it driftwood or food, the island is as rich in bounty
as it is in beauty. On the downside, it is hard to disagree with the islanders' cheerful
opinion that 'schoolteachers is the most ignorantest people out'. From the moment
she sets eyes on her new abode, privacy and quiet will be denied her. Her new front
door, for instance, comes hotfoot from the local police station. Then the girls from the
village come along to inspect the decorating progress - for sure the men will follow
and there'll be a ceilidh...TB 11985.
Beckwith, Lillian
The loud halo. 1964. Read by Hannah Gordon, 6 hours 37 minutes. TB 12368.
Autobiography; book 3. A typical tourist's view of a crofter's life on a Hebridean island
is 'a little cottage in the highlands and a cow for milk'. For Lillian, it's storm-force
winds, lashing hail and stinging rain. Or evenings of summer calm, molten sunsets
and breezes soft as thistledown. Not forgetting the company of cantankerous cows
and the belching Johnny Comic. And when 'election fever' has died down, which
includes one of the candidates bringing with him the first loudspeaker van ever to visit
the island - 'the loud halo' - the island reverts back to its normal self. TB 12368.
6
Beckwith, Lillian
A rope-in case. 1968. Read by Stanley Pritchard, 6 hours 2 minutes. TB 661.
Autobiography; book 5. When first settling in Bruach, in the Hebrides, Miss Beckwith
was told always to carry a rope - in case. Here she tells some of the adventures she
and her rope enjoyed. TB 661.
Benson, Richard
The farm. 2006. Read by Richard Stacey, 6 hours. TB 14777.
After 200 years of farming in Yorkshire, the Benson family was forced to sell up. They
found, like so many, that the land could no longer support them. While the farming
way of life never came naturally to Richard Benson - a point that sent him running to
London - he still feels his parents' loss and returns to do what he can to help. TB
14777.
Bingley, Xandra
Bertie, May and Mrs Fish: a wartime country memoir. Read by Jilly Bond, 5
hours 3 minutes. TB 14564.
A wartime memoir about life on a farm in the Cotswolds, seen through the eyes of a
child. Bingley's mother is left to farm the land whilst her husband is away at war,
isolated in the landscape. With its eccentric cast of characters, this book captures
both the essence of a country childhood and the remarkable courage and resilience
displayed by ordinary people during the war. TB 14564.
Brown, Jean
We'll see the cuckoo. 1994. Read by Josephine Tewson, 29 hours 56 minutes.
TB 11127.
In this memoir, the author tells of her family, of daily life on a Pennine Hill Farm and of
twenty-one years as head of a village school. She describes the family's affinity with
the Yorkshire Dales, rearing thousands of animals, and of their struggle to restore a
ruined sixteenth-century farmhouse. She remembers a busy, happy childhood in the
1930s, and shares amusing anecdotes and moments of drama. TB 11127.
Clare, Horatio
Running for the hills. 2006. Read by Horatio Clare, 9 hours 23 minutes. TB
14835.
One summer's day in the late 1960's, two young Londoners fell in love with a hill farm
in South Wales. They had almost no money, no idea about sheep and their
tempestuous relationship would soon feel the strain. From memory, conversations
and the diaries of his now-separated parents, the author reconstructs their
relationship with each other and their mountain farm. TB 14835.
7
Clarke, Elizabeth
The darkening green. 1964. Read by Carol Marsh, 8 hours 32 minutes. TB 602.
Impressions of life on the farm sharpened by the author's knowledge that her sight
would soon be lost. TB 602.
Corbett, Judy
Castles in the air. 2005. Read by Charlotte Strevens, 8 hours 4 minutes. TB
14444.
When Judy Corbett caught sight of a large stone mansion in the craggy foothills of the
Snowdonian mountains she had little idea of the adventure on which she was about to
embark. She and her husband-to-be, Peter, had long had pipe-dreams of buying an
old ruin and escaping the city, the pace and excesses of modern life. But it was only
when they'd moved into a squalidly filthy, cold and wet Gwydir Castle that they began
to realise what restoration dramas they'd let themselves in for. Restoring the
sixteenth-century castle reduced the couple to near penury. But the magic of the
house, its history and the landscape ensured that they stayed to tell their own unique
story. TB 14444.
Cork, Peter
A country calendar. 2000. Read by Rosemary Leach, Tim Pigott-Smith and
Denis Quilley, 2 hours 23 minutes. TB 14937.
Scenes from English life as it used to be in the 30's, 40's and early 50's, told in words
and music. This works through the months of the year but can be listened to in any
order. TB 14937.
Courtauld, George
An axe, a spade and ten acres: the story of a garden and nature reserve. 1983.
Read by Christopher Scott, 8 hours 48 minutes. TB 6579.
George Courtauld, his wife, four children, six dogs, two cats, two cows, numerous
ponies and assorted ducks, bantams, rabbits and hedgehogs live in Constable
country on the Essex/Suffolk border. This book describes the author's love-hate
relationship with his axe and his spade as he struggles to transform his ten acres into
a properly landscaped garden and nature reserve. TB 6579.
Cragoe, Elizabeth
Sweet nothings: a country commonplace book. 1980. Read by Pauline Munro, 7
hours 2 minutes. TB 4418.
Autobiography; book 4. Sequel to: Yorkshire relish. After the break-up of her
marriage, the author bought Ty Arian, a small farm in Wales. She describes her
neighbours and the arts of the countryside, but most of all the birds and flowers all
around her. TB 4418.
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Davies, Peter
A corner of paradise. 1999. Read by Timothy Davies, 4 hours. TB 12748.
The author reflects upon rural Shropshire after the Second World War. It was a time
of simple pleasure and innocent discovery, enthusiasm as well as sadness,
encompassing the poignancy of young love and the tragic death of his father. His
youth was populated by characters as colourful as John the Waggoner and as
engaging as Lisbet the Danish visitor who played the cello. TB 12748.
Dimond, Jack
Dimond gems: the life and tales of a Dorset Farmer. 2000. Read by Nigel
Graham, 2 hours 18 minutes. TB 12805.
This autobiography is about the life of a Dorset farmer in the twentieth century. TB
12805.
Drabble, Phil
A voice in the wilderness. 1991. Read by George Hagan, 8 hours 44 minutes. TB
9077.
The autobiography of a journalist, broadcaster and countryman. TB 9077.
Drabble, Phil
What price the countryside? 1985. Read by Christopher Scott, 7 hours 10
minutes. TB 6269.
Phil Drabble examines both sides of the argument raging between those determined
to develop agriculture to its fullest possible extent, and conservationists wanting to
retain the countryside's traditional patterns and customs. He discusses emotive
subjects such as foxhunting and big-business absentee landlords, and also talks
about his own nature reserve where he manages the land economically and protects
wildlife. TB 6269.
Drysdale, Ann
Faint heart never kissed a pig. 2000. Read by Anne Dover, 5 hours. TB 12703.
Ann Drysdale, her three children, with Snuff the sheep, Emily the goat - and many
other animals - live in a remote farmhouse on the North York Moors. This is an
account of how Ann established the farm, without previous experience, and how the
animals arrived - many of them waifs and strays from across the Dales. TB 12703.
Evans, George Ewart
The strength of the hills: an autobiography. 1983. Read by Carl Davies, 8 hours
4 minutes. TB 7672.
From his birth in a harsh mining area of Wales in 1909 until settling in Norfolk at the
age of 59, this is a reflective and warmly written story of the author's life through
childhood, as a teacher and writer, and then as a historian. Etched lucidly and with
9
simplicity, life in rural Wales and East Anglia is evoked with humanity and sympathy.
TB 7672.
Fletcher, Cyril
A life in the country: country pleasures and speculations. 1985. Read by John
Westbrook, 6 hours 32 minutes. TB 6066.
TV personality and gardener, the author's love of country life dates back from his
childhood. He writes of the many houses that he and his wife, Betty, have converted
into homes and amongst the descriptions slips in the usual Fletcher anecdotes about
people, places and horses with hats. TB 6066.
Foley, Winifred
A child in the forest. 1974. Read by Judith Whale, 7 hours 45 minutes. TB 2618.
The forest series; book 1. The author grew up in the Forest of Dean, and tells of the
beauty of the surroundings and the poverty of her mining village, of her happy, secure
childhood, and first jobs as a maid in various households. TB 2618.
Foley, Winifred
No pipe dreams for father. 1997. Read by Sarah Sherborne, 2 hours 3 minutes.
TB 12790.
The forest series; book 2. The author recounts times spent with her mother and aunt
doing the family laundry, 'the worst day of the week'; happier summer days with her
sister fetching water from the well in the early morning sun; and vivid memories of her
Granny's treacle puddings. TB 12790.
Foley, Winifred
Back to the forest. 1997. Read by Sarah Sherborne, 7 hours. TB 12789.
The forest series; book 3. At the age of fourteen, the author moved away from the
Forest of Dean for a life of service in London. Although she hated leaving her country
home, she soon became accustomed to life in the city. But the strains for the
continuing ill-health of one of her children, and unfriendly neighbours, began to take
their toil and she returned to her beloved Forest of Dean. Starting a new life in a
cottage just a few miles from the forest edge, she once again enjoyed the country
freedom she had known as a child. TB 12789.
Foley, Winifred
In and out of the forest. 1999. Read by Sarah Sherborne, 6 hours. TB 12782.
The forest series; book 4. This is an account of Winifred Foley's childhood, domestic
service, her early married life with Syd, and her final return to her beloved Forest of
Dean. TB 12782.
10
Fussell, George Edwin
The English countryman: his life and work, A.D. 1500-1900. 1955. Read by
Malcolm Ruthven, 5 hours 59 minutes. TB 4157.
All aspects of the countryman's life from food and clothes to folklore and sport, are
brought delightfully alive in this book which covers the period from Tudor times to the
Victorian age. TB 4157.
Fussell, George Edwin
The English countrywoman. 1955. Read by Malcolm Ruthven, 8 hours 24
minutes. TB 4269.
Sequel to: The English countryman.
Fussey, Joyce
Milk my ewes and weep. 2001. Read by Anita Wright, 4 hours 55 minutes.
TB 12806.
Autobiography; book 1. Life for Joyce Fussey, her husband, Gordon, and their three
sons is eventful to say the least, and often frankly hilarious. Seized by sudden
madness, they bought a smallholding on the North York Moors. The book recalls the
sequence of disasters and hilarious events that occurred during their first years of
running the farm. A delightful and enthralling account of just how unpredictable life on
the land can be. TB 12806.
Fussey, Joyce
Cats in the coffee. 1999. Read by Anita Wright, 5 hours. TB 12650.
Autobiography; book 4. Fortunately when the Fussey family chose life on the farm
they cherished no romantic illusions! Gallantly Joyce Fussey struggles for sanity
among strong-willed cats, highly-strung cows, temperamental calves, recalcitrant
hens, an aggressive drake, and a host of animal personalities seeking attention. Even
the muck-spreader has psychological problems so what is there for "new-fangled"
electricity? TB 12650.
Grayson, Peggy
Buttercup Jill. 1994. Read by Rosemary Davis, 5 hours 8 minutes. TB 10119.
This book presents vivid yet subtle and touching memories of a country childhood
permeated with moments both humorous and heart-rending. It describes the author's
hard worn and often hilarious progress on the land from tomboy ego collector to
stockwoman and member of the Women's Land Army. The author gives a personal
view of the real life which lay behind the enticing war recruitment posters depicting
shining faced girls and gleaming milk pails. TB 10119.
11
Griffiths, David
That inward eye: a Black Mountain memoir. 1995. Read by Charlotte Strevens
and Steve Hodson, 4 hours 5 minutes. TB 13692.
The Griffiths family lives high in the remote Honddu Valley of the Black Mountains
(where Herefordshire meets Wales). The author has lost his sight but not 'that inward
eye' with which he recollects with great vividness a way of life in the Black Mountains
that has vanished with alarming speed. TB 13692.
Hargreaves, Jack
The old country. Read by William Haden, 4 hours 30 minutes. TB 12784.
Jack Hargreaves describes life in the English countryside in the middle of the
twentieth century. He describes poaching, fishing and the world of the river:
haymaking, woodmen, field sports and the people and way of life that have given the
countryside its character. TB 12784.
Harris, Mollie
A kind of magic. 1983. Read by Rosalind Shanks, 4 hours 33 minutes. TB 13314.
Autobiography; book 1. Mollie Harris, better known as Martha in The Archers, was
brought up in the Oxfordshire village of Ducklington during the 1920s. Life as one of
seven children in a poor, hardworking family was far from easy – they often had
nothing to eat but dumplings and jam. But the compensations were many. The author
writes of both the hardships and the fun of rural life sixty years ago. TB 13314.
Harris, Mollie
Another kind of magic. 1998. Read by Patricia Gallimore, 5 hours 10 minutes.
TB 12858.
Autobiography; book 2. Mollie Harris describes her journeys on foot and by bicycle
over the hills and through the villages of the Cotswolds, and recounts the hilarious
country tales she was told by the people she met. In these anecdotes the local
characters spring vividly to life: Mark the shepherd with his thousand sheep, Charlie
'Douser' the fireman, Old Jack the gardener and many others. TB 12858.
Harrison, Fraser
Strange land: the countryside: myth and reality. 1982. Read by Peter Billingsley,
5 hours 7 minutes. TB 4959.
Five interlocked essays on the dream of escaping into the countryside: the author
shows that our nostalgia can be turned to good use in saving our environment from
destruction. TB 4959.
12
Hauxwell, Hannah
Seasons of my life: the story of a solitary Daleswoman. 1989. Read by Maggie
Jones, 4 hours 33 minutes. TB 7711.
Hannah Hauxwell first appeared before the British public in the 1970s in the
documentary made for Yorkshire Television called "Too long a winter". That film told
of Hannah's lone struggle to survive on a desolate farm in the Yorkshire Dales with
little money, no electricity and no running water. Now, with the help of Barry Cockroft,
she tells the full story of her life at Low Birk Hatt Farm and her respect for her
environment. TB 7711.
Hauxwell, Hannah
Daughter of the Dales: the world of Hannah Hauxwell. 1990. Read by Maggie
Jones, 4 hours 21 minutes. TB 8614.
Sequel to: Seasons of my life. Almost two decades ago Hannah Hauxwell emerged
out of a snowstorm in a television documentary called "Too Long a Winter". This
maiden lady, a one-woman farmer living a life of cruel deprivation without water or
electricity high on a half-abandoned Pennine Dale, has been persuaded to exchange
her life of toil on the farm for Belle Vue Cottage in a nearby village. In this book she
opens a new door on her past life, including the story of the childhood and courtship
of her parents. TB 8614.
Heiney, Paul
Pulling Punches: a traditional farming year. 1988. Read by Antony Higginson, 6
hours 7 minutes. TB 7490.
Weylands Farm is in Constable country on the Suffolk/Essex border and it is unique in
that the 17 acres are worked entirely by Suffolk Punch horses. For a year the author
worked there one day a week doing every job he was allowed to do - ploughing,
harrowing, sowing and reaping. He learned about horses, their training and
temperaments, giving him an insight into a rural way of life that has almost vanished.
TB 7490.
Heiney, Paul
Second crop: reflections from a farmer's diary. 1996. Read by Paul Heiney, 5
hours 14 minutes. TB 10974.
"Second Crop" tells the stories of the author's three Suffolk Punch horses and of
Alice, the large black sow (whose views on the exposure of her private life are made
in no uncertain terms), as well as introducing other vibrant personalities such as Sage
- the first cow who seems to respond emotionally to Paul. The cycle of the farming
year is a soap opera of rebellious antique machinery, unforgiving weeds and truculent
livestock. Paul Heiney writes with humour and charm about the vagaries of life on his
farm. TB 10974.
13
Herriot, James
James Herriot's Yorkshire stories. 1997. Read by Daniel Philpott, 3 hours 3
minutes. TB 11502.
Tales about cows and dogs, Shire horses, goats and orphaned lambs. James Herriot
tells of times when the telephone would summon him to a sick animal in the middle of
the night. Then the character of the Dales people would show - from the dour farmer
to the couple who insisted the vet stayed for a dram of whisky. We meet many
fascinating characters who were part of Herriot's life. TB 11502.
Herriot, James
James Herriot's Yorkshire. 1979. Read by Peter Barker, 4 hours 1 minute. TB
3706.
The famous vet describes the Yorkshire he knows - its vales and dales and the hardy,
genuine people who farm there. TB 3706.
Herriot, James
All creatures great and small. 1975. Read by Arthur Blake, 16 hours 50 minutes.
TB 6565.
This is the first book in the series about a Yorkshire veterinary practice by the newest
member to "the firm". With his wry wit and generous warmth he introduces his readers
to many local characters as he goes on a daily round of calls wrestling with the
ailments of the wide variety of animals he treats. TB 6565.
Hughes, Anne
The diary of a farmer's wife: 1796-1797. 1937. Read by Elizabeth Proud, 4 hours
51 minutes. TB 3617.
The daily events in one year of life of Herefordshire farmer's wife Anne in the late 18th
century. TB 3617.
Kent, Joan
Binder twine and rabbit stew. Read by Avril Clark, 4 hours 30 minutes. TB
12783.
This is the author's first collection of stories about her life as a farmer's daughter in
the hard years of the thirties and during the war years of the forties. TB 12783.
Kilvert, Francis
Kilvert's diary, 1870-1879: selections from the diary of Francis Kilvert. 1973.
Read by Gordon Dulieu, 14 hours 22 minutes. TB 8452.
In the late 1930s William Plomer first brought to light the 22 notebooks in which the
Reverend Francis Kilvert kept his diary between January 1870 and March 1879. The
diary pictures the life of a village clergyman, and the changing seasons in the
14
beautiful countryside of Wiltshire and the Welsh border, in mid-Victorian times. TB
8452.
Knappett, Rachel
A pullet on the midden. 1998. Read by Lynne Verrall, 8 hours 20 minutes. TB
12765.
As a land army girl, Rachel Knappett was sent to Bath Farm in South-West
Lancashire. She was the only female attached to a group of highly experienced farm
labourers who were unused to working side by side with women. Her story is a
heartwarming tale about living and working on the land. TB 12765.
Lindsay, Gillian
Flora Thompson: the story of the lark rise writer. 1990. Read by Patricia
Hughes, 7 hours 15 minutes. TB 9027.
The first full biography of Flora Thompson. Based on an earlier biographical essay
and on interviews with the few people who remember her, this is the story of the shy,
intelligent girl who loved reading and the countryside. With descriptions of family life
and wartime struggles, the book gives a fascinating portrait of the author who was a
pioneer of the conservationist movement. TB 9027.
McCallum, Marjorie
Growing up in two worlds: 1920-1937. 2002. Read by Louise Fryer, 4 hours 22
minutes. TB 13420.
This is a personal account of a childhood spent in London and the country in the
twenties and thirties. The book illustrates the difficulties and joys of family and
business life through the eyes of a growing girl. The weekly horror of washday is
vividly described, as is the annual spring clean of the house to get rid of the
depredations of a winter's coal fires. There was still time though to go visiting by pony
and trap, to sample the delights of the sweet-shop, to learn to ride and to fall in love.
TB 13420.
McMullen, Jeanine
My small country living. 1984. Read by Judith Whale, 8 hours 55 minutes. TB
5965.
The author writes for anyone with an interest in country life, not just for her radio
audience. She tells of her impetuous decision to buy 13 acres of Welsh mountain-side
and of the carefree early days when ignorance was bliss. Years of crisis followed,
both professional and personal, but she held onto her dream of making a radio series
"for and about people with real mud on their wellies". Both the fun and sorrows of
running a tiny farm are described with a warm honesty. TB 5965.
15
McMullen, Jeanine
Wind in the ash tree. 1988. Read by Judith Whale, 7 hours 30 minutes. TB 7066.
Sequel to: My small country living. Another lively and humorous account of life on a
Welsh smallholding by the popular broadcaster, Jeanine McMullen. She describes
further struggles and adventures with the land and her animals, particularly the
rapport she developed with Doli, the Welsh cob, Blossom, the pig and Winston, the
Chihuahua. She also tells how she came to create her popular radio programme "A
Small Country Living". TB 7066.
McMullen, Jeanine
A small country living goes on. 1990. Read by Judith Whale, 11 hours 18
minutes. TB 8688.
Sequel to: The wind in the ash-tree. Taken from the radio series "A Small Country
Living", this is the story of Jeanine McMullan's Welsh hill farm where she keeps a
collection of animals. TB 8688.
Mannes-Abbott, Sheila
Four seasons: the life of the English countryside. 1981. Read by Kate Binchy,
45 minutes. TB 12935.
A series of observations and anecdotes by a well-known naturalist about the
disappearing countryside through the seasons. TB 12935.
Martin, Brian P
Tales of the old countrymen. 1999. Read by David Graham and Nigel Graham, 6
hours 18 minutes. TB 14235.
Ranging from the tough times of Edwardian England to the relative comforts of today,
this text describes the colourful and eventful lives of thirteen humble countrymen.
From farm labourer to mole-catcher and from beekeeper to hurdle-maker, their tales
represent the experiences of hardworking country fold and reflect the enormous
changes in rural life this century. There are also extracts from earlier writings which
offer insights into the countryman's life in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. TB
14235.
Mitchell, W R
A Dalesman's diary. 1990. Read by Nick Hague, 6 hours 4 minutes. TB 8584.
Bill Mitchell was born, grew up and has worked all his life in the Yorkshire Dales. He
takes the reader on a nostalgic and enthralling journey which records intimate
memories of this beautiful land still unsullied by modern urban society, and the simple
traditional lifestyle of its natives. TB 8584.
16
Nicholson, Phyllis
Country bouquet. 1998. Read by Maggie Lloyd, 3 hours 10 minutes. TB 12651.
This text is a companion with a chapter for every month. Originally published just after
the Second World War, it is descriptive, autobiographical and philosophical all in one.
TB 12651.
Porter, Valerie
Life behind the cottage door. 1998. Read by Tracey Lloyd, 5 hours 31 minutes.
TB 13606.
Life was not all roses round the door and patchwork quilts in the cottages of
yesteryear. In reality, they were smoky, damp and draughty, and living in them could
involve candlelit treks to an outside privy, sharing a bedroom with perhaps ten other
people, or bleaching linen with a mixture of hen manure and urine. The author charts
the gradual improvements: a chimney, a ladder up to the sleeping loft, earthen floors
giving way to boards, and homemade rushlights replaced first by paraffin lamps and
then electric light. TB 13606.
Read, Miss
Early days. 2008. Read by Miss Read, 4 hours 31 minutes. TB 15574.
Contents: A fortunate grandchild and Time remembered.
Affectionate and unashamedly nostalgic portraits of the author's introduction to village
life and its school. Her family moved to Kent when she was seven years and after the
hustle of London it became, for her, a new and magical world. Remembering the dayto-day events and dramas, she conveys the pleasures of a close-knit community. TB
15574.
Read, Miss
The world of Thrush Green. 1988. Read by Judy Franklin, 6 hours 59 minutes.
TB 7597.
Miss Read's novels about Thrush Green were all based on a village in Oxfordshire
which she came to know and love. This book reveals the reality behind the wonderful
stories, the marvellous characters who people them, their homes and the events of
their lives. Full of charm and humour, the spirit of the countryside and its inhabitants is
delightfully evoked. TB 7597.
Ruck, Ruth Janette
Place of stones. 1961. Read by Rosalind Shanks, 9 hours 6 minutes. TB 4215.
The author recounts how she took over a Welsh hill farm with no experience of
farming and practically no capital. She made a going concern of it and found a deeply
satisfying way of life. TB 4215.
17
Ruck, Ruth Janette
Hill farm story. 1966. Read by Rosalind Shanks, 8 hours 31 minutes. TB 4446.
Sequel to: Place of stones. The author tells of her continued happiness on the farm.
Now married she and her husband acquire new land and begin to breed Welsh
Mountain Ponies. TB 4446.
Sturt, George
The wheelwright's shop. 1923. Read by Gabriel Woolf, 7 hours 45 minutes. TB
167.
A craftsman's trade at the turn of the century, with memories of quieter days and
almost forgotten skills. TB 167.
Swinnerton, Frank
Reflections from a village. 1969. Read by Stephen Jack, 6 hours 45 minutes. TB
1212.
The author writes lovingly of the village home he has lived in for nearly half a century,
and shares with the reader the many sources of his happiness there. TB 1212.
Street, A G
Farmer's glory. 1932. Read by Stephen Jack, 7 hours 15 minutes. TB 1785.
A farming autobiography, giving a picture of rural life on both sides of the Atlantic. TB
1785.
Tangye, Derek
A gull on the roof. 1961. Read by Stephen Jack, 6 hours 26 minutes. TB 13040.
Minack chronicles; book 1. This book tells how the author and his wife gave up
glamorous London lives - Derek's with MI5 and Jeannie's as Public Relations Officer
of the Savoy Hotel Group - for the tranquility of Minack, a Cornish clifftop cottage
where they started a flower farm. TB 13040.
Tangye, Derek
A drake at the door. 1963. Read by Michael de Morgan, 7 hours 41 minutes. TB
1446.
Minack chronicles; book 3. Sequel to: A cat in the window. Early days at Minack, the
author's Cornish flower farm, and the arrival of Boris the drake and other pets. TB
1446.
Tangye, Derek
A donkey in the meadow. 1965. Read by Michael de Morgan, 4 hours 48
minutes. TB 1447.
Minack chronicles; book 4. The family is joined by Penny, the donkey, and later Fred,
her foal. TB 1447.
18
Tangye, Derek
A cat affair. 1974. Read by David Strong, 6 hours. TB 2539.
Minack chronicles; book 8. Sequel to: Cottage on a cliff. The story of the cats and
donkeys on the author's Cornish farm. TB 2539.
Tangye, Derek
The way to Minack. 1968. Read by David Broomfield, 5 hours 46 minutes.
TB 644.
Minack chronicles; book 9. Continuing the autobiography of the author who gave up
his London job to settle on a remote flower farm in Cornwall. TB 644.
Tangye, Derek
The Ambrose rock. 1982. Read by Antony Higginson, 6 hours 23 minutes.
TB 5994.
Minack chronicles; book 14. Sequel to: When the winds blow. As in the other books of
the "Minack Chronicles", Derek Tangye writes of the soothing comfort Jeannie and he
found in the security of their lonely cottage on the Cornish cliffs. There are lyrical
passages about their flower farm and loving descriptions of the animals and birds that
surround them. He writes of the donkeys; the gulls; Ron the rook; the cats and, above
all, one magical cat called Ambrose. TB 5994.
Tangye, Derek
The world of Minack: a place for solitude. 1991. Read by Tom Crowe, 8 hours 26
minutes. TB 9344.
Minack chronicles; book 17. Sequel to: The cherry tree. "In this impermanent world...
in which the individual can only salvage what he can from the twilight pressures of the
mass, in which to be sensitive is no longer a grace, Jeannie and I could touch the old
stones of Minack, brace ourselves before the gales, listen to the sea talking and the
gulls crying, be at one with the animals, search our inward selves and fight the
shadow which is the enemy; and to marvel at the magic which had led us to a life we
loved so much". TB 9344.
Taylor, Alice
To school through the fields: an Irish country childhood. 1988. Read by Kate
Binchy, 4 hours 7 minutes. TB 7754.
The changing seasons shape this beautiful, gentle account of growing up on a farm in
the 1940s. It is a story not without sadness but dominated by light and colour and by
affection for a childhood spent close to nature. Especially memorable are the portraits
of characters such as Nell, the unsociable old lady in a broken-down cottage where
birds nest in the thatch, or Paul the solitary, whose white hair and beard and white
clothes give him a biblical appearance. TB 7754.
19
Taylor, Alice
Quench the lamp. 1990. Read by Kate Binchy, 4 hours 55 minutes. TB 8388.
Alice Taylor continues her story of a country childhood and of the many memorable
characters who were her neighbours. This is the story of a changing time, a time
when rural Ireland quenched the oil lamp, removed the pot from under the bed and
threw the black pots and iron kettles under the hedge. TB 8388.
Thompson, Flora
A country calendar and other writings. 1979. Read by Judith Whale, 11 hours 46
minutes. TB 5430.
A short biography of Flora Thompson is followed by her writings about Liphook month
by month, several poems and "Heatherley", an account of her three years as a post
office assistant in the Hampshire village of Grayshott where she met and married
John Thompson. TB 5430.
Thompson, Flora
The Peveral papers: a yearbook of the countryside. 1986. Read by Judy
Franklin, 8 hours 9 minutes. TB 6793.
These pieces were written during the years the author spent in Hampshire. They were
written monthly contributions to a magazine called the "Catholic Fireside" and
describe the natural history and rural life of the neighbourhood throughout the year.
Readers who have met her already in "Lark Rise" will find new aspects to her life and
personality and the methods she used to overcome her insecurity as a writer, her
literary models, ideals and dreams. TB 6793.
Vyvyan, C C
Letters from a Cornish garden. 1972. Read by Judith Whale, 5 hours 2 minutes.
TB 2710.
The author, who had loved growing things ever since she can remember, describes
her full and adventurous life. TB 2710.
Walsh, Marrie
An Irish country childhood: memories of a bygone age. 1996. Read by Kate
Binchy, 5 hours 30 minutes. TB 13555.
This autobiography tells the story of a magical childhood on a farm in the west of
Ireland during the 1930s and early 1940s. It tells of a young girl, Mary Kate Ferguson,
known to her family as Marrie, and the mountain community in County Mayo. This is
an era that no longer exists - living close to nature and the land with little worldly
wealth, but rich in love, kindness, and spirit. TB 13555.
20
Warren, Patricia
Tales from the country matchmaker. 2006. Read by Patricia Gallimore, 7 hours
39 minutes. TB 14829.
Since she founded the Farmers' and Country Bureau from her farmhouse in the Peak
District, Patricia Warren has been helping love to blossom the length and breadth of
rural England. The warmth, patience and humour of this born matchmaker have been
changing the lives of thousands of people for over 20 years. Of course, love isn't
always on the cards for her clients. TB 14829.
Warren, Patricia
A hard day's work. 2008. Read by Rebecca Blech, 6 hours 13 minutes. TB
16315.
Sequel to: Tales from the country matchmaker. Founder of the hugely successful
Farmers and Country Bureau, matchmaker Patricia Warren's story of her life in a
stone farmhouse is interwoven with the tales of the ups and downs of her clients.
Patricia matched Lucy, looking for love in the remote Falkland Islands, with the man
of her dreams. She acted as go-between for the man who was so overcome with
shyness that he admired a lady from afar for eight years. Patricia's stories of rural
love prove that although the road can be rocky, it often leads to true love. TB 16315.
Fiction
Bates, H E
The darling buds of May, book of the seasons. 1992. Read by Vincent Brimble, 4
hours 6 minutes. TB 8931.
The sultriness of a summer's afternoon; the sharp tang of autumn; the frosted reeds
at winter time; the sweetness of the wildflowers in spring - all the glories of the English
year are captured in this selection from the work of H.E. Bates. TB 8931.
Bates, H E
The poacher. 1935. Read by Brian Perkins, 6 hours 29 minutes. TB 5216.
Luke is a poor but proud and quick-witted poacher. He lives in a world of narrow
escapes from keepers armed with clubs and where small-holders struggle to make a
living. But his life is brightened by cheerful forest inns and the beauty of the silent
woods in which he walks at night. TB 5216.
Bates, H E
The darling buds of May. 1958. Read by Stephen Jack, 4 hours 44 minutes. TB
753.
The Larkins series; book 1. The sultriness of a summer's afternoon; the sharp tang of
autumn; the frosted reeds at winter time; the sweetness of the wildflowers in spring all the glories of the English year are captured in this selection from the work of H. E.
21
Bates. A lighthearted tale about Pop and Ma Larkins and their six children; they eat
well, drink well, and, as Pop says, 'everything's perfick'. TB 753.
Bates, H E
Country tales. 1938. Read by Alexander John, 11 hours 8 minutes. TB 9592.
In these 26 lyrical stories, the author not only captures the essence of a vanished
rural past, but also the hearts and minds of country people. Most of the stories, like
"Waiting Room", "The Gleaner" and "Cloudburst" celebrate human resilience and
courage, while "Little Fish" ridicules pomposity. "Never" embodies a timeless
dilemma: the yearning for freedom, and the fear of achieving it. "Story Without An
End" and "The House With The Apricot" are about the joy and poignancy of love,
evoking a bittersweet nostalgia that suffuses all of these stories. TB 9592.
Bell, Adrian
Men and the fields. 1984. Read by Richard Earthy, 4 hours 55 minutes. TB 5532.
A New Year's Eve party in an old farmhouse yields a host of memories. As the year
runs out the older ones do the talking and the young ones listen while a bygone world
of farmers and shepherds, landowners and labourers is evoked. TB 5532.
Bell, Adrian
Corduroy. 1930. Read by Stephen Jack, 7 hours 39 minutes. TB 824.
Vivid descriptions of the Suffolk country scene, mingled with the thoughts which
spring from close contact with nature. TB 824.
Bell, Adrian
Silver ley. 1983. Read by Stephen Jack, 8 hours 8 minutes. TB 825.
Sequel to: Corduroy. After a short training a young farmer takes over Silver Ley Farm,
where later his town bred family joins him. TB 825.
Bell, Adrian
The cherry tree. 1932. Read by Stephen Jack, 7 hours 47 minutes. TB 826.
Sequel to: Silver ley. Continuing the story of life in rural Suffolk and the events of field
and farm. TB 826.
Blake, George
The loves of Mary Glen. 1960. Read by Stephen Jack, 11 hours 15 minutes. TB
1708.
The story of a woman's love for her fatherless child, and her struggle to succeed with
a dairy farm in the Scottish hill country. TB 1708.
22
Blythe, Ronald
The stories of Ronald Blythe. 1985. Read by Christopher Scott, 10 hours 35
minutes. TB 5823.
These stories inhabit the same rural world as the author and take a penetrating look
at its habits and fantasies, hard fact and passion. Daft Rosie, the scrapman's wife,
and Colonel Faulkner, lord of the local manor, both receive the same tolerance, while
the spry viciousness that keeps some people going is never missed. TB 5823.
Chatwin, Bruce
On the black hill. 1982. Read by Andrew Jack, 9 hours 11 minutes. TB 4876.
Twin brothers, Benjamin and Lewis, have shared so many of their eighty years in the
Welsh border country that now they need hardly a word to communicate with each
other. TB 4876.
Dahl, Roald
Ah, sweet mystery of Life. 1989. Read by Christopher Scott, 4 hours 37 minutes.
TB 7985.
A highly original approach to mating cows, an even more bizarre method of poaching
pheasants and a foolproof scheme to clean up on the greyhound flapping-tracks. The
mysteries of life in rural England are ingeniously addressed in this new collection of
Roald Dahl's country tales. TB 7985.
Evans, George Ewart
Acky. 1973. Read by Stephen Jack, 3 hours 30 minutes. TB 2337.
A collection of stories about country life in Suffolk. TB 2337.
Gallagher, Jock
To the victor the spoils. 1988. Read by Nina Holloway, 5 hours 11 minutes. TB
7262.
The Archers series; book 1. Daniel Archer escapes the mud of Flanders to take over
the tenancy of Brookfield Farm on the death of his father in 1916. It is his younger
brother, Ben, who is most devastated by the horrors of the Great War and on his
return to Ambridge, he is unable to settle down to work on the farm. To make matters
worse, both brothers are interested in the same girl, Dorris Forrest, daughter of the
local gamekeeper. TB 7262.
Gallagher, Jock
Return to Ambridge. 1988. Read by Nina Holloway, 5 hours 47 minutes. TB
7292.
The Archers series; book 2. Jack Archer, son of Dan and Doris, did not have a
distinguished war service; he went no further than the regimental stores, "unfit for
active service". Still only 21 on demob in 1944, he returns to Ambridge engulfed by
23
the drabness of post-war Britain. He has married Peggy Perkins, a cheerful cockney
member of the ATS, and although he feels overshadowed by both father and younger
brother Philip, Peggy rises to the challenge of their smallholding. TB 7292.
Gallagher, Jock
Borchester echoes. 1988. Read by Nina Holloway, 11 hours 19 minutes. TB
7291.
The Archers series; book 3. Phil and Jill Archer's younger daughter, Elizabeth, is
using her job in the tele-sales department of the Borchester Echo to try and break into
the world of journalism, while her private life is carried on at a hectic pace: fast cars
with Robin Fairbrother, madcap antics with Nigel Pargetter and the odd minor fling
with Terry Barford, whom she joins for a week in Berlin. TB 7291.
Gibbons, Stella
Cold comfort farm. 1932. Read by Elizabeth Proud, 9 hours 15 minutes. TB
1714.
Flora has been expensively educated to do everything but earn her own living. When
she is orphaned at 20, she decides her only option is to go and live with her relatives,
the Starkadders, at Cold Comfort Farm. What relatives though. Flora feels it
incumbent upon her to bring order into the chaos. TB 1714.
Goudge, Elizabeth
The scent of water. 1963. Read by Judith Whale, 10 hours 30 minutes. TB 690.
Mary Lindsay, middle-aged Londoner, settles in a country village; her kind heart and
wisdom exercise great influence on the lives of her new neighbours. TB 690.
Kaye-Smith, Sheila
Joanna Godden. 1921. Read by Stephen Jack, 11 hours 15 minutes. TB 936.
The story of a woman's brave efforts to run her father's Kentish farm, wherein she is
more successful than in her choice of a lover. TB 936.
Llewellyn, Richard
How green was my valley. 1939. Read by Andrew Timothy, 18 hours. TB 2756.
Growing up in a mining community in rural South Wales, Huw Morgan is taught many
harsh lessons. Looking back, where difficult days are faced with courage and the
valleys swell with the sound of Welsh voices, it becomes clear that there is nowhere
so green as the landscape of his own memory. TB 2756.
Marshall, Sybil
A nest of magpies. 1993. Read by Marilyn Finlay, 21 hours 7 minutes. TB 10176.
Fran, now widowed, is back at Benedict's and wants to be reintegrated into the
village. As she is drawn into the lives of its people she is fascinated by Johanna, the
24
enigmatic outsider. Her influence is a catalyst for change and a chain of events
effects a breakdown of the old social hierarchy, bringing Fran's and William's lifelong
friendship to the brink of something more. William, though, is still married and, as old
values yield to new and the older villagers look to Fran for support, she faces her own
moral dilemma. TB 10176.
Marshall, Sybil
Sharp through the hawthorn. 1995. Read by Norma West, 24 hours 2 minutes.
TB 11704.
The ancient East Anglian village of Old Swithinford had always seemed to be a haven
against trouble. But since middle-aged widow Fran came back to live there three
years ago there have been plenty of changes. Fran and William scandalize certain
established villagers when they set up home together. TB 11704.
Marshall, Sybil
Strip the willow. 1997. Read by Norma West, 27 hours 29 minutes. TB 11847.
Old Swithinford is undergoing more dramatic changes to village life of the late 1960s.
It faces the problem of a hippy family in its midst and its gravest threat yet from a
developer who has the potential to corrupt the values of the long-established farmers.
TB 11847.
Marshall, Sybil
A late lark singing. 1997. Read by Norma West, 18 hours 9 minutes. TB 11991.
Fran and William are married at last and they are hoping for a period of calm. But
changes are afoot, such as the arrival of a new rector and a new doctor. William's
unhappiness at his return to his job and the difficulty of coping with a new resident in
their house, continue to challenge them. TB 11991.
Marshall, Sybil
Ring the bell backwards. 2000. Read by Norma West, 17 hours 45 minutes. TB
12461.
Fran and William Burbage explore the roots of the family and uncover a fascinating
trail of ancestry, from Richard Burgae through Prince Maurice, brother of Rupert of
the Rhine, to some secret papers which explain the famous lost week of Charles I. TB
12461.
Moore, John
September moon. 1957. Read by Laidman Browne, 11 hours 21 minutes. TB
855.
A story of Herefordshire, where in September come the hop-pickers – Welsh miners,
factory folk, and gypsies. TB 855.
25
Purser, Ann
Pastures new. 1994. Read by Carole Boyd, 9 hours 30 minutes. TB 11070.
Peggy Palmer's husband's redundancy has forced them to start a new life as
shopkeepers in a small rural community. The village of Ringford awaits the Palmers in
eager anticipation with its quota of assorted characters: kindly Jean Jenkins, village
scourge Ivy Beasley and welcoming Doreen Price. Unexpected problems arise in
Ringford Post Office Stores, and inexperience makes the business hard work. Loyal
friends and a close-knit community are a support and a trial to Peggy in her darkest
hour. TB 11070.
Pym, Barbara
A few green leaves. 1980. Read by Elizabeth Proud, 6 hours 48 minutes. TB
3880.
The quiet revolution in village life as observed by Emma Howick, newcomer to the
village, whose interest is part anthropological but mostly personal. TB 3880.
Pym, Barbara
Some tame gazelle. 1950. Read by Elizabeth Proud, 8 hours 15 minutes. TB
3485.
The middle-aged sisters Harriet and Belinda Bede live in close touch with the affairs
of their country parish. Although very different, they are both in search of love or, if the
truth were known, someone to love. TB 3485.
Read, Miss
The market square. 1966. Read by Elizabeth Proud, 6 hours 30 minutes. TB 670.
Caxley series; book 1. All the life of Caxley is centred round its market square, in
particular that of its two oldest families - the Norths and the Howards. TB 670.
Read, Miss
The Howards of Caxley. 1967. Read by Elizabeth Proud, 6 hours 35 minutes. TB
12611.
Caxley series; book 2. The adventures of a young R.A.F. pilot, against the
background of a small country town in wartime and after. TB 12611.
Read, Miss
Village school. 1955. Read by June Tobin, 7 hours 15 minutes. TB 1748.
Fairacre series; book 1. A schoolteacher's life in a Berkshire village. TB 1748.
26
Read, Miss
Village diary. 1970. Read by Syd Ralph, 7 hours 12 minutes. TB 6022.
Fairacre series; book 2. With kindly humour the headmistress of Fairacre School
relates all the difficulties and pleasures of living in a small country community. TB
6022.
Read, Miss
Storm in the village. 1958. Read by June Tobin, 6 hours 45 minutes. TB 300.
Fairacre series; book 3. Plans for a new housing estate in Fairacre result in a public
enquiry, which provides a stormy background to the daily lives of the villagers. TB
300.
Read, Miss
Miss Clare remembers. 1967. Read by Judy Franklin, 7 hours 34 minutes. TB
14425.
Fairacre series; book 4. Miss Clare was born into a home where food and clothing
were hard-earned, where oil and candles were luxuries. Now, in her retirement Miss
Clare - village schoolmistress and devoted countrywoman - looks back on a richly
rewarding life. TB 14425.
Read, Miss
Over the gate. 1964. Read by Judith Whale, 7 hours 37 minutes. TB 719.
Fairacre series; book 5. The schoolmistress at Fairacre loves the children and knows
all their parents. She has to keep a firm hand on Mrs Pringle, school cleaner and
village gossip. TB 719.
Read, Miss
Thrush Green. 2005. Read by June Barrie, 6 hours 19 minutes. TB 16301.
Thrush Green series; book 1. It's the May Day holiday, and a fair has come to the
village of Thrush Green. The residents of Thrush Green all have their own views
about the fair. For young Paul, just recovered from an illness, it is a joy to be allowed
out to play at the fair; for Ruth, who returned to the soothing tranquillity of Thrush
Green nursing a broken heart, the fair is a welcome distraction from her own
problems. And for Dr Lovell, the fair brings an unexpected new patient. Then there is
Mrs Curdle, the long-standing matriarch of the fair. For her, this year's visit to Thrush
Green awakens mixed feelings, and a difficulty she doesn't want to face. TB 16301.
Read, Miss
Winter in Thrush Green. 1961. Read by Nicolette Bernard, 7 hours 30 minutes.
TB 1812.
Thrush Green series; book 2. An interesting stranger comes to live in a Cotswold
village, causing much speculation, but he has a purpose and fits in happily. TB 1812.
27
Read, Miss
Battles at Thrush Green. 1975. Read by Elizabeth Proud, 6 hours 15 minutes. TB
2874.
Thrush Green series; book 4. Sequel to: News from Thrush Green. Under the calm
surface, Thrush Green is in a state of turmoil over the good rector's innocent plan to
tidy the churchyard and the new teacher's ideas at the village school. TB 2874.
Read, Miss
Return to Thrush Green. 1978. Read by Judy Franklin, 6 hours 29 minutes. TB
4697.
Thrush Green series; book 5. The finest house in the village is the one where Joan
and Edward Young have lived for the past ten years. Now Joan's father is ill and must
retire to the country - and he owns the house. Other residents also face change and
decisions in this tale of the minutiae of a small country community. TB 4697.
Read, Miss
Tales from a village school. 1994. Read by Gretel Davis, 4 hours 18 minutes.
TB 10449.
Forty delightful stories about life as a village school teacher. The author captures the
scenes of village school life with humorous understanding and a love of nature. TB
10449.
Secombe, Fred
How green was my curate. 1989. Read by Gareth Armstrong, 5 hours 51
minutes. TB 7922.
Written with warmth and humour, these fictionalised memoirs of a young curate tell of
his experiences when sent to a parish in the Welsh Valleys at the end of the Second
World War. Peopled with delightful and amusing characters, this book offers a
charming picture of rural life. TB 7922.
Secombe, Fred
A curate for all seasons. 1990. Read by Gareth Armstrong, 6 hours 1 minute. TB
8391.
After the death of the vicar, Fred Secombe finds himself trapped between the new
incumbent and the parish committee, who have differing views on the future of the
parish, and workshy, accident prone Charles only adds to his problems. TB 8391.
Secombe, Fred
Goodbye curate. 1992. Read by Derek Hutchinson, 6 hours 35 minutes. TB 9870.
Fred's memoirs continue with his marriage to Eleanor, and his elevation to vicar, but
life in Pontwen is far from straightforward, and Fred is invariably left holding the baby.
28
Hilarity surrounds trips to the seaside, fetes, christenings and weddings, and the
death of a dear friend provides a sad contrast. The whole is a unique view of life in
the round, with just a touch of poetic licence. TB 9870.
Shaw, Rebecca
The new rector. 1996. Read by Jilly Bond, 7 hours 44 minutes. TB 15490.
Turnham Malpas series; book 1. The new rector of Turnham Malpas is young,
vigorous, and very handsome. And, as Peter Harris encounters his flock, he discovers
there is more to village life than he had anticipated. The local publicans are having
trouble with their wayward daughter, whilst the village store is trying to bring a touch
of Harrods to the neighbourhood. And then there is the beautiful, tragic Suzy
Meadows bringing up her children after her husbands suicide. TB 15490.
Thompson, Flora
Still glides the stream. 1948. Read by John Richmond, 9 hours 39 minutes. TB
4577.
Without sentimentality, the author, in a fictional account of life in an Oxfordshire
village in the 1880s, describes the highlights of the year: feasts, flower shows and
May Day processions, the mummers at Christmas, the weddings, christenings and
dancing on the green. TB 4577.
Thompson, Grace
The changing valley. 1990. Read by Richard Derrington, 14 hours 18 minutes.
TB 10525.
The small South Wales village of Hen Carw Parc has long remained a haven of rural
peace, but times are changing. The younger inhabitants have caught tantalising
glimpses of life beyond their quiet valley. But despite the trauma of change, the life of
the village continues, fuelled by its cockney doyenne, Nelly. TB 10525.
Wright, Patricia
That near and distant place. 1988. Read by Michael Tudor Barnes, 18 hours 18
minutes. TB 7301.
The green hills of Sussex form the backdrop to this saga of four generations of those
who live in and around Furnace Green. From young Daniel Gage at the start of the
Civil War through the years to John Smith on his way to war in 1940, this is the story
of a village community where farmers and traders, aristocrats and poachers all
struggle to survive. TB 7301.
If you have read a book you particularly enjoyed (or didn't enjoy) and want to share
your thoughts with other readers, visit the new RNIB Readers Forum at
www.rnib.org.uk/readersforum and post your review on the Forum".
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