The Seasons: A Celebration of the English Year

Description

For millennia, the passing seasons and their rhythms have marked our progress through the year. But what do they mean to us now that we lead increasingly atomised and urban lives and our weather becomes ever more unpredictable or extreme? In this splendidly rich and lyrical celebration of the English seasons, Nick Groom investigates the trove of strange folklore and often stranger fact they have accumulated over the centuries and shows how tradition and our links with nature still have a vital role to play in all our lives.

Nick Groom is an academic and writer. He is Professor in English at the University of Exeter and has written widely on literature, music, and contemporary art. He is the author of a dozen books and editions, including The Forger's Shadow (2002), The Union Jack (2006), and, most recently, The Gothic (2012). He lives on Dartmoor with his wife, two daughters, and one cat, and keeps a flock of Black Welsh Mountain sheep. When he is not writing, he can be found playing the hurdy-gurdy in local pubs.

Groom's enthusiasm is hard to resist, and his garnering of folklore and customs that, for centuries, guided life through the changing seasons bulges with fascination. -- John Carey * Sunday Times * Wonderful and timely -- Philip Hoare * Independent * It's no exaggeration to say that this is a volume I have been waiting for all my life... I love Nick Groom's passionate plea for us to be aware of traditional connections between human lives, the seasons and the natural world. He provides a cornucopia of knowledge, and an inspirational call to awareness... This is a rich celebration of traditions and a plea for them not to be forgotten. -- Bel Mooney * Daily Mail * Groom writes so well and so fittingly... He has taken a classic formula and reinvigorated it, given it new breath and interest. -- Ronald Blythe * Times Literary Supplement * Beguiling... Unexpectedly fascinating * Spectator * Offers far more than trivia and contains details that demand to be shared. -- Max Liu * Independent * A heartfelt exploration of the connections between the seasons and England's traditions and folklore brims with fascinating revelations. * Readers Digest *