THE FOLIO SOCIETY

The Country Child is one of the most enchanting stories of childhood ever told. Based on Alison Uttley’s own upbringing in rural Derbyshire in the late 19th century, it follows a year in the life of 9-year-old Susan Garland.

A true classic, it is filled with a child’s sense of wonder at the world around her. Peopled with colourful figures like the ‘Moody-wap’ or mole-catcher, John Barley the pig-sticker and the Irish haymakers, The Country Child gives us a snapshot of rural Victorian life. Yet it is also a universal portrait of childhood. We share Susan’s fear of the monsters in the Dark Wood; her excitement at Christmas; and her awe at the magnificent animals, mischievous clowns and the beautiful bareback rider at the circus. There are also the inevitable mishaps – such as the time that Susan invites 50 girls home to tea, or buries her doll thinking she is a false idol.

The life of this little girl, on her family’s hill-top farm, might seem lonely to the outsider, but to Susan, the animals, birds, trees and seasons are the perfect companions.Uttley began writing in 1930 to support herself and her young son after her husband died, and became one of Britain’s most prolific children’s authors, notably of the Little Grey Rabbit books. For many readers, the nostalgic beauty of The Country Child makes it her finest work, and it is one of those books that can be appreciated just as keenly by the adult reader.

This edition is illustrated with the original etchings by C. F. Tunnicliffe and introduced by Diana Athill, author of numerous acclaimed memoirs including Yesterday Morning and Stet.