Publisher's Synopsis
The Rural Life of England consists of twenty-six letters or articles that were written by Victorian-era author Capt. Mayne Reid, celebrated on both sides of the Atlantic for his adventure novels, during the final full year that he and his wife Elizabeth resided at Frogmore, the country home they rented in Herefordshire, not far from the village of Ross-on-Wye and also the English-Welsh border. Intended for an American readership, these informative, factual letters were published at weekly intervals in the New York Tribune between April 2 and September 24, 1882. A separate letter, "The Failure of the English Hay Crop," is included, although it was not a part of the series. So far as known, none of these letters have appeared anywhere else in print since their original publication in 1882. The Rural Life of England was transcribed and edited by Steven R. Butler, author of Away O'er the Waves: The Transatlantic Life & Literature of Capt. Mayne Reid. Butler has also written a brief biography of Reid for his volume, as well as an informative Introduction.
