BREAKING COVER - 1: AN ANTHOLOGY OF COUNTRY TALES. By Jackie Drakeford.

2013 1st edition. 8vo paperback (170 x 240mm). Ppxii,141. Colour photographs.

"Those of us who pursue countryside activities know that they are the greatest of levellers: one minute birdsong, next minute cowpat. Here we have a collection of wry snippets about those situations that can arise when keeping hunting dogs, going out in the beating line or following the hunt. We accompany the author through mud, nettles, brambles, hell and high water, waiting for recalcitrant dogs or attempting smooth talking when straight talking would be more natural. We meet a variety of country characters with unexpected skills and endless patience, who mostly remain good-humoured despite encountering extreme discomfort, or being caught in circumstances for which a rustic background gives little preparation." Includes two chapters by Phillip Blackman.