COUNTRY FAIR: TALES OF THE COUNTRYSIDE, SHOOTING AND FISHING. By Max Hastings.

2005 1st edition. 8vo (156 x 241mm). Ppx,277. B/w vignette illustrations by William Geldart. Brown boards, spine titled in gilt.

A new collection of rural writings, based in part on the author's pieces for the Field, celebrating the pleasures of the country life - walked up Scottish grouse, Irish snipe-bog tramping, Tweed salmon and more. "Country Fair is a bedside book for everyone who loves the British countryside, and especially fishing and shooting. Max Hastings describes himself as 'an eager duffer' at both. He writes of all manner of experiences with rod, gun and dogs in every corner of this island, creating a portrait of field sports that will summon happy memories for everyone who shares his passions. He also reflects about the future of the countryside amid all the pressures it faces today - political, social, and environmental. The Labour government's ban on hunting has created bitter tensions between town and country which will not go away. A struggle has begun to preserve rural traditions from urban political intolerance, which is likely to continue for decades to come. Yet the author remains optimistic that we can sustain the great heritage of the countryside, if we are willing to fight for it. The challenge is to persuade Britain's city-dwellers that those who live amid the streams, woodlands and green fields are their best custodians. Much of this book is based upon Max Hastings's writings in The Field. It should delight not only fishers and shooters, but everyone who cherishes Britain's countryside. It offers lyrical tales of rural life, and some hard words about the battle to preserve it."