The Shepherd's Calendar
Published on 10. April 2014
Book
Hardback
168 pages
978-0-19-967222-6 (ISBN)
Description
John Clare is one of the greatest English Romantic poets, and The Shepherd's Calendar is his masterpiece. It is a classic of English poetry and a fascinating work of social history, recording long-vanished aspects of nineteenth-century rural life.
The poem provides a calendar of the country year, in which the various tasks performed by the farm labourer take their place: ploughing in February, lambing in March, and hay-making in June. The countryman's year is also punctuated by celebrations and festivals, such as May Day games, sheep-shearing feasts, Harvest Home, and Christmas. Rooted in popular culture, the poem has many vivid descriptions of the flowers, birds, and beasts of the hedgerow and field.
This reissue, first published in 1964 and in a second edition in 1993, is published to coincide with the 150th anniversary of John Clare's death. It includes charming wood engravings by David Gentleman.
The poem provides a calendar of the country year, in which the various tasks performed by the farm labourer take their place: ploughing in February, lambing in March, and hay-making in June. The countryman's year is also punctuated by celebrations and festivals, such as May Day games, sheep-shearing feasts, Harvest Home, and Christmas. Rooted in popular culture, the poem has many vivid descriptions of the flowers, birds, and beasts of the hedgerow and field.
This reissue, first published in 1964 and in a second edition in 1993, is published to coincide with the 150th anniversary of John Clare's death. It includes charming wood engravings by David Gentleman.
Reviews / Votes
Handsomely illustrated. * New Statesman * This is a book to treasure. * Harry Mead, Northern Echo *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Illustrations
13 wood engravings
Dimensions
Height: 200 mm
Width: 135 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
296 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-967222-6 (9780199672226)
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Schweitzer Classification
Persons
John Clare (1793-1864) was an agricultural labourer who rose to fame as the Northamptonshire Peasant Poet with the publication of his first book of poems in 1820. He suffered from mental illness and ended his days in Northampton General Lunatic Asylum. He is now recognized as one of the great English Romantic poets whose writing on rural society has a special power.
Eric Robinson, together with his associate editor David Powell, is editor of the mult-volume Oxford English Texts edition of the Collected Poems of John Clare and other selections of Clare's writings, including the Major Works in Oxford World's Classics.
Eric Robinson, together with his associate editor David Powell, is editor of the mult-volume Oxford English Texts edition of the Collected Poems of John Clare and other selections of Clare's writings, including the Major Works in Oxford World's Classics.