
The Sheep Stell
Memoirs of a Shepherd
Janet White(Author)
Constable (Publisher)
Published on 4. April 2019
Book
Paperback/Softback
288 pages
978-1-4721-2862-1 (ISBN)
Description
'One woman's gloriously lyrical account of life and love as a shepherdess' MAIL ON SUNDAY
'Janet White's unfailingly enjoyable book . . . taps into a widespread feeling that we have become cut off from the natural world' TLS
'An immensely enjoyable and heartfelt book: it makes you want to run for the hills' THE LADY
With an introduction by Colin Thubron
As a child in wartime England, Janet White decided that she wanted to live somewhere wild and supremely beautiful, to inhabit and work the landscape. She imagined searching the whole world for a place, high and remote as a sheep stell, quiet as a monastery, challenging and virginal, untouched and unknown.
Turning her back on convention, Janet's desire to carve out her own pastoral Eden has taken her from the Cheviot Hills to Sussex and Somerset, via the savage beauty of rural New Zealand.
THE SHEEP STELL tells the tale of a woman before her time; a woman with incredible courage and determination, truly devoted to the land and its creatures. Evocative, unaffected and profound, it is a lost classic.
'A book to share or even fight over if necessary' Rosamund Young, author of THE SECRET LIFE OF COWS
'An extraordinary memoir... THE SHEEP STELL is pure joy, one of the most moving books I've read in a long time' Philip Marsden, author of RISING GROUND
'This is a strange and lovely book, and quiet as it is, it makes you gasp at the profoundly lived quality of the life it so modestly describes' Jenny Diski
'A hymn to country solitude, lyrical, unpretentious and deeply felt' Colin Thubron
'Janet White's unfailingly enjoyable book . . . taps into a widespread feeling that we have become cut off from the natural world' TLS
'An immensely enjoyable and heartfelt book: it makes you want to run for the hills' THE LADY
With an introduction by Colin Thubron
As a child in wartime England, Janet White decided that she wanted to live somewhere wild and supremely beautiful, to inhabit and work the landscape. She imagined searching the whole world for a place, high and remote as a sheep stell, quiet as a monastery, challenging and virginal, untouched and unknown.
Turning her back on convention, Janet's desire to carve out her own pastoral Eden has taken her from the Cheviot Hills to Sussex and Somerset, via the savage beauty of rural New Zealand.
THE SHEEP STELL tells the tale of a woman before her time; a woman with incredible courage and determination, truly devoted to the land and its creatures. Evocative, unaffected and profound, it is a lost classic.
'A book to share or even fight over if necessary' Rosamund Young, author of THE SECRET LIFE OF COWS
'An extraordinary memoir... THE SHEEP STELL is pure joy, one of the most moving books I've read in a long time' Philip Marsden, author of RISING GROUND
'This is a strange and lovely book, and quiet as it is, it makes you gasp at the profoundly lived quality of the life it so modestly describes' Jenny Diski
'A hymn to country solitude, lyrical, unpretentious and deeply felt' Colin Thubron
Reviews / Votes
A hymn to country solitude, lyrical, unpretentious and deeply felt - Colin ThubronThis is a strange and lovely book, and quiet as it is, it makes you gasp at the profoundly lived quality of the life it so modestly describes - Jenny Diski
A book to share or even fight over if necessary - Rosamund Young, author of The Secret Life of Cows
An extraordinary memoir . . . The Sheep Stell is pure joy, one of the most moving books I've read in a long time - Philip Marsden, author of Rising Ground
Utterly enchanting; a fascinating story, beautifully written - Penny Junor, author of The Duchess: The Untold Story
Janet White's book should be compulsory reading - John Barrington, author of Red Sky at Night
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Little, Brown Book Group
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Illustrations
Integrated b/w line drawings
Dimensions
Height: 196 mm
Width: 126 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
232 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4721-2862-1 (9781472128621)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Person
After seventy lambings, one marriage and a big family, Janet White is now in her eighties and continues to farm in the West Country, aided by a quad bike and her devoted Border Collie, Moss.