Part of being a historical writer means always being on the lookout for interesting information and insight.

Well, recently a friend of mine, trimming her bookshelves, gave me a book called an Anthology of William Cobbett's writings on Country Matters (from around 1825).

I was out of something to read on the bus on the way to work and was flicking through this one.  I know, very dry, hardly any pictures, I was thinking I must be really desperate.  But I was interested in gleaning a bit of info on country gardening for my current project and thought this might give me some useful hints.

I don't think this book was meant to be funny, but it was hilarious!  Lots of dry reading, some I skipped over, some I read, but his ranting on the uselessness of potatoes (worse than eating dirt!), his fights with newspaper editors, his comments about politics and politicians of the time, it was so funny.  I was hard  pressed to not break out laughing and startle my neighbors on the bus.

Don't even ask about his opinion of women who don't know how to bake bread!  Oh, and he gave detailed instructions on the process. 

Over and above that, I got some useful gardening/growing tips.  Now I know what I should be planting in the kitchen garden for August (early cabbage, cauliflower for spring, spinach for a winter crop, Welsh onion) and September (reading onions, carrots in a warm border, more spinach, radishes).

The book gives a great sense of the period and what country life was like back then.   And quite unexpectedly, I wasn't the least bit bored, but thoroughly entertained on the way to work for the next few days.

Shereen