A Waterstones Best Book of 2024: Nature Writing The untold story of rural Britain revealed through its artefacts 'A really lovely, fascinating book. I dived straight into this clever, joyous, celebration of nature, history, and - of course - the countryside.' Charles Spencer, author of The White Ship For most of human history, we were rural folk. Our daily lives were bound up with working the land, living within the rhythm of the seasons. We poured our energies into growing food, tending to animals and watching the weather. Family, friends and neighbours were often one and the same. Life revolved around the village and its key spaces and places - the church, the green, the school and the marketplace. And yet rural life is oddly invisible our historical records.

The daily routine of the peasant, the farmer or the craftsperson could never compete with the glamour of city life, war and royal drama. Lives went unrecorded, stories untold. There is, though, one way in which we can learn about our rural past. The things we have left behind provide a connection that no document can match; physical artefacts are touchstones that breathe life into its history. From farming tools to children's toys, domestic objects and strange curios, the everyday items of the past reveal fascinating insights into an often-forgotten way of life. Birth, death, celebration, work, crime, play, medicine, beliefs, diet and our relationship with nature can all be read from these remnants of our past. From ancient artefacts to modern-day memorabilia, this startling book weaves a rich tapestry from the fragments of our rural past. Gold title Beautifully illustrated with bespoke linocut drawings by acclaimed artist Neil Gower.

Promotion will target partnerships with organisations like the National Trust, English Heritage, CPRE, National Parks and non-traditional accounts like museum shops, high street heritage shops etc. Reading's Museum of English Rural Life, The Weald and Downland Museum, St Fagan's Covers a vast range of locations and places up and down the country, with plenty of scope to link in region and place-specific talks and promotional activities. Sally has a degree in Archaeology and Anthropology from Oxford and has brought this to bear in the research. Endorsements will come from people like James Rebanks, Robert Macfarlane,Oliver Rackham, Lara Maiklem, Simon Armitage and host of other prominent public figures. Sally also writes a column for Country Living magazine called 'A Good Life' She also has a beautiful and high-quality social media presence dedicated primarily to her life on a smallholding in North Yorkshire. On Instagram as @salcoulthard Competition: The History of the Countryside;Mudlarking;English Pastoral;A Natural History of the Hedgerow;Red Sky At Night;Field Work;Meadowland;The Almanac;The Forager's Calendar. By;James Rebanks;John Lewis-Stempel;Lara Maiklem;Oliver Rackham;Lia Leendertz;John Wright;Jane Struthers;Bella Bathurst.