Anthony Burton (1) (1934–)

A good biography of a complex man.

Cobbett is a thorn to the elite, but xenophobic. He is the only source of stories concerning his youth and they are highly dubious: he paints a picture of a rural idyll, when others build a picture of hard labour.

It is difficult to fit Cobbett in to the socialist story, but it feels wrong to leave him out!

Book received from NetGalley.
I loved the travel portions of this book, I loved seeing parts of Europe I haven't been to. Other parts of the book didn't do much for me. He went into quite a bit of the mechanics behind the various engines and most of it went over my head. It was a decent book, but I think my husband would have liked it better.

A retracing of journeys of John Taylor, Celia Fiennes, Daniel Defoe, Samuel Johnson, William Cobbett, Wilkie Collins, George Borrow and Alfred Barnard around Britain.
Enjoyable read. Unfortunately the wonderful scenery described by the author was not replicated by the black and white photos which made the journeys seem quite dull.

The 72 miles of the Cumbria Way lie within the boundaries of the Lake District National Park and the route takes walkers through some of the finest scenery on England. This guide covers the entire route and is packed with useful information.