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1wcarter
Anne Hughes : Her Boke 1981
I obtained this delightful little book in a swap with another FSD member.
It is indeed a small book, only 19.2x12.6cm. and 176 pages. It is bound in full red/brown cloth blocked with a kitchen implement design. The spine title is gilt on what appears to be a black leather label. The light brown slipcase is made from the usual textured cardboard used by the FS in that era. There are numerous integrated linocut illustrations by Tony Evora, and the book has been edited by Mollie Preston.
The "Boke" is the diary of a 23 year old Herefordshire farmer's wife and covers a period of 18 months from February 1796 to August 1797. Anne Hughes had been married about three years when she started her diary without the knowledge of her older husband. He was apparantly one of the better off farmers in the district, which at the end of the 18th. Century, was relatively remote. The diary has numerous gaps, detailing everything Anne does for a few weeks, then breaking off for a week or two before resuming. The spelling and grammar are variable throughout the book.
Anne describes her daily life, interactions with her maid and other farmers, the trials and tribulations of running a farm and marketing its produce, the obligations required by the church, social gatherings, weddings, and at the end of the diary, it intimates that she is pregnant with her first child. She also includes numerous recipes, as she is very proud of her cooking and food preparation.
The diary remained with her descendants until World War II when it was lost, but fortunately it was serially published in Farmers Weekly in 1937. There have been some who have considered it a modern fake, but the introducer, Michael Coucher, presents a compelling argument that it is indeed a true diary, and a fascinating insight into the life of ordinary people in rural England 230 years ago.
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed at : http://www.librarything.com/topic/266300
I obtained this delightful little book in a swap with another FSD member.
It is indeed a small book, only 19.2x12.6cm. and 176 pages. It is bound in full red/brown cloth blocked with a kitchen implement design. The spine title is gilt on what appears to be a black leather label. The light brown slipcase is made from the usual textured cardboard used by the FS in that era. There are numerous integrated linocut illustrations by Tony Evora, and the book has been edited by Mollie Preston.
The "Boke" is the diary of a 23 year old Herefordshire farmer's wife and covers a period of 18 months from February 1796 to August 1797. Anne Hughes had been married about three years when she started her diary without the knowledge of her older husband. He was apparantly one of the better off farmers in the district, which at the end of the 18th. Century, was relatively remote. The diary has numerous gaps, detailing everything Anne does for a few weeks, then breaking off for a week or two before resuming. The spelling and grammar are variable throughout the book.
Anne describes her daily life, interactions with her maid and other farmers, the trials and tribulations of running a farm and marketing its produce, the obligations required by the church, social gatherings, weddings, and at the end of the diary, it intimates that she is pregnant with her first child. She also includes numerous recipes, as she is very proud of her cooking and food preparation.
The diary remained with her descendants until World War II when it was lost, but fortunately it was serially published in Farmers Weekly in 1937. There have been some who have considered it a modern fake, but the introducer, Michael Coucher, presents a compelling argument that it is indeed a true diary, and a fascinating insight into the life of ordinary people in rural England 230 years ago.
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed at : http://www.librarything.com/topic/266300
2folio_books
Thanks, Warwick. One of the forgotten older gems.
