Rural Rides — William Cobbett

William Cobbett (1762-1835) was an essayist, politician, agriculturalist, journalist, and equestrian traveler. The son of a laborer, Cobbett was self taught. He enlisted in the British Army, then fled to Philadelphia to avoid prosecution for demanding a decent wage for his fellow soldiers. After several years in exile, Cobbett returned to England where he became politically active, eventually winning a seat in Parliament. In the early 1820s the new MP set out on horseback to make a series of personal tours through the English countryside. These observations were collected and make up the two volumes of Rural Rides. The two books are written in some of the finest prose to grace the English language. Considered one of the best accounts of rural England ever written -- they are detailed, factual, filled with shrewd observation and remain enduring classics.