Carts and candlesticks

by Alison Uttley

Signed. SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR. Laid in is a MLS also signed by her, together with a card illustrated by Tunnicliffe. A clean, unmarked and unclipped copy with a tiny spine corner chip protected in a Mylar cover.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

160 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1973

About the author

Alison Uttley (17 December 1884 – 7 May 1976), née Alice Jane Taylor, was a prolific British writer of over 100 books. She is now best known for her children's series about Little Grey Rabbit, and Sam Pig.

For more information, please see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alison_U...

http://www.answers.com/topic/alison-u...

Reviews

[Sylvester (Taking a break in 2023)]

A wonderful book of country life in the late 1800’s. Not a memoir as such, but a record of country things – what it was like to bring milk from the far down to the train, for instance, or a listing of household utensils, even a description of all the candlesticks of the household – each with its special place and use. For fans of cricket, there is a chapter that reads more like a hymn, so adoring and beautifully written that I wanted to learn all about cricket myself. The chapter on singing games that the children played astounded me – what I wouldn’t give to have seen one of those games in motion! Amazing! What a life it was! Uttley goes on to describe the stone craftsmen building and repairing the walls that stood for centuries, the springs and wells in the neighbourhood, which were ancient and much cherished by all. Horses, trees, country lanes – all get an outpouring of praise in “Carts and Candlesticks”. Uttley writes with such affection and appreciation it is contagious. The illustrations by C.F. Tunnicliffe only add to the remarkable beauty of this book. As close as I will ever get to travelling in time, I reckon.

“I always sent my laundry home, for how could a laundry in a great town do my washing properly? Garments must hang outside in an orchard, among the apple trees, sweetened by the south wind, scented by the flower petals...”

“Cricket and church were alike holy. The flight of the ball, the swift, graceful movements of the men, the swing of the bat, were as full of praise as were the hymns we sang. Cricket and church were near each other in many ways. The curate played with the village team. He couldn’t preach, but we forgave him because he played cricket.”

“We talked of horses and lived with them. Nosebags which we took on long journeys, or for waiting, were put in the cart, with corn, and brought out to comfort the animals. On the return journeys there was a sudden race uphill, a straining at the collar, and we who walked to ease the burden were left behind. The horse made a dash up the steep slopes, thinking of the stable and the hay in the manger, and the good drink of cold water at the trough...We had all shared the journey, and we thought the horse had enjoyed it too. He was part of it, and we patted him and gave him sugar and thanked him, a gesture I miss with a car.”

“The great roads running through the length and breadth of the land have a purpose; they link the towns, they carry the traffic, they are the passage-way of travelers who expect to arrive at a destination. A lane is different; it is an end in itself. It is a chain of birdsong, and colour of flowers, and murmur of trees, a pathway for the unhurried ones, the vagrants who have time to stare. There the eye can follow the course of the clouds and watch the rainstorms gather on distant hills, and find the first star pricking the heavens. There the mind takes refreshment and peace from the contemplation of earth and sky. The narrow country lanes with their flower-sprinkled banks, with their green hedgerows, or their grey stone walls, are the nets spread out to catch and to hold a treasure of beauty for all who are willing and able to see it.”

I’ve never come across such eloquence on the subject of stone and walls as I found in this book. I highly recommend it.


http://www.fulltable.com/VTS/aoi/t/tu...


Book trail: 1.Carts and Candlesticks, Alison Uttley 2. Youth, Joseph Conrad 3.

[Martyn]

This is the kind of book which arouses two completely opposing views in me, one loving it, one almost hating it. The fact is that it doesn't feel like a book I could read repeatedly. It's not a novel - there is no plot - so there is no central story to latch onto and be drawn on by. It's just a collection of nostalgic autobiographical reminiscences by Uttley about various aspects of everyday life in her childhood. She waxes lyrical, she often writes in an almost poetical strain, it is interesting, it is evocative, you can picture all the young girls at the turn of the century with their long wavy hair and white pinafores running around playing games. But without any real plot to it, in spite of being only a fairly short book, it does feel rather long-winded and tedious to read and is rather a chore to plod through. It does tax one's patience. The style of writing perhaps demands a slow manner of reading. It's got its charm and it is educational about life in those times so it is worth reading in many respects. But it just can't be described as pure unalloyed pleasure.

I'm left undecided as to whether I want to read more of Uttley's books of this type or not. I think the answer would be if cheap then yes, but I'm not going to actively hunt them out or spend great sums on them. But I suspect that collectively the books might feel more important than individually, in helping to form a much larger and more comprehensive picture of her childhood world, a valuable historical record of every-day life in rural turn-of-the-century England.

[Janet]

I’d always known Alison Uttley as the author of charming children’s books, but I had no idea she’d written non-fiction too—until I stumbled across a post about this book on social media. Intrigued, I managed to track down a copy, and I'm glad I did.

I absolutely love social history, and this book was a treasure trove of it—full of rich themes like traditional food (think proper, old-fashioned feasts), rural customs, and even stonemasonry. It’s a beautifully written reflection of a bygone era. I’ll definitely be seeking out more of her non-fiction works. 🙂

[Cazzaman]

Bucolic fantasy for the modern reader. I don’t doubt the authenticity of the author’s remembrance of a world now greatly diminished.