What do you think?
Rate this book
Elephant's Nest in a Rhubarb Tree & Other Stories
Readers who have discovered the delights of the British master storyteller H.E. Bates will welcome this third collection. Gathered here are twenty stories written between 1938 and 1964 which are gems of human observation.
Elephant's nest in a rhubarb tree --
The captain --
Italian haircut --
The little jeweler --
Chateau Bougainvillaea --
The disinherited --
The greatest people on Earth --
The Major of the Hussars --
Thelma --
Go, lovely rose --
The kimono --
Love in a Wych elm --
Let's play soldiers --
Great Uncle Crow --
The watercress girl --
Coconut radio --
The world upside-down --
Some other spring --
And no birds sing --
The trespasser
Elephant's nest in a rhubarb tree --
The captain --
Italian haircut --
The little jeweler --
Chateau Bougainvillaea --
The disinherited --
The greatest people on Earth --
The Major of the Hussars --
Thelma --
Go, lovely rose --
The kimono --
Love in a Wych elm --
Let's play soldiers --
Great Uncle Crow --
The watercress girl --
Coconut radio --
The world upside-down --
Some other spring --
And no birds sing --
The trespasser
- GenresFiction
220 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1989
About the author
H.E. Bates
279 books200 followersHerbert Ernest Bates, CBE is widely recognised as one of the finest short story writers of his generation, with more than 20 story collections published in his lifetime. It should not be overlooked, however, that he also wrote some outstanding novels, starting with The Two Sisters through to A Moment in Time, with such works as Love For Lydia, Fair Stood the Wind for France and The Scarlet Sword earning high praise from the critics. His study of the Modern Short Story is considered one of the best ever written on the subject.
He was born in Rushden, Northamptonshire and was educated at Kettering Grammar School. After leaving school, he was briefly a newspaper reporter and a warehouse clerk, but his heart was always in writing and his dream to be able to make a living by his pen.
Many of his stories depict life in the rural Midlands of England, particularly his native Northamptonshire. Bates was partial to taking long midnight walks around the Northamptonshire countryside - and this often provided the inspiration for his stories. Bates was a great lover of the countryside and its people and this is exemplified in two volumes of essays entitled Through the Woods and Down the River.
In 1931, he married Madge Cox, his sweetheart from the next road in his native Rushden. They moved to the village of Little Chart in Kent and bought an old granary and this together with an acre of garden they converted into a home. It was in this phase of his life that he found the inspiration for the Larkins series of novels -The Darling Buds of May, A Breath of French Air, When the Green Woods Laugh, etc. - and the Uncle Silas tales. Not surprisingly, these highly successful novels inspired television series that were immensely popular.
His collection of stories written while serving in the RAF during World War II, best known by the title The Stories of Flying Officer X, but previously published as Something in the Air (a compilation of his two wartime collections under the pseudonym 'Flying Officer X' and titled The Greatest People in the World and How Sleep the Brave), deserve particular attention. By the end of the war he had achieved the rank of Squadron Leader.
Bates was influenced by Chekhov in particular, and his knowledge of the history of the short story is obvious from the famous study he produced on the subject. He also wrote his autobiography in three volumes (each delightfully illustrated) which were subsequently published in a one-volume Autobiography.
Bates was a keen and knowledgeable gardener and wrote numerous books on flowers. The Granary remained their home for the whole of their married life. After the death of H. E Bates, Madge moved to a bungalow, which had originally been a cow byre, next to the Granary. She died in 2004 at age 95. They raised two sons and two daughters.
primarily from Wikipedia, with additions by Keith Farnsworth
He was born in Rushden, Northamptonshire and was educated at Kettering Grammar School. After leaving school, he was briefly a newspaper reporter and a warehouse clerk, but his heart was always in writing and his dream to be able to make a living by his pen.
Many of his stories depict life in the rural Midlands of England, particularly his native Northamptonshire. Bates was partial to taking long midnight walks around the Northamptonshire countryside - and this often provided the inspiration for his stories. Bates was a great lover of the countryside and its people and this is exemplified in two volumes of essays entitled Through the Woods and Down the River.
In 1931, he married Madge Cox, his sweetheart from the next road in his native Rushden. They moved to the village of Little Chart in Kent and bought an old granary and this together with an acre of garden they converted into a home. It was in this phase of his life that he found the inspiration for the Larkins series of novels -The Darling Buds of May, A Breath of French Air, When the Green Woods Laugh, etc. - and the Uncle Silas tales. Not surprisingly, these highly successful novels inspired television series that were immensely popular.
His collection of stories written while serving in the RAF during World War II, best known by the title The Stories of Flying Officer X, but previously published as Something in the Air (a compilation of his two wartime collections under the pseudonym 'Flying Officer X' and titled The Greatest People in the World and How Sleep the Brave), deserve particular attention. By the end of the war he had achieved the rank of Squadron Leader.
Bates was influenced by Chekhov in particular, and his knowledge of the history of the short story is obvious from the famous study he produced on the subject. He also wrote his autobiography in three volumes (each delightfully illustrated) which were subsequently published in a one-volume Autobiography.
Bates was a keen and knowledgeable gardener and wrote numerous books on flowers. The Granary remained their home for the whole of their married life. After the death of H. E Bates, Madge moved to a bungalow, which had originally been a cow byre, next to the Granary. She died in 2004 at age 95. They raised two sons and two daughters.
primarily from Wikipedia, with additions by Keith Farnsworth
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 3, 2011
i randomly picked up this book for about 50 cents, not knowing the author. so far i have really enjoyed the story "the captain". looking forward to the other stories.
March 18, 2019
This was given to me as a gift, and I really appreciated it. I had a lazy St. Patrick’s day and cuddled up with this last evening, pleasantly surprised by some of the short stories within.
Somehow the tales within made my evening brighter and I had a much happier outlook on my own weird sense of humor. Thank H.E. Bates you truly are a treasure.
Somehow the tales within made my evening brighter and I had a much happier outlook on my own weird sense of humor. Thank H.E. Bates you truly are a treasure.
October 23, 2019
I was sad when I finished it.
January 17, 2020
Depressing, morbid, weird and unsettling at times with a lot of these stories. Felt depressed after finishing this book. Not my cup of tea.
October 12, 2025
A mixed-bag of stories about English country life. A couple of poor ones but mostly good.
March 22, 2013
H. E. Bates was one the best English short story of the twentieth century, and this is a very good collection to begin with. When I get a little down and want something to read that is a little funny, and very tender, I often go and find an H. E. Bates book from my collection and read him late into the night.
June 5, 2011
There were some stories that were really, truly delightful.
x
x
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews