A Literary Pilgrim in England

by Edward Thomas

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1917

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Philip Edward Thomas was an Anglo-Welsh writer of prose and poetry. He is commonly considered a war poet, although few of his poems deal directly with his war experiences. Already an accomplished writer, Thomas turned to poetry only in 1914. He enlisted in the army in 1915, and was killed in action during the Battle of Arras in 1917, soon after he arrived in France.

His Works:

Poetry collections:

Six Poems, under pseudonym Edward Eastaway, Pear Tree Press, 1916.
Poems, Holt, 1917.
Last Poems, Selwyn & Blount, 1918.
Collected Poems, Selwyn & Blount, 1920.
Two Poems, Ingpen & Grant, 1927.
The Poems of Edward Thomas, R. George Thomas (ed), Oxford University Press, 1978
Poemoj (Esperanto translation), Kris Long (ed & pub), Burleigh Print, Bracknell, Berks, 1979.
Edward Thomas: A Mirror of England, Elaine Wilson (ed), Paul & Co., 1985.
The Poems of Edward Thomas, Peter Sacks (ed), Handsel Books, 2003.
The Annotated Collected Poems, Edna Longley (ed), Bloodaxe Books, 2008.

Fiction:

The Happy-Go-Lucky Morgans (novel), 1913

Essay collections:

Horae Solitariae, Dutton, 1902.
Oxford, A & C Black, 1903.
Beautiful Wales, Black, 1905.
The Heart of England, Dutton, 1906.
The South Country, Dutton, 1906 (reissued by Tuttle, 1993).
Rest and Unrest, Dutton, 1910.
Light and Twilight, Duckworth, 1911.
The Last Sheaf, Cape, 1928.

Reviews

[Ralph Britton]

Edward Thomas was a fine poet and his elegant and terse style is equally evident in his prose. This is a book of essays about the relationship British writers have had with particular parts of the country. Most are familiar names, some are little read now - Thomas treats them with insight, sympathy and respect. He has a penetrating eye but wears his knowledge lightly - I learned a lot about both the countryside (sadly now much changed in some of the regions) and the writers. It needs leisurely and thoughtful reading with frequent dipping into the poetry and novels he mentions.

[Neil Limbert]

What a brilliant little book! Written in the early 20th century, the book is divided into 29 chapters with each being a mini-biography of celebrated British authors (poets/novelists/essayists) but with particular focus of how a certain area of the country (landscape, nature etc) influenced their writing.
I learned so much! Writers I didn't know anything about such authors as Meredith, John Aubrey, Richard Jefferies, Cowper & WH Hudson. I found each chapter best read with Wikipaedia on tap (so I could learn more about each author) and a copy of the Oxford anthology of Great English Poetry by my side, so I could read their poems.
Not all the authors were poets, and not all were English (Burns, Scott & Stevenson are included from Scotland) so there is something for everybody.
Highly recommended! As a result, I have ordered over 10 books from Abebooks for further reading on certain authors. I am incorrigible!
This review is based on my copy which is a 1928 edition published by Jonathan Cape. As with all my books, I do like them to feel good in the hands.

[Allen Wright]

A book to be savored slowly. I found my experience of reading it much enhanced by regular reference to Wikipedia and google maps for previously unknown people and places mentioned - one of the clear positives in our fraught (and not always happy) new digital culture. I very much want read some of his poetry now. He reminds me here of Maurice Baring with his obvious love and familiarity with a wide array of literature. I encountered this wonderful gem in the discount book stalls in front of Judd Books on Marchmont Street.

[Andy]

A gem. Poetic sensibility, a travel writer’s eye, a biographers insight. A readers delight.