Chapters on The Country Church, Rural Funerals, The Stage Coach, Stratford-on-Avon, John Bull, The Angler, and more. Washington Irving ( 1783 - 1859 ), born in New York, was the son of a wealthy British merchant who, following a visit to England, published a volume of essays and tales, The Sketch Book ( 1820 ), containing pieces on both English and American life, and thereby earned himself celebrity on two continents. He is widely believed to be the first American author to earn his living solely through his writings and the first to enjoy international acclaim.

During Victoria's reign the English countryside underwent rapid and far-reaching changes. This book offers a portrait of rural England at that time, concentrating on how the changes affected the people who lived there.