Replete with instruction and knowledge honed with experience, The Book of the Farm remains one of the finest agricultural guidebooks ever produced. The 19th century saw the maturation of farming in Western Europe, with intensive methods and efficiencies achieved as never before. Published in the 1840s and successively revised over subsequent decades, this book is a summation of the ingenuity of large-scale agriculture. The production of ever-greater harvests required skill; no longer could any farm be maintained by rudimentary methods taught by example - farming had become a sophisticated, professional discipline reliant upon science and machinery. Aimed at informing prospective students of farming, this work makes no secret of the difficulty and wits required of the modern farmer. Over 100 illustrations depict the tools required, from hoes and ploughs to the traction steam engines that served as forerunners to the modern tractor. Over 80 charts detail all manner of records: animal and crop weights, their prices on the market, mineral levels present in soil and fertilizer, costs of machinery and day-to-day operations. In all, The Book of the Farm is both a superb agricultural history and guide, filled with insight and techniques useful even in the modern day.

The Book of the Farm, written by the 19th-century farming expert Henry Stephens, was the indispensable farming 'bible' referred to by the historians living and working on the BBC series Victorian Farm. This brand new version has been fully revised and edited by Alex Langlands, who starred on the programme, to bring its timeless wisdom to a fresh audience. Beautifully illustrated throughout with both black-and-white and colour illustrations, the book is a complete guide to the farming year, from planting thorn hedges in winter to pulling up potatoes in autumn. Along the way it gives fascinating information about every aspect of farming, from sheep shearing to bringing in the harvest, and practical instructions for skills such as cheese- making, animal husbandry, sheepdog training and other traditional country pastimes. Although farming has changed irrevocably since the 19th century, there are some aspects that remain timeless, and this exquisite book is a nostalgic celebration of our rural past.