Audrey Collins

Portraits of the English, Volume VI: Country Lives Audrey Collins

This volume contains selections from Heads of the People, a two-volume set (published in 1840) that portrays "the many faces of the English with their faults as well as their virtues." Detailed essays introduce the reader to an old squire, a young squire, an English peasant, a farmer's daughter, and a farmer. These character sketches, that reflect the values of their times, along with glimpses of daily life (including vivid descriptions of everything from attire to carriages), are presented in an entertaining narrative style that keeps the pages turning. The chapters reproduced in this volume provide a fascinating view of the changes taking place in society at this time. Most of the English population still consisted of country-dwellers, rather than town-dwellers, at the time these chapters were written. Charming period illustrations enhance the text.