The Story of My Heart, 1883

CHAPTER I: THE STORY OF MY HEART [published Oct. 1883] commences seventeen years ago. In the glow of youth there were times every now and then when I felt the necessity of a strong inspiration of soul thought. My heart was dusty, parched for want of the rain of deep feeling; my mind arid and dry, for there is a dust which settles on the heart as well as that which falls on a ledge. ... When this began to form I felt eager to escape from it, to throw off the heavy clothing, to drink deeply once more at the fresh fountains of life. An inspiration―a long deep breath of the pure air of thought―could alone give health to the heart. There is a hill [Liddington] to which I used to resort at such periods. The labour of walking three miles to it, all the while gradually ascending, seemed to clear my blood of the heaviness accumulated at home. On a warm summer day the slow continued rise required continual effort, which carried away the sense of oppression.... I began to breathe a new air and to have a fresher aspiration. ... Moving up the sweet short turf, at every step my heart seemed to obtain a wider horizon of feeling; with every inhalation of rich pure air, a deeper desire. The very light of the sun was whiter and more brilliant here. By the time I had reached the summit I had entirely forgotten the petty circumstances and the annoyances of existence. I felt myself, myself.

Publications

The Richard Jefferies Society has published numerous titles by and about Richard Jefferies over the years under the Petton Books imprint (that was owned by the late Hugoe Matthews and donated to Jean Saunders).

Many publications are now out of stock. Those titles still available are listed below at a bargain price that includes postage within the UK only. Overseas postage is extra—please contact the Society to obtain estimates richardjefferiessociety@btinternet.com.  

Books can be ordered by downloading and completing  the order form or by emailing your instructions direct to organise payment by paypal or bank transfer. Apologies for the complications. Problems will be resolved when the new website goes live.

Volumes I to III of A Peculiarly English Genius can be ordered online by paypal in hardback or pdf format. Use the drop-down menu below. 

A Peculiarly English Genius: a Biography of Richard Jefferies by Andrew Rossabi is an in-depth record of all that is known about the life and works of Richard Jefferies.  Planned as a four-volume set, Volumes I, II and III are now available as limited editions. Volume IV will be published on 6 November 2026 to cover Jefferies' final years. All volumes contain 800pages including an Index and with black and white illustrations. All are printed in hardback with a green wibalin cloth cover but Vol I does not have a dust jacket. Electronic versions can be emailed direct for £10 a copy. 

Volume I was published on 6 November 2017) and covers Jefferies' early years (1848-1867). The hardback can be purchased at the reduced price of £20 incl UK postage (list price £40). The book is  also available as a pdf file for £10. 

Volume II covers the years of struggle between 1867-1876. It was published on 8 July 2020 and is the same format as Volume I but with the addition of a dust jacket.  It is available from the Society for £35 incl. UK postage (list price £60) or as a pdf file for £10. 



Volume III was published on 1 January 2023, covers 1876-1883 and looks at Jefferies' 'Years of Success'. It can be ordered from the Richard Jefferies Society for £45 incl. UK postage (cover price £60) or as a pdf file for £10. 



Volume IV will cover the final years from 1882-1887 and will include an analysis of essays published posthumously. Publication date is 6 November 2026. Cover price £60 or pdf file for £10.  


PURCHASE A Peculiarly English Genius by Andrew Rossabi

Select Volume and format (hardback or pdf)
 
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These titles are currently in stock and available to order:


FICTION

FICTION

 

Amaryllis at the Fair – Richard Jefferies, 2009.

Introduction by Carolyn Clarke (softback)

£ 3.00

£6.00

Ben Tubbs Adventures – Richard Jefferies, 2016.

Introduction by Andrew Rossabi (softback)

£6.00

£12.00

Greene Ferne Farm – Richard Jefferies, 2009.

Introduction by George Miller (softback)

£ 3.00

£5.00

The Scarlet Shawl – Richard Jefferies, 2009.

Introduction by Andrew Rossabi (softback)

£ 3.00

£6.00

The Dewy Morn – Richard Jefferies, 2009.

Introduction by Rebecca Welshman (softback)

£ 5.00

£7.00

Restless Human Hearts – Richard Jefferies, 2008.

Introduction by Andrew Rossabi, 2008 (hardback)

£10.00

£20.00

NONFICTION

NONFICTION

 

Richard Jefferies: An Index – Matthews & Treitel, 2008. (hardback)

£10.00

£20.00

The Forward Life of Richard Jefferies – Matthews & Treitel, 1994. (hardback)

£10.00

£15.00

Richard Jefferies: An Anthology – Matthews & Welshman, 2010. (hardback)

£10.00

£20.00

The Interpreter: A Biography of Richard Jefferies – Audrey Smith, 2008. Introduction by Eric Jones (softback)

£ 3.00

£5.00

Richard Jefferies’ Letters to Aunt Ellen, 2009 (softback)

£ 3.00

£4.50)


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Some pamphlets related to Jefferies' birthplace at Coate can be downloaded here (free):

 Coate and Richard Jefferies - by historian, John Chandler.
In the Footsteps of Richard Jefferies - a walk around Coate Water
Richard Jefferies' Old Town, Swindon - a walk around Old Town
Coate Farm and Bevis Country
In the Footsteps of Richard Jefferies - a tour of Wiltshire and Oxfordshire
Walks in Jefferies Land by Kate Tryon
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RICHARD JEFFERIES NOTEBOOKS
The British Library archives include Jefferies' pocket notebooks that start in 1876 and finish 3 months before his death. Only 16 of the original 24 or 25 remain. The others are likely to be in private hands--whereabouts unknown. Phyllis Treitel undertook the painstaking work of deciphering the hand-writing in the 1990s and copied the text and illustrations by hand. Jean Saunders transcribed and compiled the electronic version and added Jefferies' illustrations from the notebooks. Samuel Looker published an incomplete version in 1948 in his The Nature Diaries and Notebooks of Richard Jefferies. Walter Besant quoted extracts in his The Eulogy of Richard Jefferies (1888) from notebooks that are now missing. This text has been included.
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