Little Toller Books have recently republished Copsford. From their website:
"The classic account of a young man’s life in rural Sussex, away from his city life – a year in which he rented a derelict cottage and scratched a living from selling dried herbs and wildflowers. Bearing comparison to Thoreau’s Walden, Murray’s intense feeling for his place is evident on every page. For all that it is no simple story of a rural idyll – life at Copsford was difficult and Murray does not shy away from the occasional terrors of a house that had its hauntings.
Walter J. C. Murray was born in Seaford, Sussex, a county where he spent most of his life. He served in the Merchant Navy and RAF during the First World War, after which he worked in London for a short time as a journalist. Disillusioned with city life, he moved to Horam and lived hand-to-mouth as a writer and collector of wild herbs and flowers, before becoming a teacher. In 1923, he founded a small school of which he remained the headmaster for forty years. Murray was also a well-known nature photographer, broadcaster and writer whose books include Nature’s Undiscovered Kingdom (1946) and Copsford (1948)."
I bought this book years ago, and as the bookmark showed, did not get very far. I liked the first chapters in which Murray describes finding the cottage and doing up a room on the 1st floor to live in, including wallpapering it. Wallpaper! In a house with most of the rooftiles missing and no windows! I would think the house would have been pretty much unlivable in when it rained and snowed, but he only mentions stains in the wallpaper in a later chapter.
Trying to eradicate the rats who had taken up residence was also entertaining. But the chapters on collecting plants I found boring. This time I forced myself to finish the whole book. Raynor Winn says in her introduction to the recent reprint: „Copsford has an innocence, a freedom in thought… Anyone who has dreamt of spending time alone in the natural environment will connect with Murray’s emotions.” Well, I enjoy spending time alone in nature, but reading about someone’s thoughts and emotions about it is really not my thing. So this is not my book, sorry. But I know many people like it so here are two recent reviews by bloggers who clearly did love it:
Notes for the Curious
Caught by the river
A film on finding the location of the house (no longer there) at Copsford (East Sussex) can be found here
Tartarus Press have also republished Copsford.
When I found my old copy of this several years ago I thought I'd found a long lost treasure! but then we were staying at a B&B for Eldest daughters wedding there was a copy on their shelf and then I discovered Little Toller and their re-print so not so long lost after all!
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting about all the things gathered and how much they were worth but heavens know how they dried in a house with no windows!
I discovered this when it was reprinted and have to say I loved every page. As an amateur botanist, I found it fascinating where he found his plants, and which ones he collected and how he dried them etc. Mind you, he REALLY roughed it living at that cottage. I cannot imagine what it was like in winter. He wrote beautifully though and really evoked a sense of place.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it, hope I did not offend by being bored ...:)
ReplyDeleteI just stumbled upon your blog and first would like to say that I really love your love for this genre!
ReplyDeleteI just finished Copsford and was looking for more info on it and that's how I found your blog.
I agree that the middle part about the collecting of herbs wasnt' too interesting. A bit too factual for my liking; nothing about medicinal use or spiritual meaning of herbs. But that was not something Murray was interested in, so I can live with that.
But overall this book really got to me.
Best wishes.
Thank you and so nice to hear from you!
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