Richard Jefferies: A Miscellany

• About the book

John Richard Jefferies (6 November 1848 - 14 August 1887) was an English nature writer, noted for his depiction of English rural life in essays, books of natural history, and novels. His childhood on a small Wiltshire farm had a great influence on him and provides the background to all his major works of fiction. Jefferies was often compared with the great English nature writer, Gilbert White. To some people he is more familiar as the author of the children's classic Bevis or the strange futuristic fantasy (and now a cult book) After London while he also has some reputation as a mystic worthy of serious study. Since his death his books have enjoyed intermittent spells of popularity, but he is still largely unknown. Jefferies, however, has been an inspiration to a number of more prominent writers and W.H. Hudson, Edward Thomas, Henry Williamson and John Fowles are among those who have acknowledged their debt to him. Interestingly, when Robert Macfarlane asked Guardian readers in 2005 w