This diary, which paints a unique picture of country life in mid-Victorian times, has come to be recognized as a classic- its author has been compared to Dorothy Wordsworth, whom he admired, and even to Pepys. It was kept from January 1870 until March 1879, and was closely written in twenty-two notebooks. `The discovery of the extensive diary of Reverend Francis Kilvert some years ago added a new classic to English diary literature. The original selections, in three volumes, appeared under the careful and sympathetic editorship of William Plomer between 1938 and 1940. The present abridged one-volume edition has been admirably prepared and selected by the same hand. For Kilvert fans it may serve as a travelling companion or bedside book; for the uninitiated it is the perfect introduction. ' C. V. Wedgwood