Rural History

The coast and its people help define our identity. Most Australians live in suburbia, but our hearts are elsewhere.From the winner of the ACT Book of the year Award for his first book, The River, comes this celebration of the Australian seascape, from its natural grandeur to the quirky individualism of those who live beside it. It is also the heartfelt and pertinent story of the issues facing our coast today and the resilience of communities at a turning point.

Five centuries of Irish history are explored in this informative and accessible volume. John Gibney proceeds from the beginning of Ireland’s modern period and continues through to virtually the present day, offering an integrated overview of the island nation’s cultural, political, and socioeconomic history. This succinct, scholarly study covers important historical events, including the Cromwellian conquest and settlement, the Great Famine, and the struggle for Irish independence. 

A collection of stories capturing what it means to be a cowboy.

An irreverent and illuminating journey through a day in the life of the affectionately named Trauma Farm, with numerous side trips into the natural history of farming. Beginning naked in darkness, Brian Brett moves from the tending of livestock, poultry, orchards, gardens, machinery, and fields to the social intricacies of rural communities and, finally, to an encounter with a magnificent deer in the silver moonlight of a magical farm field.

*Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction* Prize-winning poet and journalist Eliza Griswold’s Amity and Prosperity is an expose on how fracking shattered a rural Pennsylvania town, and how one lifelong resident brought the story into the national spotlight. This is an incredible...

In this enlightening and entertaining book, experience the evolution of country music, from the 1970s Appalachian hillbilly chitlin' circuit to the 1980s country music boom that paved the way for modern Americana. In a dim clearing off a county road in Kentucky sits a sagging outdoor stage...

‘Julie Shackman knows how to bring the feel-good factor to fiction’ Woman’s Weekly 'I was completely drawn into the storyline… It resonates with love, an extra layer of maturity, wisdom and skill and left my heart squeezed, teary and smiling. This magnificent story shines with a hope and...

Brought to you by Penguin. 1917. Virginia Woolf arrives at Asheham, on the Sussex Downs, immobilized by nervous exhaustion and creative block. 1930. Feeling jittery about her writing career, Sylvia Townsend Warner spots a modest workman’s cottage for sale on the Dorset coast. 1941. Rosamond...

‘Windswept is a wonderful work, prose painted in bold, bright strokes like a Scottish Colourist's canvas’ ROBERT MACFARLANE ‘An instant classic of British nature-writing’ SUNDAY TELEGRAPH A few years ago, Annie Worsley traded a busy life in academia to take on a small-holding or croft on...

This captivating, breakout novel—told in alternating viewpoints—brings readers from the skies of World War II to the present day, where a woman is prepared to tell her secrets at last. Estranged from her family since just after World War II, Mary Browning has spent her entire adult life...

In Helen Callaghan’s chilling, tightly-spun debut novel of psychological suspense, a teenage girl’s abduction stirs dark memories of a twenty-year-old cold case... Margot Lewis is a teacher at an exclusive high school in the English university town of Cambridge. In her spare time, she writes...

Bloomsbury presents Secret of the Bees by Jane Johnson, read by Oliver Hembrough 'Full of secrets, Cornwall, and wonderful detail.' Katie Fforde 'Gloriously rich and layered.' Liz Fenwick 'Characters to fall in love with.' Jackie Morris Time has forgotten this remote corner of West Cornwall, and...

For two rival families, the only thing that matters more than land…is love. There’s a lifetime of tension between the McKenna and Stafford ranching families, and Oakley Stafford has the bullet scar to prove it. Defying the bitter rivalry between their families, Oakley grew up thick as...

Paige Crutcher, author of the “mystical, magical, and wildly original”* The Orphan Witch, weaves a spellbinding tale of contemporary fantasy, romance, and Irish mythology as a woman torn out of time faces a dangerous coven, otherworldly creatures, and a seductive demigod to save the souls of...

New York Times bestselling author Ron Rash demonstrates his superb narrative skills in this suspenseful and evocative tale of two brothers whose lives are altered irrevocably by the events of one long-ago summer—and one bewitching young woman—and the secrets that could destroy their lives...

We Come with This Place is a remarkable book, as rich, varied and surprising as the vast landscape in which it is set. Debra Dank has created an extraordinary mosaic of vivid episodes that move about in time and place to tell an unforgettable story of country and people. There is great pain in...

Experience the immersive micro-history of a peasant family's daily survival from dawn to dusk in ancient China. Perfect for unwinding after a long day or escaping during a tedious commute, this atmospheric narrative transports you far from the grand imperial courts. You will walk dirt village...

Experience a deeply immersive slice of ancient history by surviving the daily struggles of classical Greek agriculture. Perfect for your evening wind-down or a reflective morning commute, this calm, atmospheric journey transports you directly to the Mediterranean countryside. Feel the sun on...

'A wonderful blend of nostalgia, hilarity and personal anecdotes that only Josh Widdicombe could deliver' James Acaster 'If you read only one book by Josh Widdicombe this year, make it this one' Jack Dee 'Beautifully written, cleverly crafted and charmingly funny' Adam Hills 'This is a book...

An Irish Country Family is a charming entry in Patrick Taylor's beloved internationally bestselling Irish Country series. Before Doctor Barry Laverty joined Doctor Fingal O’Reilly's practice in the colorful Irish village of Ballybucklebo, he was an intern, working long hours, practicing new...