Richard Jefferies (1848-1887) has been described as the "prose poet of England's fields and hedgerows." This little book contains a selection of his loveliest writings on the theme of nature, which are made even more appealing by Benjamin Perkins' delicate paintings. The texts included in this volume have been selected from two collections of his essays published in the 1880s: The Life of the Fields and The Open Air. They are little gems and it is hoped that they will encourage many people to discover or to read again the work of this sensitive and gifted writer.