The Gamekeeper at Home

Preface: 'Those who delight in roaming about amongst the fields and lanes, or have spent any time in a country house, can hardly have failed to notice the custodian of the woods and covers, or to observe that he is often something of a 'character.' The Gamekeeper forms, indeed, so prominent a figure in rural life as almost to demand some biographical record of his work and ways. From the man to the territories over which he bears sway-the meadows, woods, and streams-and to his subjects, their furred and feathered inhabitants, is a natural transition. The enemies against whom he wages incessant warfare-vermin, poachers, and trespassers-must, of course, be included in such a survey. Although, for ease and convenience of illustration, the character of a particular Keeper has been used as a nucleus about which to arrange materials that would otherwise have lacked a connecting link, the facts here collected are really entirely derived from original observation.'

Richard Jefferies (1848-1887) 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's corpus of writings includes a diversity of genres and topics, including Bevis, a classic children's book, and After London, an early work of science fiction.