Hidden Valley

£20.00

Paul Richardson fled the conventions of his bourgeois upbringing to become a peasant farmer in a village on the edge of Europe. Immersing himself in the rural culture of his remote Spanish community, he learned the traditional arts of animal husbandry and vegetable growing, wine-making and home distilling, and made bread from the rye he sowed on the stone-walled terraces of his 12-acre farm. In prose that shimmers with sensuality and wit, he charts his personal route-map along a road less travelled – from the city back to the land, and from insecurity to fulfilment. He pays tribute to the influences that have shaped his progress – from The Good Life to Henry David Thoreau, from the 1970s pioneers of self-sufficiency to his farming neighbours in the far-flung region of Extremadura. In Paul’s hands off-grid living both becomes an act of rebellion and a form of personal growth.

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Description

The story of the real ‘good life’ of an off-grid existence in rural Spain

Paul Richardson fled the city to live on the land in a rough-and-tumble village on the edge of Europe. Immersing himself in the culture of his remote Spanish community, he learned the traditional arts of animal husbandry and vegetable growing, wine-making and home distilling, and made bread from the rye he sowed on the stone-walled terraces of his twelve-acre farm.

In prose that shimmers with wit and sensuality, the author charts his personal route-map along a road less travelled – from urban pressures to rural tranquility, and from insecurity to fulfilment. Along the way he pays tribute to the influences that have shaped his progress – from The Good Life to Henry David Thoreau, from the 1970s pioneers to self-sufficiency to his farming neighbours in the far-flung region of Extremadura.

In Richardson’s hands, off-grid living both becomes an act of rebellion and a heartening proof that a simpler, better life is possible, if only we can remove ourselves from the ethos in which conspicuous consumption is a duty and success/failure the wheel on which society turns.

Hidden Valley is a glorious narrative of one man’s journey towards self-reliance. Original and thought-provoking, it is also hugely entertaining.

Additional information

Weight 0.42 kg
Dimensions 21.8 × 13.8 × 3 cm
Author

Publisher

Imprint

Cover

Hardback

Pages

288

Language

English

Edition
Dewey

914.60484 (edition:23)

Readership

General – Trade / Code: K