'Geoffrey Grigson - an anthologist of genius' P. J. Kavanagh

The Shell Country Alphabet was written in 1966 by Geoffrey Grigson, seventh son of a Cornish clergyman and English poet. His aim was to provide a way of reading the landscape around us, revelling in the visible, and in the way the visible inspires us, whether our five thousand year old ancestors, our poets, our artists, our churches or houses. Describing everything from the weather to the land itself, Grigson's Alphabet takes you on an imaginative journey. From ice-scratches, cross-legged knights and weathercocks to the sky, light and stars, via avenues, dewponds and village greens, the Alphabet will help you discover the world that remains, just off the motorway.