Country Life Collector's Editions, featuring fabulous archive material, are on sale now.
A series of themed collector’s editions of past articles and images from the wonderful Country Life Archive are now on sale from all good newsagents.
The archives of Country Life, stretching back to 1897, are unique. This series aims to celebrate this unparalleled collection, with each issue devoted to a different subject, from ducal cricket to award-winning roses, from literary terriers to historic regiments or the genius of Vanbrugh and Nash.
Find out more about each collector’s edition below:
1. The Country House, from the pages of Country Life
The first edition, The Country House, contains articles that reveal the quiet perfectionist Edward Hudson, founder of Country Life, and his relationship with the architect Edwin Lutyens; great houses over the centuries and how they adapted to a changing world; the eccentric owners and revolutionary architects that created them; and the invaluable role the magazine has played in recording what, in some sad cases, has been lost.
** Buy The Country House from Amazon
2. Dogs, from the pages of Country Life
Our series of collectors’ editions exploring the Country Life archives continued with a magazine devoted to all things Dog. Througout the magazine’s history Country Life has had a close relationship with our dogs, from working dogs to animals of leisure.
Featuring everything from canine heroism to Britain’s naughtiest dog, we address the classic debate on which is the best gundog, take a look at dogs on canvas and how could we not mention the great Turkish sheepdog that trains itself.
Letters from readers reveal the dogs that pulled carts, flew in aeroplanes and climbed trees, and writers relayed the secrets of top trainers. The myriad breeds are showcased—from whippets to pugs and terriers—more unusual pets scamper in, and Man’s best friend offers his own opinion on life.
** Buy Dogs & Other Animals from Amazon
3. High Society, from the pages of Country Life
For nearly 120 years, Country Life has recorded the lives, homes, parties and passions of high society, from the events that make up the classic English Season to the qualities of the 21st-century gentleman.
Thousands of elegant young ladies – and occasionally men – have appeared on the Frontispiece, the most famous page in publishing, earning the celebrated nickname Girls in Pearls.
The Royal Family has graced its pages over and over again: The Queen first appeared on the Frontispiece soon after her birth and Prince Charles guest edited an issue to celebrate his 65th birthday in 2013.
In this collectors’ edition, we glance back through the archives and choose some of the highlights over the years, including The Queen’s jubilees and the wedding of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the beginning of the Goodwood Revival and the unique appeal of Wimbledon, the significance of the club tie and life in the real Downton Abbey, the night Queen Victoria danced with a policeman and the perfect picnic.
Cabaret artist, composer, screenwriter and Country Life contributor Kit Hesketh-Harvey writes the foreword.
** Buy High Society from Amazon
4. Britain’s Glorious Gardens, from the pages of Country Life
The wonders of Britain’s horticultural heritage are extolled in Glorious Gardens, the fourth in our series of collectors’ editions from the pages of Country Life. Notable figures in gardening history, from ‘Capability’ Brown and Humphry Repton to Gertrude Jekyll and Harold Peto; gorgeous gardens from across the UK; the great organisations that record and promote horticultural discoveries, including the Royal Horticultural Society, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and National Gardens Scheme; ways to embellish your garden from sundials to mazes; and the story of the humble trug are all described. Alan Titchmarsh writes the Foreword.
** Buy Britain’s Glorious Gardens from Amazon
5. Britain Through The Wars, from the pages of Country Life
We salute the great British spirit in our fifth collectors’ edition, published to commemorate 100 years since the beginning of the Battle of the Somme. The victories, people and traditions of the Armed Forces are celebrated, from the mud of Agincourt to the triumph of Trafalgar, the red hackle of the Black Watch to the much-loved Spitfire.
Letters home, amusing and poignant in turn, and remarkable photographs reveal life on the front line; we remember the canine, equine and feathered soldiers who served alongside their masters and brought comfort to everyone they encountered; and admire the continuing work of Official War Artists.
We remember those who served at home, from the Women’s Land Army to the Home Guard and the secret resistance that prepared for invasion, plus the extraordinary efforts made to safeguard our art treasures.
Finally, we remember the millions who made the ultimate sacrifice and are commemorated in a dozen ways, from bridges and boots that bear famous names to the hundreds of memorials.
** Buy Britain Through The Wars from Amazon
6. The Sporting Year, from the pages of Country Life
As the glow of Great Britain’s staggeringly successful Olympics fades, the latest Country Life collectors’ edition goes on sale to fill the hole left by Usain Bolt, Nick Skelton, Laura Trott and the rest. With a foreword by Lucinda Green, The Sporting Year celebrates the British sporting lifestyle, taking readers through four seasons of classic sport, from shooting to skiing, from the Boat Race to Badminton and from croquet to cricket. The most eccentric sportsmen, the Corinthians who embody the Olympic idea, the artists and writers who have captured the joys of a sporting life on page and canvas, the many accoutrements that fill a sportsman’s boot room: all are here.
** Buy The Sporting Year from Amazon
7. Forever British, from the pages of Country Life
Quirky, traditional, mad and endearing elements of British life are captured in Forever British, the seventh collectors’ edition from the pages of Country Life. Eccentric Britons, our obsession with the weather and love of village fêtes, the glory and variety of British landscapes, the rural idyll that remains sought after by so many, the extraordinary customs – from cheese-rolling to nettle-eating maypole dancing – that are still honoured year after year and the history hidden in the names of people, places and pubs: all is here. Emma Bridgewater, president of the CPRE and doyenne of British pottery, writes the Foreword.
** Buy Forever British from Amazon
On sale now in selected branches of WHSmith, Waitrose, Morrisons, Tesco and good newsagents. To find your nearest grocer, visit our store locator and for your nearest WH Smith visit this store locator.
For back issues of these magazines, please call John Denton Services on 01733 385170.
