A Shropshire Lad

To mark the 50th anniversary of Housman Society, we are publishing a new, full colour photographic edition of A Shropshire Lad. The enduring appeal of this lyrical English poem, first published in 1896, lies in its exploration of the universal themes of loss, nostalgia and love. Certainly its international popularity today is undiminished. The rural landscape of the beautiful Shropshire countryside, from the bucolic Clun valley to the bleak hills of Stiperstones, is sympathetically captured by one of Shropshire's finest photographers, John Hayward. This is the only photographic edition of A Shropshire Lad in which the county's stunning landscapes, which have scarcely altered since Housman's day, have been matched with the stanzas on each page. AUTHOR: Born in 1859 in the village of Fockbury in Worcestershire, Alfred Edward Housman was the eldest of seven children. He was educated at Bromsgrove School and later read Classics at St. John's College, Oxford. His poem A Shropshire Lad was published in 1896. After a period as a Clerk in the Patent Office in London he returned to academia becoming Professor of Latin at Cambridge University. He died in 1936 and his ashes are interred in the shadow of the walls of St Laurence's church, Ludlow. John Hayward is a professional landscape photographer with a great passion for his native Shropshire. He is a Shropshire lad based in Shifnal. His stunning images appear in books, national newspapers and magazines, and are used extensively by top calendar and greetings card publishers. John runs the Shropshire and Beyond photographic library, which showcases the very best that the county has to offer. Research and the captioning in this book is by Lynne Hayward, a professional journalist who has worked on local and regional newspapers and now writes for national magazines. 91 colour photographs

About the Author :
Born in 1859 in the village of Fockbury in Worcestershire, Alfred Edward Housman was the eldest of seven children. He was educated at Bromsgrove School and later read Classics at St. John’s College, Oxford. His poem A Shropshire Lad was published in 1896. After a period as a Clerk in the Patent Office in London he returned to academia becoming Professor of Latin at Cambridge University. He died in 1936 and his ashes are interred in the shadow of the walls of St Laurence's church, Ludlow. John Hayward is a professional landscape photographer with a great passion for his native Shropshire. He is a Shropshire lad based in Shifnal. His stunning images appear in books, national newspapers and magazines, and are used extensively by top calendar and greetings card publishers. John runs the Shropshire and Beyond photographic library, which showcases the very best that the county has to offer. Research and the captioning in this book is by Lynne Hayward, a professional journalist who has worked on local and regional newspapers and now writes for national magazines.

Review :
To coincide with the (150th) anniversary, this lavish new edition of his popular sequence of poems has been published, combining the poet’s lyrical verses with a collection of stunning photographs of Shropshire… Anyone who loves the English countryside will enjoy browsing its pages. Every poem in this new edition is accompanied by apt and atmospheric photographs, perfectly encapsulating the mood and setting of the verse. A two-page feature on Shropshire Lad, with pictures from the book and one extract. ‘The project was the brainchild of Ludlow publisher Merlin Unwin. Atmospheric and evocative images. A unique book. A photo from the book on the front cover and a four-page feature on Housman, his poems and the book. ‘A mark of the poet’s great popularity in the modern world…Each poem has its own individual theme and it’s possible to link imagery to all of them.’  ‘This book is a fine reminder of his genius and the beauty of the English countryside.’ Every poem in this new edition is accompanied by apt and atmospheric photographs, perfectly encapsulating the mood and setting of the verse. ‘The poems are made even better by the photographs…How could any south Salopian tire of the poetry?’ Poetry, scholarship and pictorial art are happily combined in this handsome book. The introductory remarks by Professor Christopher Ricks are sharp and wide-ranging. David Lloyd offers as judicious an account of Housman’s life as you could give in two pages. Like the poems, this handsome edition will give lasting pleasure to many.