Bits of Oak Bark [in] Longman’s Magazine. Volume I, March 1883
JEFFERIES, Richard
FIRST PUBLICATION OF JEFFERIES' 'OAK BARK'
Published: Longman's Magazine, 1883
Stock code: 51811
Price: £95.00
10pp., 8vo., First Edition; modern grey boards, upper board with printed paper label, a near fine copy.
Jefferies's essay remains a landmark in pastoral literature, collected later in 'The Life of the Fields' (1884). It comprises 1: The Acorn-Gatherer; 2. The Legend of a Gateway; 3. A Roman Brook. Longman wrote to Jefferies: "I like your 'bits of oak bark' and shall be willing to find space for themÂ…I am hoping for [an essay] on the Dorsetshire labourer from Mr. Thomas Hardy. Could you give me one on the Sussex or the Wiltshire peasant?" The result was 'The Wiltshire Labourer', published later in the same year. Miller & Matthews A20.1.