This monograph introduces the prose and ideas of this important writer,
and provides a thoughtful and engaging exploration of Bell’s writing and his
‘practical’ relevance to contemporary debates about the countryside. It
addresses factors that continue to impact and jeopardize our countryside:
 the rise of industrial farming and its environmental impact; the growing
separation of the country and the city; and the disconnection of producer
and consumer, and the impact of capitalist consumerism on the countryside.
At the Field’s Edge will also examine how these factors have contributed to
the decline of rural communities and rural culture, and how they challenge
constructions of English identity.