S P B Mais

1948: with post-war Britain's sense 'dulled by traffic and by bombs', this pocket-sized book was a clarion call for readers to rediscover the beauties of the idyllic English countryside. Published by Southern Railways, it recounts the joys of listening to birdsong, picking whortleberries, gazing at the clouds and 'being genial' in the bars of tiny village inns – experiences that had been obscured by war, deprivation and the bus and train journeys that suburbanisation had brought. Offering twenty real country walks around Surrey and Kent, this guide reveals where the 1940s rambler would be 'most likely to find quietude and loveliness' – as well as the best cakes!