About this Item
First edition, 2 volumes, 8vo, pp. [8], 413, [1]; [4], 66 [i.e., 366], [6] index; 2 engraved folding maps; original blue paper-covered boards, cream paper shelfbacks, manuscript title on spines; spines with several old discreet repairs, but generally a very good, sound copy. Includes a 52-page glossary of Yorkshire words, and an 11-page chapter on Yorkshire provincialisms. The Yorkshire dialect spans many regions (Leeds, Craven, Wakefield, Riding, etc.) each with variations in grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary. In the case of this glossary, Marshall has confined himself to rural and agricultural terms lest he be overwhelmed with the enormity of the task. "Modern agricultural historians have generally held that Marshall's works on English farming are superior to those of his rival, Arthur Young, as they are more systematically arranged and based on a more thorough knowledge of a district by personal residence there. Unlike Young, Marshall was cautious about experimentation, preferring rather to advocate the best practices approved by experienced farmers. On the other hand, he lacked Young's pithy and more readable style, and acquired fewer close contacts with the leading farming figures of the time. Marshall's career, indeed, suffered in some degree from his native bluntness and acid tongue, his pride, and his sensibility to slights. Nevertheless, from the independence of his views arose his remarkably early support for agricultural education, and his belief in the necessity of studying agriculture on a regional basis, both of which were ideas well before their time" (ODNB).
Seller Inventory # 66872
Contact seller
Report this item
