I BOUGHT A MOUNTAIN

Firbank (1910-2000) was a Canadian/Welsh author, farmer, soldier and engineer who enlisted during the Second World War and was awarded a Military Cross. After his marriage ended, he gave his wife Esmé their Dyffryn farm. He only returned to Snowdonia in 1993 after a spell living in the Far East, and he died in north Wales. Written on the eve of the Second World War, his memoir tells the remarkable story of how as a 21 year old Thomas decided on impulse to purchase the 2,400-acre hill farm in the rugged, inhospitable mountains of Snowdonia, and how he and his wife struggled to build it back to prosperity. It is a thrilling tale of tragedy and triumph, a portrait of a lost era when farming was a communal endeavour, offering precious insights into conservation and sustainability relevant for today. This new edition of the international bestseller is introduced with a foreword by nature writer Patrick Barkham and includes an afterword by a contemporary Welsh sheep farmer. But beware the thinking of the time - Firbank mercilessly kills foxes, drained 'bogs and swamps', fertilised natural grassland and 'harrowed' square miles of 'matted pasture'. As an Englishman, his writing is suffused with respect and generosity towards Welsh people yet sometimes his humour is directed against them. He and Esmé break the record for the fastest ascent of the 14 hills above 3,000 feet in Wales and, published in 1940, his is an uplifting tale of personal development, resilience and strong communities with a spiritual connection to the land on virtually every page. 319pp, eight pages of colour and archive photos.