Hills and the Sea
by Belloc, Hilaire (1870-1953)
pub by The Marlboro Press/Northwestern Evanston, Illinois, USA - 1990 - - isbn 0-8101-6009-9 originally published in 1906 - - 220 p. - - Contents p. vii-viii Forward p. ix-xiii
This book is a collection of 38 writings. They could be considered short stories.
They are descriptions of activities in various places, almost all in France, the Pyranies the mountains between France and Spain, Spain Andorra and UK (England).
Some of these are delightful and are great exercises in the use of the English language.
Many are difficult to read and make marginal sense.
Most of them would benefit greatly by having a map to locate the place, especially useful
for Americans who are not so familiar with the locations, especially as they are described
in the stories.
Remember that this was originally published in 1906. This was after the Franco-Prussian War which occured 1870-1871, in which the Prussians (Germany) conquered France, and shortly before World War 1
The Forward is a tour de force stretching the English language describing the author and a friend having adventures.
The North Sea (perilous short trip in a small old sailboat)
The Singer (a copper pot tinner sings to attract business - pots to fix)
On Mails (hiking in the Pyrenees between Spain and France)
The Pyrenean Hive (hiking and climbing in the Pyranees mountanis between France and Spain)
Delft (town in Holland)
The Wing of Dalua (Andorra in the Pyrenees mountains between France in Spain - Basque country
On Ely (eastern England, north of Cambridge and south of the Wash)
The Inn of the Margeride (Fance - mountain climb)
A Family of the Fens (low land South of the Wash in eastern England)
The Election (political discusion takes place on a train - a them and us discussion)
Arles (France a historically important smaller place)
The New Griffin (looking for an Inn in Fenland eastern England)
The First Days March (French Army artillary unit )
The Sea-Wall of the Wash (eastern England facing the North Sea)
The Cerdagne (hiking in a valley in the Pyrenees)
Carecassone (a town and ancient fortification in France)
Lynn (a town by the Fens in eastern England)
The Guns (French army artillary on the march)
The Looe Stream (St. Wilfrid and an area along the English Channel)
Roncesvalles (in Navarre, Spain, western Pyrenees mountains)
The Slant of the Land (sailing English Channel)
The Canigou (mountain in the eastern Pyrenees, east of Andorra)
The Man and His Wood (privately owned ancient woodland in England)
The Channel (between England and France)
The Mowing of a Field (by hand in England)
The Roman Road (in England)
The Onion Eater (meeting a well educated man in poverty)
The reurn to England (sailing a small boat across the Channel from Calais to Folkstone
The valley of the Rother (eastern England part of Sussex)
The Coronation (fires on hills - maybe signals)
The Men of the Desert (thoughts on the people of N Africa)
The Departure (taking a steam ship from Algiers N Africa to the Baleric Islands in the Mediterranean Sea
The Idea of a Pilgrimage (just what it says)
The Arena (France - Paris)
At the sign of the Lion (a pub)
The Autumn and the Fall of Leaves
The Good Woman (her friendly ghost)
The Harbour in the North (going to Orkney or Norway)
You need to be in the correct mood to enjoy this book. Some of the parts are delightful,
but if you to read it all at once you will tire of it every now and then.
~ 2018-03-02 ~
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