Angela Thirkell – Barsetshire Chronicles: Complete Collection, Vol. 1. Illustrated

This illustrated first volume of Angela Thirkell’s Barsetshire Chronicles: Complete Collection brings together some of her earliest and most beloved novels set in the fictional English county of Barsetshire. Blending gentle satire, social observation, and romantic comedy, Thirkell builds a vivid literary world that mirrors the rhythms of interwar English country life.

The collection includes Wild Strawberries, High Rising, Northbridge Rectory, August Folly, Pomfret Towers, and additional related stories. Across these works, readers encounter a richly interconnected community of aristocrats, clergy, writers, and schoolmasters, whose lives are marked by both everyday concerns and quietly humorous entanglements. Thirkell’s trademark style combines witty dialogue with affectionate critique of class structure and social expectations.

At the heart of these novels lies Barsetshire itself, a setting inspired by Anthony Trollope’s fictional county, reimagined with a 20th-century sensibility. Thirkell’s characters navigate issues of marriage, ambition, reputation, and domestic life, often with misunderstandings and comic mishaps that reveal deeper truths about human nature and societal change.

Overall, this collection serves as an engaging introduction to the Barsetshire series, showcasing Angela Thirkell’s distinctive voice and her enduring contribution to English literary fiction.
Contents:
-High Rising
-Wild Strawberries
-The Demon in the House
-August Folly
-Summer Half
-Pomfret Towers
-The Brandons
-Before Lunch
-Cheerfulness Breaks In
-Northbridge Rectory