'Living in our valley was like broad beans in a pod, so snug and enclosed
and protective.' Laurie Lee left his childhood home in the Cotswolds when
he was nineteen, but it remained with him throughout his life, until, many
years later, he returned for good. In this never before published
collection, Laurie Lee guides us through his home landscape around Slad in
Gloucestershire, and the memories of his youth there. Down in the Valley
bring to life the sights, sounds and traditions of his home - from his
favourite pub, The Woolpack, summer bathing and winter skating on the
village pond, the church through the seasons, learning the violin and
playing jazz records in the privy on a wind-up gramophone. Told with a warm
sense of humour and a powerful sense of history, Down in the Valley brings
us a picture of a vanished world.