#books #launch #review
I bought this book second hand on World of Books for £5 for a hardback copy. It was in very good condition, the site has a lot of well priced books for sale and can be found here:
https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAvP-6BhDyARIsAJ3uv7YDdewXwmANbYRxN4Hi-HNKuL3QmfGGBxxTOg6TPX78jizGdzn-aP8aAswiEALw_wcB
Initially, I was a little disapponted as I had thought it would be all poems but it turned out to be a mixture of poems and prose which after reading them was no disappointment! What an enchanting journey Saddleworth's famous son took me on.
Ammon Wrigley's world of Saddleworth was written in 1910 and the book was published by subscription with a long list of subcribers in the back of the book.
I love Ammon's poetry which is based on astute observation, whether he is writing about nature or people. His prose is something else, his vignettes of places and people show a keen eye and intellect peppered with his love of Saddleworth and it's people.
Written over a century ago you can step back in time when life was simpler yet hard for moorland folk. The Pennines may be the backbone of England but it made these people hardy survivors of their environment.
A few of his chapters are written in dialect which I have to read aloud to get a good sense of the meaning. It took me back to my childhood and Great Uncle Bob Garside who often spoke in dialect.
I loved the chapters on where the Saddleworth surnames had come from and Ammon's sumising on the subject including his own surname, Wrigley.
If you want to be entertained, Ammon had a dry wit, and informed how Saddleworth used to be, this is the book for you.
☆☆☆☆☆ - Highly recommended
©✍️CarolynCrossley
VIXEN of VERSE 
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