Horse power and magic [Hardcover]

George Ewart Evans (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1979

The pioneering oral historian, George Ewart Evans, began to record the farming ways of East Anglia in the 1950s by listening to old men and women whose memories went back more than fifty or sixty years. Many were agricultural labourers, born before the turn of the century, who had worked on farms before the arrival of mechanisation. It was assumed at that time that horses would soon disappear from the farms, and that this was the last chance of recording the part they had played for centuries. It later became clear that this forecast was too pessimistic and in Horse Power and Magic (Faber, 1979) Ewart Evans describes in fascinating detail some important farms where horses continued to be beneficially used more than thirty years later. He discovered that the traditions of the older horsemen had not died out but had been passed on, in only slightly attenuated form, to a younger generation keen to farm with horses, proving that the day of the heavy horse was by no means over. He also describes vividly the ways of horse-tamers whose skills had a touch of 'magic' about them. 'Taking his works a whole, there is no doubt that George Ewart Evans will survive as a fascinating pioneer of the extra-academic recording of human history . . . he has found a dimension all his own. This is indeed the very stuff of history.' Sunday Times

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Born in the mining town of Abercynon, South Wales, George Ewart Evans (1909-88) was a pioneering oral historian. In 1948 he settled with his family in Blaxhall, Suffolk, and through conversing with his neighbours he developed an interest in their dialect and the aspects of rural life which they described. Many were agricultural labourers, born before the turn of the century, who had worked on farms before the arrival of mechanisation. With the assistance of a tape recorder he collected oral evidence of the dialect, rural customs, traditions and folklore throughout East Anglia, and this work, reinforced by documental research, provided the background for his renowned East Anglian books. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 222 pages
• Publisher: Faber and Faber (1979)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0571113486
• ISBN-13: 978-0571113484
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,057,744 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating look at farm life with horses in rural Britain, February 22, 2012

By 

Rhonda Lane "http://www.thehorseyset.net" (Connecticut USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Horse Power and Magic (Paperback)

HORSE POWER AND MAGIC is based on a series of oral histories George Ewart Evans conducted with aging East Anglican farmers about their lives with the heavy horses that used to work their farms until mechanization came along.

Before we had trucks and tractors, horses did all that work. Today, we depend upon our vehicles. Turn the key -- or, increasingly, push the button -- and these vehicles "awaken" to take us wherever we want or do what we need to do.

But what if your vehicle had a mind of its own? (Granted, some of us suspect our cars do "have it in for us.")

Still, what if you needed a horse to plow a field, or you lost your home, as is portrayed in WAR HORSE?

Also, today, modern "horse whisperers" amaze us, but a man back then who could take a massive cranky horse needed to do a job was lauded as a magician. Hence, the "magic" in the title. As with today, some horse whisperers used early versions of "natural horsemanship," some used devices like secret oils and training tools.

Especially for horse-lovers and rural history buffs, this book is a pleasant, informative read about an era of history that's long-gone.