A selection of poems and short prose pieces grounded in the landscape, history and legends of Coniston in the English Lake District. W. G. Collingwood gave up a promising academic career as a young Oxford graduate to become John Ruskin's personal secretary, living at first in his home, Brantwood, at Coniston. In the spirit of self-sufficiency that typified their community, Collingwood first published these pieces in 'Nothing Much', a faimily magazine edited by his young children and circulated to friends by private subscription. - Summary by Phil Benson