Mr Hawking Harvests the Final Chapter of Adrian Bell’s Seasonal Quartet

This week, Mr Richard Hawking, Teacher of English and Head of Year Eleven, celebrated the publication of A Countryman’s Autumn Notebook, the final volume in Adrian Bell’s Seasonal Quartet. Over the past few years, Mr Hawking has collaborated with the publisher Slightly Foxed to bring Bell’s timeless essays to a new audience. His work on this project involved selecting, arranging, and introducing the essays, many of which have remained unpublished since they first appeared over 60 years ago as newspaper columns.

This Autumn volume brings the quartet to a close following the publication of A Countryman’s Winter Notebook in 2021, A Countryman’s Spring Notebook in 2023 and A Countryman’s Summer Notebook in May of this year. A Countryman’s Winter Notebook has since sold out and been reprinted as part of a limited-edition boxed set. In these essays, Bell’s poetic reflections on life in the British countryside provide readers with a vivid picture of the changing seasons. The Autumn instalment captures the beauty of the harvest, with Bell’s signature style reflecting the hard work and timeless traditions of rural life. As Bell wrote, “Work is hard while the sun shines, and every arm, leg, and wheel is wanted.”

The project has been a labour of love for Mr Hawking, whose connection to Bell’s writing goes beyond the classroom. He grew up on a 70-acre farm in Somerset, where his family practised small-scale farming similar to Bell’s. His passion for Bell’s work led him to establish the Adrian Bell Society website and to compile these essays for a new generation of readers. The series is beautifully illustrated by artist Beth Knight, adding a visual richness that complements Bell’s words.

Mr Hawking’s dedication to preserving Adrian Bell’s legacy shines through in this final instalment, which, like the previous volumes, allows readers to experience the simple pleasures of rural life. Congratulations to Mr Hawking on his latest publication achieved alongside all of his hard work at RGS.