This anthology is 'a new and revised edition' of a book which first appeared in 1984 and is well worth reissuing, comprising as it does a thousand years' worth and more of prose and poetry, some of it translated from the original Welsh. It is divided into sections: 'The Land & Early People'; 'Some Legends', 'Folklore & Customs'; 'Saints & Sinners'; 'Heroes & The Crachach [upper-classes]'; 'Bits of Characters'; 'Some Blaggards'; 'Ancient Monuments & Holy Places'; 'Houses Great & Small'; 'War & Strife'; 'Work & Play'; 'Everyday Life'; 'Wildlife'; 'Husbandry'; 'Rivers & Lakes'; 'Estuary & Coast'; with 327 separate items and 51 black-and-white illustrations. including some rare pictures of an amazing long-vanished topiary garden. Reading the introduction by editor Lynn Hughes, who is from Llandeilo, you would think that no other county in Wales could match Carmarthenshire for its 'Welsh like the honey off the heather', that is 'North of the Towy and into the hills facing Cardiganshire' and the range of great characters seems endless. But it's no empty boast - one finds oneself (even though not Carmarthenshire-born), nodding in agreement - yes, 'Llanelli people are the nicest people in the British isles'. Mr Hughes allows though that 'visual illiteracy... is perhaps our most curious character fault', but that deficiency would apply to much of Wales, not just Carmarthenshire, when he talks of the disfigurement caused by insensitive treatment of old houses and suburban architecture replacing traditional rural styles. But he considers it may also contribute to the dearth of artists - a relief actually to find there is something other counties can do better! But, joking apart, this is a magnificent collection and everyone who reads it is bound to find something to interest and delight them. Mr Hughes has trawled far and wide for his material, and there are some unexpected contributions, such as the extract from a Freeman Willis Croft story. And it is good to see Byron Rogers's whimsical and supernatural articles, which deserve a more permanent home than their newspaper origins. All anthologies are browsable books, but this one is far more engaging than most. -- Sue Passmore @ www.gwales.com
