'This is a generous and wonderfully varied collection which will re-define the idea of georgic for a new readership. There are broadly two meanings of 'georgic': a didactic poem in the style of Virgil's 'Georgics', and emerging from this especially since the Renaissance, an idea about how to write the rural and the agricultural in an artful and serious way. The essays in this book assuredly cover both meanings, enriching our understanding of georgic, and the contributors find in this genre a valuable lens through which to examine and enrich our understanding of a wide range of literature, from ancient to modern.' John Goodridge, Emeritus Professor of English, Nottingham Trent University