Generous Earth

Philip Oyler, farmer and traveler, moved to France after the First World War. He settled in a district between the small market towns of St. Céré and Sarlat—a region of the Dordogne Valley completely untouched by commerce or tourism. There, he found a way of life that had hardly changed for centuries. Rooted in tradition, it was a world of true rural husbandry. Beautiful and unspoiled, the region was rich in real wealth—crops, vineyards, livestock, timber, fruit, fish, and game. Oyler’s marvelous account of a rural life now vanished will be enjoyed by anyone who loves France, farming, food and wine, or sheer good living.