Richard Jefferies (1848-1887) was a pioneering essayist, novelist and social commentator of Victorian Britain.
Widely recognised for his deep understanding and appreciation of the natural world, Jefferies heralded the popularisation of “Nature Diaries” in the newspapers and magazines of the time. His lyrical descriptions of natural and human encounters in Wiltshire, Surrey, and Sussex, earned him the reputation of “a landscape painter in words”.
Throughout his writing career Jefferies experimented with different forms of writing. His astute observations of the conditions of farming in Wiltshire during the great agricultural depression were published as Hodge and His Masters (1880). Amongst his novels were The Dewy Morn (1884) identified as the first modern novel by Q.D. Leavis, and his dystopian After London (1885), one of Britain’s first environmental and disaster science fictions, which is widely studied today.
Yet it was his spiritual autobiography The Story of My Heart (1883) that really made his mark in the literary world. After an unfavourable critical reception during his lifetime, it went on to become the most reprinted of all his books. An urgent appeal for “the culture of the soul”, and a search for something “beyond” deity, the work is immersed in the beauty of nature, and embodies Jefferies’ belief in the potential of nature to help others. This lyrical paean to the natural world has found sympathetic readers all over the world. Rachel Carson, a founder of the modern global environmental movement and author of Silent Spring (1962), kept a copy by her bedside throughout her life.
About the Society
The Richard Jefferies Society is a British charity with an international following dedicated to the study and enjoyment of Jefferies’ works. The Society believes that Jefferies books still have much to say to the world of the 21st Century and it seeks to encourage a better understanding and awareness of this exceptional author through publications and events. The Society also offers an annual prize for excellence in nature writing in conjunction with the White Horse bookshop in Marlborough along with a bursary for researchers and writers studying Jefferies.
Jefferies family home near Swindon – a key inspiration for many of his works – is thankfully still preserved and in public ownership. The house and grounds are managed by a separate charity – the Richard Jefferies Museum Trust – and is open to the public (see the Museum Trust’s website for details).
This website provides information on all aspects of the Society along with brief details of the life and works of Richard Jefferies. If you have any further queries or would like to join the society please e mail us at: info@richardjefferiessociety.org
Latest News
A Peculiarly English Genius Vol. IV to be published this year
The fourth and final volume covers Jefferies’ last five years from July 1882, when he moved with his family to Hove in East Sussex, until his death at Goring-by-Sea in August 1887,...Read More
The Lost Elms wins Richard Jefferies Award for the best nature writing 2025
Mandy Haggith was announced today (7 May 2026) as the winner of the Richard Jefferies Award for the best nature writing issued in 2025 for her book The Lost Elms published by Wildfire, an imprint of Headline Publishing Group Limited....Read More
Richard Jefferies Award Shortlist for 2025 Nominations
The Richard Jefferies Award is given annually to the author of the publication considered by the judging panel to be the most outstanding nature writing published in a given calendar year. The winning work must reflect the heritage and spirit of Richard Jefferies’ countryside books....Read More