Agricultural History Review, Volume 59 Part 2 (2011), p. 338

Rex Sly’s account is, in essence, a personal account of the transformation of Fenland farming. The narrative is interspersed with cases studies of individual farmers and their families. The idea that the inhabitants had ‘soil in their souls’ could, however, be defined in a more precise way and the rationale for the individual chapters articulated in a more explicit and persuasive way. There is also lack of clarity in terms of the precise period being covered, and in respect of the magnitude of the changes which have taken place in the different periods. This is apparent in respect of the contextualization, where the review of the key changes merits more precise clarification as they are sometimes based on rather dubious assertions. As such, it does not really cater for an academic audience, given the minimal use of endnotes and the many generalizations and assertions it contains about the historical development of farming.

Its structural weaknesses are also evident in the rationale for the selection of the chapter titles. It is more or less self-evident why the first five chapters are included, given their common theme of the different social groups living in the Fens. However, it is more difficult to understand how these relate to the last two chapters on ‘Crop Spraying’ and ‘Fenland Cropping’. There is also a very marked variability in the length of the chapters. For example, chapter 2, ‘The Ultimate Prize’, covers five pages while sixty pages are devoted to the final chapter on ‘Fenland Cropping’.

There are a considerable number of instances where the expression could be refined, for example, p. 11, ‘ball rolling for the supermarket’. Occasional typographical errors are evident, such as ‘wa’ for ‘war’ on p. 27. The text would have benefited from a conclusion; even a tentative one would have been appreciated. In a similar way, a bibliography listing at least some of the key texts consulted would have been useful.

In spite of the book’s rather obvious academic weaknesses, it is essential than these do not obscure the text’s very positive features. It provides a very useful and informative insight into the way this particular region has been transformed. While the rationale for selecting particular farming families for inclusion is not always as persuasive as it might be, these case studies provide valuable personal accounts of the way that they have coped with recent challenges. The text also contains an impressive collection of photographs and maps, which adds variety and illustrates the transformation of farming in a region that has so far merited scant attention by conventional historians.