H. E. Bates has written evocative studies of the natural world (e.g., Through The Woods; Down The River) and wistful short novellas with a pastoral theme (e.g., A German Idyll). But among the works for which he is most well known is his Larkin series of novels, beginning with The Darling Buds of May. Set in the rural idyll of 1950s Kent, this is a comedy about a rambunctious family of loveable rascals, the Larkins. When a visit from a tax inspector named Cedric appears to threaten their accustomed mode of high-living, Pop Larkin instead sets about bringing him into the fold, with hilarious consequences. The book was originally published in 1958 and issued by the Folio Society, as reviewed here, in 2011.
Almost everything about the physical makeup of this book is standard Folio Society. We get a plain blue slipcase lined with white paper, within which is a volume bound in white buckram cloth. It is printed on the front board with a blue, black and yellow design showing the Larkins aboard their truck, on the way to who knows what hijinks. The title and author’s name are printed on the spine. As usual, there’s a sewn binding, this time with yellow end bands. Finishing up the physical makeup of the book, we have plain yellow endpapers and a text block consisting of about 156 pages of Abbey Wove paper. Having a cloth binding is nice, but it all feels very ordinary and a bit uninspired. The printing and binding were carried out in Germany.
Turning to the interior design, the text is set in Bembo in a moderate size with a reasonably high density of text on the page. But it’s nothing that makes reading uncomfortable. The only other typographic feature meriting mention is that chapter numerals are surrounded by black wreathes in a variety of floral designs.
The book was illustrated by Alice Tait in a loose and whimsical style that, perhaps, captures some of the uninhibited madcap spirit of the novel. One can see the personality of the protagonists brought to life in these images—although British readers may struggle to banish the image of David Jason’s iconic television performance in the lead role. There are seven full-page illustrations in total (including a frontispiece), which is again a pretty standard offering. Lastly, the book opens with a fairly nice introduction by Ian Jack, whose essay places the novel at the fulcrum of 20th century social change.
As noted above, Bates was an experienced hand at evoking the pastoral charms of the natural world, so it’s no surprise that the mid-century Kent occupied by the Larkin family is superbly rendered. Also imported from the 1950s is a distinct hint of chauvinism. Usually numb to such observations, even I was struck by the extent to which the men of the book were defined by what they do/did, and the women mostly by what they wore. But it would be a shame to let that ruin a good yarn. The book’s characters are utterly unbelievable, but no less charming for it. More importantly, the comedy is a success: the novel had me laughing out loud on occasion. I wouldn’t say the book’s design or production make it a must-have Folio Society edition, but it’s certainly a novel worth a read. ■
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