Change in the Village

This early work by George Sturt was originally published in 1912 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography. “Change in the village” (1912) describes in detail and with great compassion the difficult conditions for the rural poor in places like the Lower Bourne; the village name which he chose to adopt as his pseudonym. Sturt was born in 1863 at Farnham, Surrey, England and spent his early manhood as a teacher at the local grammar school. He remained in this position until 1894, when his father died, after which he ran the family wheelwright shop on East Street, Farnham. Sturt stayed here for the rest of his life, and wrote numerous books and articles under the name of George Bourne, whilst simultaneously running the shop.