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'Walking the Hamster to the Fountain' is an extremelyentertaining, well-researched book which chronicles, in lively andunforgettable detail, some of the thousand-year history of the English villageof Hempstead, Essex, from the Norman Conquest to the Kray twins. Firmlygrounded in English history, the book is packed with stories of country life,parsons, celebrities, arson, political and intrigue. It will appeal to allthose who enjoy disappearing down historical 'rabbit holes'. The title comes from an interview with a former resident,recalling hot summers between the wars when the wells dried up and people hadto 'walk into Hempstead to the fountain' for water. When the interview wastranscribed, the computer produced the titular hamster. 'Greedy vicars, a school bullyturned merchant, child brides, hellfire preachers, eccentric generals, familycurses and dynamic women. Thiswide-ranging and thoroughly researched work weaves vibrant personal storiesinto a national and sometimes international narrative. This is local social history at its finest.'---Dr Elizabeth Goodwin, SeniorLecturer, Late Medieval and Early Modern Studies, York St. John University