The Quest of the Simple Life

Written in 1907, the Quest of the Simple Life by William Dawson is the firsthand account of a man who escaped the busy city life of London to a calmer life of the country.

The book starts out with the account of his life in London. The dirty streets, the rushing crowd, and the polluted air. He contrasts this with his experience in the country where people breath fresh air, grow their own food, and lead a calmer life. 'In the city you live to work, but in the country you work to live' he says.

In the book, Will writes about his thought process of choosing a country life. He dives as deep as giving a line by line account of his expenses in the city. One thing he realizes is that a good portion his expenditure is conforming with the norms of the society. Eating out for lunch just because all the colleagues do so, sending kids to an expensive school to keep up his status, etc. None of this pretending existed in the country.

So he makes the leap. He finds a small empty cabin near in a river. He renovates it, grows his own food, homeschools his children, and goes on adventures in nature. He recounts how moving to the country brought more vitality and energy into his life. As a result, he becomes healthier and happier. The Quest of the Simple Life is an inspiring story that will make readers consider a life in the country.