Rape of the Fair Country

Over 2 million copies sold worldwide since first publication.

New edition in the Library of Wales series.

First published in 1959, Alexander Cordell’s Rape of the Fair Country has become an icon of Welsh literature.Set in the valleys of the Welsh iron country, this turbulent, unforgettable novel begins the saga of the Mortymer family. A family of hard men and beautiful women, all forced into a bitter struggle with their harsh environment, as they slave and starve for the cruel English ironmasters.

But adversity could never still the free spirit of Wales, or quiet its soaring voice, and the Mortymers fight and sing and make love even as the iron foundries ravish their homeland and cripple their people.

The Mortymer’s struggle has become emblematic of a nation’s history and struggle, it is a unique story of the people of Wales.