The Flying Yorkshireman: And nine other stories about Sam Small

By Eric Knight

In Polkingthorpe Brig, the impossible is liable to become a matter for argument, a wager or a practical demonstration. Sam Small, stubborn and inventive, meets each extraordinary turn with the common sense of a Yorkshire villager who sees no reason to defer to authority, modern fashion or supernatural possibility. Across ten linked comic stories, ordinary disputes and domestic clashes expand into tall tales without losing their roots in village life. Regional dialect and an oral-anecdote style give the collection the immediacy of stories exchanged among neighbours. Pub debates, contests, dog training and journeys provide occasions for Sam's ingenuity and perseverance, while farms, pits, cottages and moorland roads form the everyday ground beneath the fantasy. Even when the action carries him as far as Southern California, questions of Yorkshire identity, fellowship and homesickness remain close at hand, sharpening the comedy of unfamiliar customs and competing ideas of good sense. Marriage, social class and regional pride repeatedly collide with official rules and changing times, yet the stories resist becoming simple lessons. Their energy comes from the friction between the familiar and the impossible: village routines accommodate folk-tale logic, and practical problems invite solutions that stretch credibility while remaining true to Sam's distinctive character. This blend of Yorkshire village stories, domestic comedy and fantasy creates a connected saga shaped by argument, invention and the pleasures of spoken storytelling. This book was out of print for decades and is now republished by Alpha Editions. It has been restored for today's and future generations. This edition is not just a reprint - it's a collector's item and a cultural treasure.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 937778820X
• ISBN13: 9789377788209
• Release Date: December 2026
• Publisher: Alpha Edition
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.63 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"