Country Life Reader Offer:

The latest fascinating book from Country Life, Gentlemen’s Pursuits is published by Simon & Schuster at £12.99.Tracing the history of the gentleman from its origins in country life and country pursuits with fantastic pictures from our archive, this is the ultimate present for a brother, father or son.

COUNTRY LIFE readers can order it for £9.99 with free postage from the COUNTRY LIFE bookshop (0843 060 0023; www.countrylife.co.uk/bookshop), or by sending a cheque to COUNTRY LIFE Bookshop, PO Box 60, Helston, Cornwall, TR13 0TP.

The next book in the series will be Letters to the Editor (October 2012).