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The craft of the thatcher probably gives more pleasure to people than any other of our rural crafts; the inclusion in a country scene of a thatched house, cottage or barn often adds the element of continuity and stability which we lie to think is characteristic of the English countryside. Thatching is, nevertheless, a craft most people know nothing about and which is commonly thought to be dying out. In fact thatchers in all three materials - water reed, long straw and combed wheat reed - now have an assured livelihood after two centuries of uncertainty. This book outlines the history of thatching in Britain from its use as the commonest form of roofing to the present day and explains how the thatcher works with his traditional materials.