Alan London has published his debut collection of short stories, The Days of Wine and Horses, a work of fiction set in the Yorkshire Dales that explores the working lives of those in the equestrian world. Independently published on June 5, 2026, in hardcover and paperback, the book centers on a small country riding school and the characters who pass through it. The collection's significance lies not only in its literary merit but also in its charitable purpose: all proceeds will support Cancer Research, a cause deeply personal to London and his late wife, Maureen.
London was born in the south of England but moved to Yorkshire as a child, where he grew up around riding yards and stables. Although family expectations and economic necessity led him into a settled profession, he held down two jobs at once for much of his life. The routines of stable work, the challenges of difficult horses, and the rhythms of a small rural economy he observed during those years inform the collection. However, London emphasizes that the stories are invented. The Days of Wine and Horses is not autobiography, and readers should not assume its characters or events reflect his own life.
Readers have compared the collection to James Herriot's beloved Yorkshire novels, a comparison London did not set out to invite but has been glad to see. Like Herriot's work, the book finds warmth in ordinary rural life: quaint, often humorous, and steeped in nostalgia for a slower, gentler way of living. The title comes from Ernest Dowson's 1896 poem "Vitae Summa Brevis," better known by its opening phrase, "the days of wine and roses." Dowson's meditation on transience and loss is adapted here to working life with horses, where the good years with a horse, like any meaningful period, prove fleeter than one might wish.
The collection presents a fond, often humorous look at daily stable life, yard routines, animal management challenges, and the small rural economy that sustains this way of living. It is less a plotted narrative than a stroll back through a Yorkshire country life many readers will recognize or wish they had known. The book is available through major retailers, and those interested can access a preview at https://read.amazon.com/sample/B0H4S9DFR7?clientId=share. Published by Cambridge Publishing House, the 301-page book is available in hardcover (ISBN 979-8-1989611-8-0) and paperback (ISBN 979-8-1989624-9-1).
The announcement matters because it introduces a new voice in rural fiction while contributing to cancer research, a disease that affects millions worldwide. London's background gives authenticity to the setting, and the positive reception suggests a demand for nostalgic, character-driven stories. The charitable component adds a layer of social impact, turning a literary endeavor into a means of funding vital research. As readers seek comfort in tales of simpler times, Cambridge Publishing House and London offer a collection that entertains and gives back.
