Alan London has published his debut short story collection, 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. Its significance lies not only in its vivid portrayal of a rural way of life but also in its charitable purpose: all proceeds from the book 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. Family expectations and economic necessity later led him into a settled profession, and for much of that time he held down two jobs at once. The routines, difficult horses, and rhythms of a small rural economy he observed during those years inform the collection, though the stories themselves are invented. London emphasizes that The Days of Wine and Horses is a work of fiction, 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 has been adapted here to the context of 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, the challenges of animal management, 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. For those interested in sampling the work, a preview is available at https://read.amazon.com/sample/B0H4S9DFR7?clientId=share. The book is also available through major retailers.
Beyond its literary merits, the book's commitment to supporting Cancer Research adds a layer of significance. London's late wife, Maureen, is a personal motivation behind this decision, making each purchase contribute to a larger cause. Published by Cambridge Publishing House, the 301-page collection is available in hardcover (ISBN 979-8-1989611-8-0) and paperback (ISBN 979-8-1989624-9-1). London now lives in Southern California, where the collection was written, but his early familiarity with stable life and rural horsemanship clearly shapes its authentic voice. This debut marks the arrival of a writer who captures the humor, hardship, and fleeting beauty of a vanishing rural world, while giving back to a cause that touches many lives.
