On Wednesday, December 18, the Bookplate bookstore will host renowned Maryland horse breeder and author Josh Pons to discuss and read from his new book, Letters from Country Life: Adolphe Pons, Man o’ War, and the Founding of Maryland’s Oldest Thoroughbred Farm. Guests are welcome to join Josh and the Bookplate staff for a reading and book signing at 6pm at The Kitchen at the Imperial Hotel.
In 2016, Josh Pons discovered thousands of letters and documents in the cellar of the family’s horse farm. The trove of information, in almost pristine condition, told the story of his grandfather, Adolphe Pons, a prominent figure in the thoroughbred horse industry. The son of a French chef employed in the opulent mansions of Gilded Age banker August Belmont II, Adolphe immigrated to New York City at the age of five in 1888. Over time, he rose to become Belmont’s personal secretary, playing a pivotal role in the breeding and sale of one of history’s most legendary horses, Man o’ War. During the Great Depression, and as horse racing in New York became outlawed, Adolphe left the state and established a 100-acre horse farm near Bel Air, Maryland, and named it Country Life.
Pons saw the discovered documents as a yet to be formed narrative of an era spanning World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II. The result is a captivating chronicle that offers a fresh perspective on the Golden Age of Horse Racing and its enduring impact on the present.
Josh Pons won two Eclipse Awards for his journalism in BloodHorse, presented for best stories of the year in the sport of Thoroughbred racing. He is the author of three books published by Eclipse Press: Country Life Diary: Three Years in the Life of a Maryland Horse Farm, which sold 10,000 copies; Merryland: Two Years in the Life of a Thoroughbred Training Farm (available now in its second printing) and the just-released Letters from Country Life: Adolphe Pons, Man o’ War, and the Founding of Maryland’s Oldest Thoroughbred Farm.
For more bookplate event details, or to reserve your seats, contact The Bookplate at 410-778-4167 or [email protected]. These events are free and open to the public, but reservations are recommended. The Kitchen at The Imperial is located at 208 High Street in Chestertown. The Bookplate will continue their author event series in 2025.
The Spy recently interviewed Josh from Country Life Farm to talk about the book and his experience writing it.
Lead photo is Man o’ War.
This interview is approximately seven minutes in length.
Deborah Palmer Johnson says
The farm, Country Life, is located in Bel Air, MD. Nowhere near Mt. Airy.
James Dissette says
Thanks for this clarification