Sam Hanna Bell (1909-1990) is known primarily for his novel of Ulster rural life, December Bride (1951). It was filmed in 1990 and was selected for Picador's The Modern Library: The 200 Best Novels in English since 1950, where they described it as "a book which everyone interested in modern fiction should read, it shows what can still be done". His other novels, including The Hollow Ball, A Man Flourishing, and Across the Narrow Sea, were all well-received. He edited and wrote a number of works of non-fiction, including The Arts in Ulster. He also had a very long career in broadcasting, writing documentary scripts for BBC Northern Ireland and, with the support of the poet Louis MacNeice, went on to serve as a long-time features producer. Bell pioneered the collection and broadcasting of Ireland's then quickly-vanishing folklore and folk music from remote country areas. Many of these folk pieces and short stories were later collected in his Erin's Orange Lily/Summer Loanen and Other Stories. This handsome biography, based on Bell's personal papers and the reminiscences of family, friends, and colleagues, is a fitting tribute to one of the giants of Ulster literature.