Earth Sciences, Geography & Environment Books

Book SynopsisThree textile roads tangle their way through Central Asia. The famous Silk Road united east and west through trade. Older still was the Wool Road, of critical importance when houses made from wool enabled nomads to traverse the inhospitable winter steppes. Then there was the Cotton Road, marked by greed, colonialism and environmental disaster. At this intersection of human history, fortunes were made and lost through shimmering silks, life-giving felts and gossamer cottons. Chris Aslan, who has spent fifteen years living and working in the region, expertly unravels the strands of this tangled history and embroiders them with his own experiences of life in the heart of Asia.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA #4 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER From the twelve-million copy bestselling author of the Lewis trilogy comes a chilling new mystery set in the isolated Scottish Highlands.A TOMB OF ICEA young meteorologist checking a mountain top weather station in Kinlochleven discovers the body of a missing man entombed in ice.A DYING DETECTIVECameron Brodie, a Glasgow detective, sets out on a hazardous journey to the isolated and ice-bound village. He has his own reasons for wanting to investigate a murder case so far from his beat.AN AGONIZING RECKONINGBrodie must face up to the ghosts of his past and to a killer determined to bury forever the chilling secret that his investigation threatens to expose.Set against a backdrop of a frighteningly plausible near-future, A WINTER GRAVE is Peter May at his page-turning, passionate and provocative best.Trade ReviewA Winter Grave is timely and chilling, painting a disturbing picture of the future . . . it's a meticulously researched thriller with gravitas that grips from the first page . . . May's first novel in two years is among the best he's written. * S Magazine, Sunday Express *May has created a chilling believable near future . . . an atmospheric locked room mystery . . . this is as chilling as much for May's vision of where the we're heading as for the body count. * Observer *A gripping thriller set in a near future ravaged by the climate crisis. * Scots Mag *A Winter Grave is a superb thriller loaded with timely warnings. * Yorkshire Post *

Read more less

Book SynopsisPeter Matthiessen was a naturalist, explorer and writer. His works of fiction include At Play in the Fields of the Lord, Far Tortuga and the acclaimed 'Watson Trilogy'. His explorations resulted in many fine works of non-fiction, among them The Snow Leopard, The Cloud Forest and The Tree where Man was Born. He died in 2014, aged 86.Trade ReviewA beautiful book, and worthy of the mountains he is among -- Paul TherouxWhat began as a practical search for the rare snow leopard, revered Buddhist emblem, developed into a quest for the meaning of Being. An enjoyable combination of mountaineering and mysticism * Observer *It's a tale of an inner struggle for calm, and would be an inspiring and sustaining desert island companion -- Emily BarrAs much the chronicle of an inner journey as it is the learned recording of an unfamiliar territory...a timeless account * Independent *An evocative account of a remote and timeless place and its people * Sunday Times *

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe deep sea is the last, vast wilderness on the planet. This is the story of how we imagine, explore and exploit it. For centuries, myth-makers and storytellers have concocted imaginary monsters of the deep, and now scientists are looking there to find bizarre, unknown species, chemicals to make new medicines, and to gain a greater understanding of how this world of ours works. With an average depth of 12,000 feet and chasms that plunge much deeper, it forms a frontier for new discoveries. The Brilliant Abyss tells the story of our relationship with the deep sea how we imagine, explore and exploit it. It captures the golden age of discovery we are currently in and looks back at the history of how we got here, while also looking forward to the unfolding new environmental disasters that are taking place miles beneath the waves, far beyond the public gaze. Throughout history, there have been two distinct groups of deep-sea explorers. Both have sought knowledge but with difTrade ReviewSo comprehensive and insightful that it will be a long time before it’s surpassed … It is hard to imagine a more timely or important book than The Brilliant Abyss. Carefully conceived and luminously written, it is certain to be a bestseller, which gives me hope that its urgent message might help save the world. * New Statesman *Scales’s approach is enthralling and richly expressed and highlights how closely our lives depend on the deep. * Observer *Scales’s great gift is for transmuting our awe at the wonders of the deep sea into a kind of quiet rage that they could soon be no more … The deep, she argues, is too vulnerable, and too crucial to the working of the planet to blindly ransack. * New York Times Book Review *Accessible, enjoyable and written with infectious passion, this book is a compelling guide to a fascinating and often overlooked part of our planet. * The Week *Fascinating … The Brilliant Abyss is a manifesto for change as much as it is a description of an ecological crisis. Its overall effect – to insist that what’s already down there matters, even or especially when it is hidden from our view. * New Republic *Helen Scales is one of those rare scientists who can capture the excitement of science. The Brilliant Abyss has a thrill on every page as she explores the deep and little known ocean. But this comes with a warning. Man’s destruction is now reaching the remotest corners of the planet and our survival depends on stopping it. * Mark Kurlansky, author of Cod *Helen Scales explains why leaving the deep alone is so important – play your part by arming yourself with the facts. * Coast magazine *Helen Scales’ beautiful account reveals the astonishing complexity and importance of the creatures of the abyss, to the planet and to us. * Callum Roberts, Professor of Marine Conservation and scientific advisor, BBC Blue Planet II *Table of ContentsPrelude PART ONE: EXPLORE 1: Here is the Deep 2: The Whale and the Worm 3: Caught in a Jelly Web 4: In a Chemical World 5: Highs and Lows PART TWO: DEPEND 6: Deep Matters 7: Deep Cures PART THREE: EXPLOIT 8: Fishing Deep 9: The Eternal Junkyard 10: What's Mine is Yours PART FOUR: PRESERVE 11: Green vs Blue 12: A Sanctuary in the Deep Epilogue Acknowledgements Notes Additional Resources Index Plates

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe third and final updated edition of David Attenborough's classic Life trilogy. Life on Earth covered evolution, Living Planet , ecology, and now The Trials of Life tackles ethology, the study of how animals behave.Trade ReviewPraise for the New Edition of Life on Earth: ‘It does not disappoint. The new Life on Earth is as glorious as the first’ Guardian ‘A beautiful and wide ranging work. The breadth of natural history covered is extraordinary and mesmerising. Life on Earth is still breathtakingly rich, and we would know far less about it were it not for Attenborough’s wonderful skills of communication over the years: our cultural and scientific lives would be poorer without him’ New Scientist ‘This natural history masterpiece offers a spectacular snapshot of a once-wild planet’ New Scientist Praise for David Attenborough: ‘A marvellous book … unputdownable … utterly engaging’ Telegraph ‘An elegant and gently funny writer’ The Times ‘His writing is as impressive and as enjoyable as his TV programmes and there can be no higher praise’ Daily Express ‘A great educator as well as a great naturalist’ Barack Obama ‘Sir David is a wizard of television, and, like Gandalf or Dumbledore, he has a near-magical gift for combining warmth and gravitas . . . the man who, for me, exemplifies the best in British broadcasting’ Louis Theroux ‘When I was a young boy I used to love turning on the television and watching David's programmes and really feeling like I was either back out in Africa or I was learning about something magical and almost out of this planet’ HRH Prince William

Read more less

Book Synopsis**A SUNDAY TIMES GARDENING BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020**'A must-read for every gardener who wants to up their game for wildlife and do their bit for the planet.' -- Isabella Tree'A refreshing, uplifting and positive look at the true value of a garden.' -- Alan TitchmarshThe perfect book for any gardener looking to get back in touch with their wild side.The rewilding of public spaces and farmland is vitally important to conservation, but how can we support native species and provide rich habitats on our own doorsteps?In this practical, beautifully illustrated guide horticulturalist and Gardener's World presenter Frances Tophill shows you how to plan and maintain a beautiful garden that will attract bees and birds as well as a throng of unsung garden heroes. Whether you have a small balcony or a large open space, discover the joys of welcoming natural ecosystems back into your garden - along with a host of new visitors.

Read more less

Book SynopsisDr Paulina Rowinska has a PhD in Mathematics of Planet Earth from Imperial College London. Her 2017 TEDx talk Let's Have a Maths Party!' explained that maths is all around us. Thanks to her science communication activities, in 2019 she received the Imperial College President's Award for Excellence in Societal Engagement. Today, she creates interactive content for a leading innovative educational company, Brilliant. Mapmatics is her first book.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Sea Around Us is one of the most influential books ever written about the natural world. In it Rachel Carson tells the history of our oceans, combining scientific insight and poetic prose as only she can, to take us from the creation of the oceans, through their role in shaping life on Earth, to what the future holds. It was prophetic at the time it was written, alerting the world to a crisis in the climate, and it speaks to the fragility and centrality of the oceans and the life that abounds within them.Trade ReviewThis combination of science and scintillating prose provides fascinating insights into the mysteries of the tides . . . a masterpiece of ecological writing * * Guardian * *The timely reissue of a classic maritime trilogy shows that the "poet of the oceans" was far ahead of her time . . . [The Sea Around Us was] a powerful account of what was then known about the sea; a work that shifted with elegant ease between muscular and enlightening science writing and poetic nature writing . . . What's striking is that Carson is a keen observer of the interconnectedness of things . . . Her sea series is not only fascinating for those with an interest in the prehistory of Silent Spring. There is much to marvel at in these pages * * Herald * *Carson's books brought ecology into popular consciousness * * Daily Telegraph * *[Carson] is the poet laureate of the sea, but also of that "web of life", in which everything is connected to everything else * * London Review of Books * *Praise for the Sea trilogy: Rereading her natural histories, what stands out is how beautiful the writing is. Carson combined a scientist's ability to see with a novelist's ability to imagine * * New Yorker * *Praise for Silent Spring: Brilliantly written: clear, controlled and authoritative . . . one of the most effective books ever written . . . the impact is, in all senses, stunning * * Guardian * *Much of what Carson wrote to great controversy is now conventional wisdom. To read Silent Spring now is in part to understand how we got to where we are * * Wall Street Journal * *

Read more less

Book Synopsis'I found myself turning the pages with an inward leap of joy' - Isabella Tree*WINNER of the Richard Jefferies Award for Nature Writing**Shortlisted for the James Cropper Wainwright Prize for Conservation*'Exquisite' GUARDIANIt was a tragic day for the nation's wildlife when England's last and loneliest golden eagle died in an unmarked spot among the remote eastern fells of the Lake District. But the fight to restore the landscape had already begun.Lee Schofield, ecologist and site manager for RSPB Haweswater, is leading efforts to breathe life back into two hill farms and their thirty square kilometres of sprawling upland habitat.Informed by the land, its turbulent history and the people who have shaped it, Lee and his team are repairing damaged wetlands, meadows and woods. Each year, the landscape is becoming richer, wilder and better able to withstand the shocks of a changing climate.But in the contested landscape of the Lake District, change is not always welcomed, and success relies on finding a balance between rewilding and respecting cherished farming traditions. This is not only a story of an ecosystem in recovery, it is also the story of Lee's personal connection to place, and the highs and lows of working for nature amid fierce opposition.Trade ReviewA thrilling, inspiring journey into the restoration of our uplands. I found myself turning the pages with an inward leap of joy. Reasoned, intelligent, compassionate, well-informed, this is a story of hope and renewal for both nature and farming. -- Isabella TreeAuthentic, honest and clear-sighted - Lee Schofield offers a practical and hopeful example of how to return nature to all our landscapes using imagination, compromise, humility and sheer hard work. This is an important book and fully deserves its place alongside James Rebanks and other contemporary Lakeland classics. -- Patrick BarkhamA passionate, haunting yet optimistic account of the battle to heal a damaged landscape and restore nature to a corner of the Lake District. -- Dave GoulsonIn a country defined as the seventh most nature depleted on Earth, in a region plagued by flooding and climate-chaos, here comes Lee Schofield's brilliant book full of positive action and hope for the future. Wild Fell is a record of environmental achievement, of the RSPB's mission to restore the places and wild nature of Haweswater. But it's also a political tract, and throws down a gauntlet to us all to make the Lake District a national park that is genuinely worthy of the title. -- Mark CockerAs the competing needs of agriculture and conservation jostle for ascendency, land management in Britain has reached a tipping point. Candid, raw and searingly honest, Lee Schofield offers a naturalist's perspective of the challenges unfolding in the ancient yet ever-changing landscape of Haweswater and shares with us his gloriously vibrant vision for the future. -- Katharine NorburySaving nature is a tough job. In Wild Fell we get to understand why people do it: real soul-deep passion. -- Simon BarnesExhilarating... His writing, like the extinct, extant and envisioned landscapes he describes, is studded with moments of immense beauty - you can almost smell rock and moss and nectar, hear butterflies and grasshoppers flit and whirr, feel the shadow of a great wing passing between you and the sun. * British Wildlife *Wild Fell leaves you in no doubt that if we don't protect our wild blooms, there won't be any bugs and there won't be any birds and, ultimately, any people. * BBC Countryfile Magazine *Warm, personal, political and detailed, Wild Fell invites people into the evolving conversation about the future of our natural world. * Cumbria Life *Like the rivers it has rebent, the Haweswater project is re-wiggling farming into a more sustainable alignment with nature. And by similarly refusing to operate in siloed straight lines, Schofield's own journey towards greater collaboration may have lessons to teach both of the UK's rural tribes. * New Statesman *Schofield is a delightfully companionable guide - evoking huge vistas alongside small, exquisite, multisensory details - you can almost inhale the scent of thyme and warm rock wafting from the pages. -- Amy Jane Beer * Guardian *Wild Fell documents a powerful journey through a bruised, beloved English landscape, expertly told from Lee's unique perspective. Sensitive, full of empathy and charged with a fierce, solution-based vision for a restorative, productive future alongside the natural world. I felt utterly compelled by his wise, deft prose, and am so grateful this book has been written. A remarkable debut. -- Sophie PavelleBeautifully written, with an urgent sense of the need to protect our endangered landscape, this is a manifesto for a wilder future. * Daily Mail *Not all farming is toxic. Even rewilders should be able to admire the survival of the cultural tradition of Herdwick sheep farming in the Cumbrian uplands. Read Schofield and make up your own mind. His story of managing the land around Haweswater, in the eastern fells, is compelling... It's an idyll every bit as seductive as the ones set out by Shakespeare or English landscape painting. * Spectator *The book that needed to be written about the Lake District. * Caught by the River *A poetic journey of restoring nature in an iconic landscape. Wild Fell informs and inspires. -- Jake FiennesA visionary, practical and lyrical book on restoring land, from one of the best in the game, on the front line of nature restoration. -- Benedict MacdonaldLee Schofield's Wild Fell is a soaring elegy to nature, a book infused with a deep love of place, and a stirring call to restore wildlife to our landscapes. Written with wit, verve and humility, Wild Fell is above all a story of hope, weaving together deep insights about botany and the history of the land with a wisdom won through years of practical experience. -- Guy ShrubsoleWild Fell is a beautiful, powerful book that subtly navigates great and complex challenges. -- George Monbiot

Read more less

Book SynopsisWoven & Worn offers a fascinating insight into the workings of innovative global craftspeople who create environmentally-conscious clothing in a bid to protect the planet from the ruinous effects of a toxic industry. Within this book, talented artisan makers such as weavers, dressmakers, dyers, and jewellers give consumers the power to alter the tired fabric of the fashion industry and embrace the energetic campaign for a sustainable circular economy. Marking a potential revival of the make-do-and-mend era, Woven & Worn showcases the variety of materials and processes used to craft wearables with both longevity and soul. Demonstrating the diversity within sustainable garment making, this title highlights ground-breaking renewable materials created from by-products of the food industry, such as banana and fish skins, as well as ingenious techniques, and "zero waste" production methods, including utilising offcut materials and upcycling vintage fabrics. Discover tactile vegan leather rucksacks, painterly plant-dyed textiles, and intricate reclaimed plastic adornment alongside traditional repair techniques such as darning and sashiko. Delve into the unseen creative workspaces of skilled crafters; admire their unique tools and processes, and absorb their intriguing stories. Sustainability is tightly woven into their creative practices as they tackle the wasteful industry, one beautifully-crafted garment at a time.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe air pollution that we breathe every day is largely invisible - but it is killing us. How did it get this bad, and how can we stop it? Far from a modern-day problem, scientists were aware of the impact of air pollution as far back as the seventeenth century. The Invisible Killer will introduce you to the incredible individuals whose groundbreaking research paved the way for today's understanding of air pollution. Gary Fuller's global story examines devastating incidents from London's Great Smog to Norway's acid rain; Los Angeles's traffic problem to wood-burning damage in New Zealand. Fuller argues that the only way to alter the future course of our planet and improve collective global health is for city and national governments to stop ignoring evidence and take action, persuading the public and making polluters bear the full cost of the harm that they do. The decisions that we make today will impact our health for decades to come.Trade Review‘An admirably clear book and an appropriately urgent one.’ The Sunday Times

Read more less

Book Synopsis A landmark book that overturns everything we think we know about humankind’s greatest idea.

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade ReviewVery informative and eye-opening in many ways -- Ha-Joon Chang, author of 23 Things They Don't Tell You About CapitalismIt is reassuring to read an author so impervious to rhetorical fashion and so eager to champion uncertainty . . . Smil's book is at its essence a plea for agnosticism, and, believe it or not, humility - the rarest earth metal of all. His most valuable declarations concern the impossibility of acting with perfect foresight. Living with uncertainty, after all, "remains the essence of the human condition." Even under the most optimistic scenario, the future will not resemble the past -- Nathaniel Rich * New York Times *A grumpy, pugnacious account that, I would argue, is intellectually indispensable in the run up to this year's COP27 climate conference in Egypt. In short, How the World Really Works fully delivers on the promise of its title. It is hard to formulate any higher praise -- Simon Ings * New Scientist *You can agree or disagree with Smil - accept or doubt his 'just the facts' posture-but you probably shouldn't ignore him . . . In Smil's provocative but perceptive view, unrealistic notions about carbon reduction are partly, and ironically, attributable to the very productivity that societies achieved by substituting machine work, powered by fossil fuels, for draft animals and human laborers * Washington Post *This accessible and witty book cuts to the chase of what we need to know -- Caroline Sanderson * The Bookseller, 'Editor's Choice' *If you are anxious about the future, and infuriated that we aren't doing enough about it, please read this book -- Paul Collier, author of The Future of Capitalism"I am neither a pessimist nor an optimist; I am a scientist," Smil writes in the introduction, with typically Smilian swagger. In fact, he is more of a numberist, a polymath with a gift for rigorously crushing complex data into pleasing morsels of information -- Pilita Clark * Financial Times *Smil's meticulously researched words are for anyone who wants his priors reexamined and feathers ruffled -- Joakin Book * AIER *Ambitious and eye-opening . . . provides valuable insight as opposed to the agenda-pushing rhetoric commonly found in mainstream scientific literature. Data-rich, informative and eye-opening, How the World Really Works is a captivating read -- Lily Pagano * Reaction *A compelling, fascinating, and most important, realistic portrait of the world and where it's going -- Steven Pinker, on Numbers Don’t LieCanadian polymath Vaclav Smil taught at the University of Manitoba for half a century. In this brilliant book, he does the hard work of crunching complicated data to present a clear and surprising picture of how our world - especially our physical world - really does work -- Chrystia Freeland, Deputy prime minister and minister of finance, Canada * Bloomberg, 'Best Books of 2022' *This is a compelling read. It uses science and practical examples to clearly illustrate the kinds of resources we are consuming on this planet today - and the quantities, too. It lays bare how demanding the changes will be in our daily lives if the green transition in energy away from fossil fuels is to be achieved. It also makes clear how far humanity is lagging behind the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Getting China and India fully on board with this is absolutely critical if climate warming is to be even moderately tamed -- Olli Rehn, Governor, Bank of Finland, and governing council member, European Central Bank * Bloomberg, 'Best Books of 2022' *

Read more less

Book SynopsisA deeply moving and mind-expanding collection of personal essays in the first ever work of non-fiction from #1 internationally bestselling author John GreenThe Anthropocene is the current geological age, in which human activity has profoundly shaped the planet and its biodiversity. In this remarkable symphony of essays adapted and expanded from his ground-breaking, critically acclaimed podcast, John Green reviews different facets of the human-centered planet - from the QWERTY keyboard and Halley's Comet to Penguins of Madagascar - on a five-star scale.Complex and rich with detail, the Anthropocene's reviews have been praised as 'observations that double as exercises in memoiristic empathy', with over 10 million lifetime downloads. John Green's gift for storytelling shines throughout this artfully curated collection about the shared human experience; it includes beloved essays along with six all-new pieces exclusive to the book.

Read more less

Book Synopsis'The Web of Meaning is both a profound personal meditation on human existence and a tour-de-force weaving together of historic and contemporary world-wide secular and spiritual thought on the deepest question of all: why are we here?' Gabor Maté M.D., author, In The Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters With Addiction 'We need, now more than ever, to figure out how to make all kinds of connections. This book can help--and therefore it can help with a lot of the urgent tasks we face.' Bill McKibben, author, Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out? As our civilization careens towards a precipice of climate breakdown, ecological destruction and gaping inequality, people are losing their existential moorings. Our dominant worldview of disconnection, which tells us we are split between mind and body, separate from each other, and at odds with the natural world, has passed its expiration date. Yet another world is possible. Award-winning author, Jeremy Lent, investigates humanity's age-old questions - who am I? why am I? how should I live? - from a fresh perspective, weaving together findings from modern systems thinking, evolutionary biology and cognitive neuroscience with insights from Buddhism, Taoism and indigenous wisdom. The result is a breathtaking accomplishment: a rich, coherent worldview based on a deep recognition of connectedness within ourselves, between each other, and with the entire natural world.Trade ReviewThe Web of Meaning is both a profound personal meditation on human existence and, as its title implies, a tour-de-force weaving together of historic and contemporary world-wide secular and spiritual thought on the deepest question of all: why are we here? -- Gabor Maté M.D., author of * In The Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters With Addiction *We need, now more than ever, to figure out how to make all kinds of connections. This book can help--and therefore it can help with a lot of the urgent tasks we face. -- Bill McKibben, author of * Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out? *There are so many ways to understand the world, and so many levels to be integrated, that everyone can use the guidance of Jeremy Lent. Moving from the ancient Tao to modern neuroscience and everything in between, he boldly weaves deep insights together to envision a better world. -- Frans de Waal, author of * Mama’s Last Hug - Animal Emotions and What They Tell Us about Ourselves *A book of radial and profound wisdom ... a magnificent manifesto for a regenerative culture and for an ecological civilisation ... the book beautifully address some of the most complex questions of life -- Satish Kumar,Editor Emeritus, Resurgence & Ecologist and Founder of Schumacher College.Praise for The Patterning Instinct: 'The most profound and far-reaching book I have ever read -- George MonbiotSuch an important, necessary, and wise book -- John HiggsCultures shape values, and those values shape history. By the same token, our values will shape our future. One way to equip yourself for this heroic task will be to read this enormous, learned, yet garrulous and helpful book. * New Scientist *One of the most brilliant and insightful minds of our age, Jeremy Lent has written one of the most essential and compelling books of our time. The Web of Meaning invites us to rethink at the deepest level who we are as a species and what we might become. -- David Korten author of * When Corporations Rule the World, The Great Turning *A widely ranging, deeply penetrating, and healingly prescriptive consideration of how to reposition humanity within the world. Lent's ideas, drawn from all around the globe from antiquity to the present, provide a vision for a better shot at survival and a life that is worthwhile for our time-and for the rest of time -- Carl Safina author of * Beyond Words and Becoming Wild *It is hard to build new regenerative narratives that honor the old without being in extractive relation to non-western lands and peoples, but this book is a damn good start. This book is a good place to sit for anybody interested in binding the wounds of thoughtless progress and allowing the emergence of new patterns of being. -- Tyson Yunkaporta, author of * Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World *

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis''This was much more than a bunch of guys out on an exploring and collecting expedition. This was a military expedition into hostile territory''. In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson selected his personal secretary, Captain Meriwether Lewis, to lead a pioneering voyage across the Great Plains and into the Rockies. It was completely uncharted territory; a wild, vast land ruled by the Indians. Charismatic and brave, Lewis was the perfect choice and he experienced the savage North American continent before any other white man. UNDAUNTED COURAGE is the tale of a hero, but it is also a tragedy. Lewis may have received a hero''s welcome on his return to Washington in 1806, but his discoveries did not match the president''s fantasies of sweeping, fertile plains ripe for the taking. Feeling the expedition had been a failure, Lewis took to drink and piled up debts. Full of colourful characters - Jefferson, the president obsessed with conquering the west; William Clark, the rugged frontiersman; Sa

Read more less

Book SynopsisLonglisted for the Wainwright Prize 2024 for Nature Writing[A] joyously readable book it riffs along like breeze in the hedgerow.' John Lewis-Stempel inCountry LifeHart's passion for the potential that resides here is intoxicating. Occasionally an environmental solution comes along that is sobreathtakingly simple you can't believe that not everyone is already doing it.'Sunday Times[Hart] has written an eye-opening and inspiring book which will leave you with a deep appreciation of these wonderful habitats'Daily MailIn this joyous journey around the wild edges of Britain, Christopher Hart takes us through the life, ecology and history of the humble British hedge, showing us how this much-loved (but somewhat overlooked) feature is inextricably woven into our language, history and culture.Hedges or hedgerows have long been an integral part of the British landscape; a bastion of privacy for our gardens, a protective presence on winding country lanes and a vital hiding place for birds and beasts on farmland.This man-made marvel is finally getting its time in the sun. Recognised as an environmental hero and a powerful climate ally, hedgerow is now considered the greatest edge habitat on earth, offering thorny scrub, mature woodland, grassland and even wetland. It plays a critical role in carbon sequestration and provides essential protection against the elements.Hedgelandshighlights the hawthorn and hazel of ancient hedges; the abundance of wildlife, from the elusive dunnock to the striking nightingale, the industrious hedgehog to the little harvest mouse; and the free pickings that the hedgerow offers, making it an essential and delicious element of any countryside ramble.Hedgelandswill tell you everything you never thought you needed to know about this wild, diverse and rich habitat and you might even look at your humble hedge in a whole new way.Hedgelandscombines history, celebration, lament and warning. Christopher Hart is a companionable writer, and makes a powerful case that, at a time of ecological hazard, well-nurtured hedges can play an astonishing role in buttressing the future.'The SpectatorA wonderful history of the threads that stitch the British countryside together.' Jake Fiennes, author ofLand HealerA passionate celebration and exploration of our wonderful hedgerows. You'll be swept along by Hart's intoxicating enthusiasm.' Dave Goulson, author ofSilent Earth

Read more less

Book Synopsis''If Michael Palin had been a volcanologist, this is the book he would have written'' LITERARY REVIEW''Gripping'' THE ECONOMIST ''Wonderful'' PETER FRANKOPAN ''Like a thriller ... This is terrific'' SPECTATOR ''Beautiful ... bursting with poetry, with storytelling'' WERNER HERZOGWe are made of the same stuff as the breath and cinders of volcanoes. No matter where we live on the planet, they have shaped our history and might one day decide our destiny. World-famous volcanologist Clive Oppenheimer has worked at the crater''s edge in the wildest places on Earth, close enough to feel the heat of the lava. In Mountains of Fire we join him on hair-singeing adventures from Italy to Antarctica to learn how deeply our stories are intertwined with volcanoes.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn twenty short books, Penguin brings you the classics of the environmental movement.Provocative and playful, All Art is Ecological explores the strangeness of living in an age of mass extinction, and shows us that emotions and experience are the basis for a deep philosophical engagement with ecology.Over the past 75 years, a new canon has emerged. As life on Earth has become irrevocably altered by humans, visionary thinkers around the world have raised their voices to defend the planet, and affirm our place at the heart of its restoration. Their words have endured through the decades, becoming the classics of a movement. Together, these books show the richness of environmental thought, and point the way to a fairer, saner, greener world.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhat is reality, really?Are humans more special or important than the non-human objects we perceive?How does this change the way we understand the world?We humans tend to believe that things are only real in as much as we perceive them, an idea reinforced by modern philosophy, which privileges us as special, radically different in kind from all other objects. But as Graham Harman, one of the theory''s leading exponents, shows, Object-Oriented Ontology rejects the idea of human specialness: the world, he states, is clearly not the world as manifest to humans. At the heart of this philosophy is the idea that objects - whether real, fictional, natural, artificial, human or non-human - are mutually autonomous. In this brilliant new introduction, Graham Harman lays out the history, ideas and impact of Object-Oriented Ontology, taking in everything from art and literature, politics and natural science along the way.Graham Harman is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at SCI-Arc, Los Angeles. A key figure in the contemporary speculative realism movement in philosophy and for his development of the field of object-oriented ontology, he was named by Art Review magazine as one of the 100 most influential figures in international art.

Read more less

Book SynopsisUnearth the fascinating fundamentals of volcanoes...In ten short and informative essays, leading volcanologist Dr Rebecca Williams reveals everything you need to know about volcanoes. From the deadliest eruptions of all time and how to survive a volcanic eruption to why a volcano won''t erupt in your back garden and volcanoes in outer space, discover all of this and much, much more!Volcanoes: 10 Things You Should Know is an illuminating and engaging guide to exploring the most exciting natural phenomena on planet earth.

Read more less

Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'Important and empowering' - BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH 'Get this great guide and be inspired' - STEPHEN FRY 'A handbook of hope ... Buy it, read it, start changing things right now' - JOANNA LUMLEY _______________ The enormity of climate change and biodiversity loss can leave us feeling overwhelmed. How can an individual ever make a difference? Isabella Tree and Charlie Burrell know firsthand how spectacularly nature can bounce back if you give it the chance. And what comes is not just wildlife in super-abundance, but solutions to the other environmental crises we face. The Book of Wilding is a handbook for how we can all help restore nature. It is ambitious, visionary and pragmatic. The book has grown out of Isabella and Charlie’s mission to help rewild Britain, Europe and the rest of the world by sharing knowledge from their pioneering project at Knepp in Sussex. It is inspired by the requests they receive from people wanting to learn how to rewild everything from unprofitable farms, landed estates and rivers, to ponds, allotments, churchyards, urban parks, gardens, window boxes and public spaces.. The Book of Wilding has the answers. _______________ 'Brilliantly readable and incredibly hard-working' - HUGH FEARNLEY-WHITTINGSTALL 'A deep, dazzling and indispensable guide to the most important task of all: the restoration of the living planet' - GEORGE MONBIOTTrade ReviewRewilding is possibly the most important and empowering revolution to have evolved out of the conservation movement in the last hundred years. This book shares the knowledge and wisdom of that movement that we all need to better understand how we can all play our part in helping nature restore the planet * Benedict Cumberbatch *As the Roman poet Horace said, "Drive nature out with a pitchfork and she’ll come roaring back". That hopeful and demonstrably true observation lies behind the urgent optimism of this wonderful book. Rewilding works and it works fast: nature does reclaim with stunning speed and power. In The Book of Wilding Isabella Tree and Charlie Burrell take us on a fabulous adventure that demonstrates how almost every single one of us can contribute to the grand project of rewilding. Beauty, wonder and dazzling variety are the rewards for surprisingly small amounts of input and labour. Get this great guide and be inspired to go wilding yourself, no matter how small the patch of our earth you call your own * Stephen Fry *Five Years ago, Isabella Tree’s phenomenal book Wilding started a national conversation about restoring our flat-lining landscape. The Book of Wilding, co-authored with her husband Charlie Burrell, takes that conversation to the next level. It is both brilliantly readable and incredibly hard-working, offering all of us the opportunity to get involved. Let’s do it! * Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall *This is a deep, dazzling and indispensable guide to the most important task of all: the restoration of the living planet * George Monbiot *The definitive wildlife survival manual ... Visions of paradise with all the practical advice to make it * Chris Packham *One of the wisest women alive, Isabella Tree has produced a handbook of hope. Her advice is invaluable; it reaches everyone who wants to make a better world out of the mess we humans have created. Buy it, read it, start changing things right now * Joanna Lumley *What an amazing book, a profound and passionate guide to returning the land to its natural state, a must, I think, for anyone who hopes for a sustainable future * Raynor Winn *A revolutionary and realistic recipe for restoring nature, nurturing new life and filling our homes, habitats and hearts with more wild joy * Patrick Barkham *Rewilding offers new hope for our beleaguered biodiversity. Buy this inspiring book and get rewilding! * Dave Goulson *This beautifully written and lavishly illustrated book is essential reading for anyone with an interest in rewilding, landscapes or indeed nature * Tristan Gooley *Protecting the ecosystems we have left is no longer enough. Given our long delays we must actively support the regeneration of our web of life. This brilliant book tells us how * Christiana Figueres, former Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change *Rewilding has a firm place in my heart and it's great to see it presented as a possibility for everyone, regardless of where they live. This book answered all my rewilding questions. I'm inspired to give my modest garden back to nature * Lara Maiklem, author of Mudlarking *[The Book of Wilding] is an eloquent yet hard-hitting synthesis of how a little helping hand can allow nature to heal itself, resulting in astounding outcomes for wildlife, while enriching our own lives in every conceivable way. With rare honesty and thoughtful reflections, the authors share their experiences and vision for greening farmscapes and cityscapes at every scale. This book is not merely important, it is epoch-making and world-building * Dr Gabriel Hemery, author of The New Sylva *All is not lost. Nature’s capacity to heal can still overcome our tendency to disrupt and destroy. This inspiring book shows how it can be done * Eric Schlosser, author of Command and Control *This beautiful book is both highly accessible and deeply practical and does a lot to break down any idea that wilding is only for those with vast wealth and large tracts of land. It should be compulsory reading for all Master Planners, landowners and gardeners as it will become a handbook for anyone seeking to create a wilder world. I love this book because it is at once humble and expansive, spiritual (with a small s) and resolutely practical. If you know anyone owning a window box or a country estate buy them this book, it will inspire them … A Bible for a new green enlightenment * Tim Smit, co-founder of the Eden Project *A game changer for sure. Informed and visionary. Easy to digest and persuasive. Just jolly well buy this book. It's a lifetime must that's essential * Derek Gow *Just in case you’re someone who thinks that ‘rewilding is an exotic, elite activity for a few rich landowners,’ The Book of Wilding will more than set you straight on that score! It’s something very different: a way of seeing, thinking, affirming, sharing and recrafting our relationship with the natural world * Sir Jonathon Porritt, Environmentalist *We know we need Nature back, and that’s why national laws and global agreements now say it must happen. The gap between ambition and practical action is, however, vast. In The Book of Wilding Isabella Tree and Charlie Burrell make a powerful case for action and with many examples show how we can achieve Nature’s recovery from the scale of entire landscapes to small gardens, and from wild wetlands to urban centres. I thoroughly recommend [The Book of Wilding] to anyone who wants to be part of the solution to fixing our depleted world * Dr Tony Juniper CBE, Environmentalist and Chair of Natural England *A gloriously produced and carefully researched educative guide to rewilding. Full of valuable advice for all who want to help restore nature -- whether you have a country estate or a window-box on an estate, this book will help you on your rewilding journey * Dr James Canton, author of The Oak Papers *What stands out from this beautiful book is the invitation for us, as humans, to become and create the wild at whatever scale we are able. As well as being full of practical examples of what we can do in our gardens, it highlights our birth-right and responsibility as a keystone species to enhance the natural world for all other species, as well as ourselves * Frances Tophill *When it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss, rewilding restores 'a sense of agency and ambition'. With their comprehensive and timely book, the authors are passing that agency onto others * Geographical *Whether you own a window box or run a community garden, this illustrated hardback will leave you inspired and hopeful * BBC Wildlife *A giant, handsome yet incredibly accessible doorstop of a tome, The Book of Wilding works as an A-Z guide to how and why to bring nature back to the land * Caitlin Moran *

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn Who Will Build the Ark?, leading radical thinkers debate left alternatives to runaway global heating, capitalist crisis and wider environmental breakdown, clarifying the stakes in today's key disputes between Green New Deal supporters and proponents of 'degrowth'. In a series of landmark texts first published by New Left Review, Herman Daly and Benjamin Kunkel discusses the possibility of an egalitarian, steady-state economy, while Robert Pollin warns against the worldwide slump 'degrowth' could bring and calls instead for a single-issue campaign - 2 per cent of global GDP dedicated to the switch to renewable energy - as the swiftest solution to the emissions crisis. Nancy Fraser envisages an eco-socialist exit from capitalism's multifold crises, while Troy Vettese advocates eco-austerity and half-earth rewilding. Lola Seaton draws out the strategic implications of these contested perspectives, in a set of unavoidable 'green questions'. In the realm of contemporary politics, Alyssa Battistoni writes on the dead-end of COP diplomacy, Cédric Durand asks whether energy shortages will derail the transition away from fossil fuels, and Thomas Meaney compares Green New Deal proposals to the pinched reality of Biden's Inflation Reduction Act.The world's major powers accept the likelihood of dangerous climate change, yet seem incapable of averting it. Can radical green models generate the social leverage needed to do so? Or, as Mike Davis puts it: Who will build the Ark?Trade ReviewIn recent years, an intense debate has unfolded over the policy and politics of the green transition. Important contributions to this debate have appeared in New Left Review's 'Debating Green Strategy' series. -- Max Krahé * Phenomenal World *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Slender-billed Curlew, Numenius tenuirostris, 'the slim beak of the new moon', is one of the world's rarest birds. It once bred in Siberia and wintered in the Mediterranean basin, passing through the wetlands and estuaries of Italy, Greece, the Balkans and Central Asia. Today the Slender-billed Curlew exists as a rumour, a ghost species surrounded by unconfirmed sightings and speculation. The only certainty is that it now stands on the brink of extinction. Birds are key environmental indicators. Their health or hardship has a message for us about the planet, and our future. What does the fate of the Slender-billed Curlew mean for us, and for the natural world? What happened to it, and why? In Orison for a Curlew Horatio Clare journeys through a fractured Europe in search of the Slender-billed Curlew, following the bird's migratory path on an odyssey that takes us into the lives of the men and women who have fought to save the landscapes to which the bird belongs. This is a story of beauty, triumph, and the struggles of conservation. It is a homage to a bird which may never be seen again.Trade Review"Busy and vigorous humanity is the subject to which Clare is best suited; he has a sharp ear for it, and thanks to Clare's generosity toward his subjects, the wealth of backstory and anecdote in his Orison practically hums with it." Times Literary Supplement;"Clare finds hope in the grit and vision of the conservationists he meets on his travels." The Independent

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisFully updated for 2025, showcasing clear, detailed European mapping from the experts at the AA in a handy foldable map. Features include ski resorts, ferry routes, national and main administrative boundaries. A practical, slimline format with clear, multi-scale mapping of Europe and including city plans of popular destinations.

Read more less

Book SynopsisRoman Krznaric is a social philosopher who writes about the power of ideas to create change. His internationally bestselling books, including The Good Ancestor, Empathy, and Carpe Diem Regained, have been published in more than twenty-five languages. He is Senior Research Fellow at Oxford University's Centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing and founder of the world's first Empathy Museum. After growing up in Sydney and Hong Kong, Roman studied at the universities of Oxford, London and Essex, where he gained his PhD in political science. His writings have been widely influential amongst political and ecological campaigners, education reformers, social entrepreneurs and designers. An acclaimed public speaker, his talks and workshops have taken him from a London prison to the TED global stage.Roman is a member of the Club of Rome and a Research Fellow of the Long Now Foundation. He previously worked as an academic, a gardener and a humanTrade ReviewThis is the book our children's children will thank us for reading * The Edge, U2 *Roman Krznaric's brilliant book The Good Ancestor champions the long-term thinking that could lead us out of our multiple disasters. * George Monbiot *Beautiful to read, heartfelt and persuasive The Good Ancestor is one of those landmark books with the power to shift a mindset. One turns the pages feeling a growing compulsion for change. Krznaric’s clarion call for long-term thinking makes him an ancestor all future generations can be proud of * Isabella Tree, author of Wilding *A philosopher's contribution to saving the world * Andrew Anthony, Observer *Packed with commonsense advice on how to develop an uncommon habit * Irish Times *

Read more less

Book SynopsisA beautiful, full-colour guided nature journal from award-winning novelist and nature writer Melissa Harrison. ''Nobody writes about the natural world like her''INDIA KNIGHT''Absolutely gorgeous . . . never has there been a nicer way to learn''KATE BRADBURYWelcome to your own, personal nature journal, and a new way of being in the world.A year-long course in noticing, you can start in any month and follow the stories unfolding around you - wherever you live. Featuring monthly guides, birdsong to listen out for, beautiful illustrations, checklists and tips, Homecoming will help you connect to nature, boost your wellbeing and plug you back into the rhythm of the seasons. Write down the very best thing you experience in nature each day and learn how to establish your own rituals, high points and habits to carry you through the year.

Read more less

Book Synopsis**A FINANCIAL TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022**'Powerful... a clarion call for change', New Statesman'Poetic and philosophical at times, intimate and expansive at others', Daily TelegraphHow much light is too much light? The Darkness Manifesto urges us to cherish natural darkness for the sake of the environment, our own wellbeing, and all life on earth.The world's flora and fauna have evolved to operate in the natural cycle of day and night. But constant illumination has made light pollution a major issue. From space, our planet glows brightly, 24/7. By extending our day, we have forced out the inhabitants of the night and disrupted the circadian rhythms necessary to sustain all living things. Our cities' streetlamps and neon signs are altering entire ecosystems.Johan Eklöf encourages us to appreciate natural darkness and its unique benefits. He also writes passionately about the domino effect of damage we inflict by keeping the lights on: insects failing to reproduce; birds blinded and bewildered; bats starving as they wait in vain for insects that only come out in the dark. And humans can find that our hormones, weight and mental well-being are all impacted.Eye-opening and ultimately encouraging, The Darkness Manifesto offers simple steps that can benefit ourselves and the planet.The light bulb - long the symbol of progress - needs to be turned off. To ensure a bright future, we must embrace the darknessTrade ReviewPoetic and philosophical at times, intimate and expansive at others * Daily Telegraph *Superb... takes us on an exciting journey through multiple and fascinating areas of nocturnal biology... A critically important must-read for all who have an interest in the health of our planet * Russell Foster, author of Life Time *A powerful contribution to our understanding of the harm we're causing, and a clarion call for change * New Statesman *Absolutely wonderful, full of graceful insight and gentle persuasion -- Chris Goodall, author of What We Need to Do NowI never knew the night could be this fascinating or that there was so much I wanted to know about it. Highly recommendable read * Nicklas Brendborg, author of Jellyfish Age Backwards *An urgent and erudite hymn to the night, composed by a scientist with the soul of a poet * Chloe Aridjis, author of Book of Clouds *A scintillating read by a conservationist of true literary flair * Rebecca Giggs, award-winning author of Fathoms *A sophisticated exploration of the unintended consequences of artificial light on human society and the health of our planet, The Darkness Manifesto blends science with lyrical prose to draw attention to the immense importance of the night-time to all living organisms * *Waterstones' Best Popular Science Books of 2022* *Accessible, fascinating, and stimulating [...] acts as a siren call for anyone who is concerned about the affect of humanity on our environment. The Darkness Manifesto opens eyes, hearts, and minds to beauty of darkness, and the importance of its continued existence * LoveReading.co.uk *Powerful ... Eklöf [shows] it is time for us to re-embrace darkness, both for nature's sake and our own * iNews *Eklöf underlines that only a fraction of outdoor artificial light benefits us... It is time for us all to re-embrace darkness, both for nature's sake and our own * Scotsman *A pleasure to read [and] a paean of praise for natural darkness in its own right * Financial Times *Best Books of 2022: Science* *Eklöf lays out the psychology, philosophy and politics behind the spread of illumination. Embracing the darkness isn't going to be easy ... Thankfully, Eklöf's last chapter is a manifesto of actionable points to befriend darkness [and] do our bit to try to save this spottily, but still too brightly, lit planet * New Scientist *Eklöf expresses his fears with cogent clarity in The Darkness Manifesto ... [and] takes his argument around the world [with] a style that is sometimes elegiac and often urgent ... the world needs to accelerate its embrace of darkness. To quote Eklöf's concluding phrase, carpe noctem * Financial Times *Johan Eklöf's book is a chilling account of the nemesis that is gathering pace and fury... building a compelling case against our colonial expansion into the trashing of the night * Literary Review *This book...show[s] how vital the darkness is to so many creatures and plants... its message is clear and stirring - the dark is necessary and we continue to dilute it at the Earth's peril * Geographical *An expansive and philosophical examination of our relationship with light and darkness... Eklöf weaves a gentle tapestry of reflective Nature writing combined with fierce, science-backed passion... powerful * Resurgence & Ecologist *At once rousing and poetic, this illuminating manifesto is full of precisely the kind of pocketable scientific titbits that will keep you reading well after your bedside light should have been switched off * Guardian *

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe perfect gift for anyone with a desire to see the Northern Lights. Discover the incomparable beauty of the Northern Lights with this accessible guide for aspiring astronomers and seasoned night sky observers. Covers the essential equipment needed for observation and photography and full of stunning photographs.Trade ReviewA wonderfully comprehensive and well-written guide about all facets of Northern Lights-hunting. You’ll find enjoyment from this excellent guide to a fabulous natural phenomenon.★★★★★Jamie Carter, BBC Sky at Night Magazine

Read more less

Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE 2023 JAMES CROPPER WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR NATURE WRITING''Unparalleled.'' THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE''A true masterpiece.'' TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT''A tour de force.'' GUY SHRUBSOLE''Quietly courageous.'' PATRICK BARKHAM''Lyrical, wholehearted and wise.'' LEE SCHOFIELD''A knockout. I loved it.'' MELISSA HARRISON''Honest, raw and moving.'' SOPHIE PAVELLE''An extraordinary book by an extraordinary author.'' CHRIS JONES''A book of wit, wonder and of wisdom.'' NICK ACHESON''Beautiful.'' NICOLA CHESTERA visit to the rapid where she lost a cherished friend unexpectedly reignites Amy-Jane Beer''s love of rivers setting her on a journey of natural, cultural and emotional discovery.On New Year''s Day 2012, Amy-Jane Beer''s beloved friend Kate set out with a group of others to kayak the River Rawthey in Cumbria. Kate never came home, anTrade ReviewA true masterpiece; generous, elegant, acute, tender and furious. -- Charles Foster * Times Literary Supplement *The perfect commingling of deep research with sparkling observation and quiet eddies of feeling, helmed by a lifelong kayaker, biologist and all-round adventurous soul... small wonder The Flow is such a knockout. I loved it. * author of All Among the Barley *A rich mix of history and mythology, of science and nature writing at its very best. -- PD Smith * The Guardian *Our 2023 Nature Book of the Year winner is regrettably very topical, and every judge absolutely loved the book. The glorious detail and personal experiences, all written in such elegant and beautifully poetic language, was unparalleled. -- Alastair Giles * Director of the James Cropper Wainwright Prize *A quietly courageous, open-hearted exploration of Britain's becks, bourns and streams. -- Patrick Barkham * author of The Butterfly Isles *Lyrical, wholehearted and wise, The Flow is a hymn for the rivers of Britain. -- Lee Schofield * author of Wild Fell *Honest, raw and moving, Amy’s prose is as captivating as the rivers she describes. I thought I knew what rivers were, but this stunning book is a powerful reminder of their infinity, their mystery, and their bewildering complexity. -- Sophie Pavelle * author of Forget Me Not *The Flow moves deftly between deeply touching personal experience and carefully-researched erudition. It is a book of wit, of wonder and of wisdom. -- Nick Acheson, naturalist and conservationistThe Flow is an extraordinary book by an extraordinary author.In a golden age for nature writing, this stunning book is one of the very best. -- Ben Hoare * BBC Countryfile *A gutsy biologist with webbed feet, Amy-Jane Beer plunges the reader into rivers the length and breadth of Britain. We emerge bathed in wonder and full of fresh understanding. -- Derek Niemann * author of Birds in a Cage *Part memoir, part celebration of the many rivers and waters of Britain, The Flow is passionately alive – a work of tremendous range and scope by one of our finest writers about the living world. -- Caspar Henderson * author of The Book of Barely Imagined Beings *The Flow is a tour de force: blending crystal-clear prose with mythic poetry and a cascade of lucid facts, washed down with uplifting insights into life, death and the water that sustains us. -- Guy Shrubsole * author of Who Owns England? *A fascinating travelogue […] Beer’s prose has the luminous beauty of poetry, blending personal experience and absorbing research with a sense of awe. -- Hannah Beckerman * The Observer *Haunted by loss, The Flow is about the urgency of a life, land and love. -- Nicola Chester * author of On Gallows Down *From the incredibly moving opening scene, to a delightful conclusion, Amy-Jane Beer takes us on a journey on, in and through the waterways of Britain, in sparkling prose. A worthy successor to Roger Deakin's Waterlog. -- Stephen Moss * author of The Robin *The Flow is a wonderful book: as passionate as it is knowledgeable. From Yorkshire Derwent to Dart to Dee via the Zanskar, Amy-Jane Beer really does take us, in her phrase, ‘as close as we might ever get to being a river’. -- Mark Wormald * author of The Catch *A fascinating mix of research into our waterways and gut-wrenching emotion. I can’t find the words to do it justice: read it! -- Charlotte Smith, broadcaster * BBC Countryfile *With a poet’s gift for description, Beer makes her global travels vivid […] She’s got an ability to make even a small moment resonate, such as her child’s serendipitous discovery of a carnivorous sundew plant, with sharp prose and quick pacing. The result is an aquatic tour de force. * Publishers Weekly *Beer’s book examines the reverential place rivers hold in our culture and the stories hidden in their depths. -- Joe Shute * The Sunday Telegraph *A sublime and companionable meditation on nature’s processes. -- Charles Foster * Times Literary Supplement *I have read dozens of books about rivers and The Flow is one of the finest. -- David Profumo * Country Life *Necessary reading for us all. -- Julie Brominicks, landscape writer * BBC Countryfile *This erudite book is a joyous combination of science, nature, history, and mythology […] a genuinely moving voyage of discovery of our ecological and personal place in the nature that surrounds us. * Yorkshire Life *The Flow is an epic memoir that inspires awe for rivers and reveals their dual nature as both boundaries and portals. -- Kristine Morris * Foreword Reviews *Beer’s moving book is about water and landscapes as well as friendship, memory, loss and resilience. It is full of quiet wisdom and passion, and shows us what words can do when the personal and the ecological are blended organically. -- Elif Shafak * New Statesman *Water courses through biologist Amy-Jane Beer’s deep-dive into the lyrical beauty of Britain’s rivers. * Country & Town House *Simply beautiful. -- Stephen MossThe Flow is gutsy and profound from the off, with exquisite evocation of place, dives into deep time, moments of humour and surging anger at what we’ve done to our rivers. -- Ben Hoare * BBC Countryfile *As with all the best books about nature, The Flow is a marriage of two things: a hard-won knowledge of the subject and a rare ability to write beautifully [...] a warm and immersive book. -- Ian Carter * British Wildlife *Beautiful book. -- Nicola Chester * RSPB Magazine *Table of ContentsPrologue: Only water, moving on Chapter 1: Fresh and yet so very old Eddy: Snow dome Chapter 2: Torrent Eddy: Hollowing Chapter 3: Oak-water Eddy: Groundwater Chapter 4: Fly while we may Eddy: Dark water Chapter 5: Lines upon the land Meander: Bath toys Chapter 6: The meanings of water Eddy: Otter Chapter 7: The Bell Guy and the Gypsey Chapter 8: A willow grows aslant a brook Eddy: Minus seven Chapter 9: The cry of the Dart Meander: Flow Chapter 10: Trespassers will Eddy: Summer on the Nene Chapter 11: Chalk stream dreaming Eddy: Heron Chapter 12: Land covered by water Eddy: High water Chapter 13: Ouroboros Meander: Ghosts in the willows Chapter 14: The silver fish Chapter 15: Light and water Eddy: Damnation Chapter 16: Anadrome Chapter 17: Riverwoods Eddy: Flowover Chapter 18: Confluence and influence Meander: A river released Chapter 19: The Mucky Beck Eddy: Withow Gap Chapter 20: Rodents of unusual size Eddy: The narrow bridge Chapter 21: Heartland Chapter 22: A descent into Hell Gill (and out the other side) Epilogue Author’s note and acknowledgements Further reading Index

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisCarbon colonialism shows how the impact of climate change, including the slow-burn disasters of droughts and floods, is traded out by wealthier countries and imported by less wealthy ones as the price of economic growth. -- .

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn ever-increasing proportion of our lives is spent in supermarkets, airports and hotels, on motorways or in front of TVs, computer and cash machines. This invasion of the world by what Marc Auge calls 'non-space' results in a profound alteration of awareness: something we perceive, but only in a partial and incoherent manner. Auge uses the concept of 'supermodernity' to describe the logic of these late-capitalist phenomena - a logic of excessive information and excessive space. In this fascinating and lucid essay he seeks to establish and intellectual armature for an anthropology of supermodernity. Starting with an attempt to disentangle anthropology from history, Auge goes on to map the distinction between place, encrusted with historical monuments and creative social life, and non-place, to which individuals are connected in a uniform manner and where no organic social life is possible.Unlike Baudelairean modernity, where old and new are interwoven, supermodernity is self-contained: from the motorway or aircraft, local or exotic particularities are presented two-dimensionally as a sort of theme-park spectacle. Auge does not suggest that supermodernity is all-encompassing: place still exist outside non-place and tend to reconstitute themselves inside it. But he argues powerfully that we are in transit through non-place for more and more of our time, as if between immense parentheses, and concludes that this new form of solitude should become the subject of an anthropology of its own.Trade ReviewUnsettling, elegantly written and illuminating: essential reading for anyone seeking to understand our supermodern condition. -- PD Smith * Guardian *Shopping malls, motorways, airport lounges-we are all familiar with these curious spaces which are both everywhere and nowhere. But only now do we have a coherent analysis of their far-reaching effects on public and private experience. Marc Augé has become their anthropologist, and has written a timely and original book. -- Patrick WrightIt is indeed very seldom that one finds it difficult to put down a book because of the intellectual excitement it generates. Augé's Non-Places is such a book-a powerful message, modestly delivered, which stands out as a unique and refreshing anthropological voice. * Current Anthropology *Table of ContentsIntroduction to the Second EditionPrologueThe Near and the ElsewhereAnthropological PlaceFrom Places to Non-PlacesEpilogueA Brief Bibliography

Read more less

Book SynopsisCaptain Scott's own account of his tragic race with Roald Amundsen for the South Pole thrilled the world in 1913. This new edition of his Journals publishes for the first time a complete list of the changes made to Scott's original text before publication.Trade ReviewDefinitive...Max Jones and the publishers are to be congratulated on this new version of a classic story, and for offering it at such a reasonable price. It should be the last word for a very long time. * Polar Record 42 *The mother of all books about walking ..beautiful edition. * Irish Timesn *

Read more less