Nature and the natural world: general interest Books

2737 products


  • iSPY Rivers and Canals

    HarperCollins Publishers iSPY Rivers and Canals

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisBeat the boredom and take time out from screens with this pocket-sized book packed with facts, photos and fantastic spots for hours of fun!Kids will have fun collecting points outdoors with more than 140 things to find. From ducks to dragonflies, towpaths to bridges, they'll learn all about the waterways and surrounding nature. And once they've scored 1000 points, super-spotters can claim their official i-SPY certificate and badge.With more than 30 i-SPY books to collect, there's something for everyone!For even more fun outdoors check out i-SPY On a walk (ISBN 978000-8562731).Trade Review“A fun, interactive way to encourage curious children to learn about the world around them.” – Parents In touch

    Out of stock

    £6.55

  • iSPY Churches and Cathedrals

    HarperCollins Publishers iSPY Churches and Cathedrals

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisBeat the boredom and take time out from screens with this pocket-sized book packed with facts, photos and fantastic spots for hours of fun!Kids will have fun collecting points when visiting churches and cathedrals with more than 140 things to find. From altars to spires, choirs to bell ringers, they'll learn all about these places of worship along the way. And once they've scored 1000 points, super-spotters can claim their official i-SPY certificate and badge.With more than 30 i-SPY books to collect, there's something for everyone!For even more spotting fun check out i-SPY London (ISBN 9780008386450).Trade Review“A fun, interactive way to encourage curious children to learn about the world around them.” – Parents In touch

    2 in stock

    £5.68

  • iSPY On the Farm

    HarperCollins Publishers iSPY On the Farm

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisBeat the boredom and take time out from screens with this pocket-sized book packed with facts, photos and fantastic spots for hours of fun!Kids will have fun collecting points on a visit to the farm with more than 140 things to find. From animals to machinery, crops to fruit and vegetables, they'll learn all about farming along the way. And once they've scored 1000 points, super-spotters can claim their official i-SPY certificate and badge.With more than 30 i-SPY books to collect, there's something for everyone!For even more fun outdoors check out i-SPY Rivers and Canals (ISBN 9780008562694).Trade Review“A fun, interactive way to encourage curious children to learn about the world around them.” – Parents In touch

    Out of stock

    £6.55

  • iSPY on a walk

    HarperCollins Publishers iSPY on a walk

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisBeat the boredom and take time out from screens with this pocket-sized book packed with facts, photos and fantastic spots for hours of fun!Kids will have fun collecting points outdoors with more than 140 things to find. From plants and animals to buildings and transport, they'll learn all about their surroundings, whether they're on a walk in the town, countryside, in the mountains or by the sea. And once they've scored 1000 points, super-spotters can claim their official i-SPY certificate and badge.With more than 30 i-SPY books to collect, there's something for everyone!For even more fun outdoors check out i-SPY Rivers and Canals (ISBN 9780008562694).Trade Review“A fun, interactive way to encourage curious children to learn about the world around them.” – Parents In touch

    15 in stock

    £5.62

  • The Lie of the Land

    HarperCollins Publishers The Lie of the Land

    15 in stock

    Book Synopsis*SHORTLISTED FOR THE WESTMINSTER BOOK AWARDS AND THE UNWIN AWARD**LONGLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE**A WATERSTONES AND GUARDIAN BEST BOOK OF 2024*''Both dynamite and medicine'' AMY-JANE BEER''Timely and rousing'' THE TIMES________________________________The lie of the land: that Britain's landowners care for the countryside.Our landowning elite are paid billions of taxpayer pounds to be good stewards. But these same landowners have carelessly trampled over our best-loved landscapes, leaving the rivers polluted, fenlands drained, and moorlands burned.Guy Shrubsole has travelled across Britain to expose the lie and meet the communities fighting back to restore our lost landscapes. This is a bold, shared vision for our nation's wild places, and how we can treat them with the awe and care they deserve.*Guy Shrubsole''s The Lost Rainforests of Britain was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 2023-04-30*

    15 in stock

    £9.89

  • Our Planet

    HarperCollins Publishers Our Planet

    7 in stock

    7 in stock

    £12.99

  • The Ten Trusts What We Must Do to Care for the

    HarperCollins Publishers Inc The Ten Trusts What We Must Do to Care for the

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £13.49

  • The Snoring Bird

    HarperCollins Publishers Inc The Snoring Bird

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisAlthough Gerd Heinrich, a devoted naturalist, specialized in wasps, Bernd Heinrich tried to distance himself from his old-fashioned father, becoming a hybrid: a modern, experimental biologist with a naturalist''s sensibilities. In this extraordinary memoir, the award-winning author shares the ways in which his relationship with his father, combined with his unique childhood, molded him into the scientist, and man, he is today. From Gerd''s days as a soldier in Europe and the family''s daring escape from the Red Army in 1945 to the rustic Maine farm they came to call home, Heinrich relates it all in his trademark style, making science accessible and awe-inspiring.

    15 in stock

    £17.09

  • Holy the Firm

    HarperCollins Publishers Inc Holy the Firm

    3 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    3 in stock

    £11.99

  • Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

    HarperCollins Publishers Inc Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisWinner of the Pulitzer Prize“The book is a form of meditation, written with headlong urgency, about seeing. . . . There is an ambition about [Dillard''s] book that I like. . . . It is the ambition to feel.” — Eudora Welty, New York Times Book ReviewPilgrim at Tinker Creek is the story of a dramatic year in Virginia''s Roanoke Valley, where Annie Dillard set out to chronicle incidents of beauty tangled in a rapture with violence.Dillard''s personal narrative highlights one year''s exploration on foot in the Virginia region through which Tinker Creek runs. In the summer, she stalks muskrats in the creek and contemplates wave mechanics; in the fall, she watches a monarch butterfly migration and dreams of Arctic caribou. She tries to con a coot; she collects pond water and examines it under a microscope. She unties a snake skin, witnesses a flood, and plays King of

    Out of stock

    £15.19

  • Fire Season

    HarperCollins Publishers Inc Fire Season

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis“Fire Season both evokes and honors the great hermit celebrants of nature, from Dillard to Kerouac to Thoreau—and I loved it.”—J.R. Moehringer, author of The Tender Bar“[Connors’s] adventures in radical solitude make for profoundly absorbing, restorative reading.”—Walter Kirn, author of Up in the AirPhillip Connors is a major new voice in American nonfiction, and his remarkable debut, Fire Season, is destined to become a modern classic. An absorbing chronicle of the days and nights of one of the last fire lookouts in the American West, Fire Season is a marvel of a book, as rugged and soulful as Matthew Crawford’s bestselling Shop Class as Soulcraft, and it immediately places Connors in the august company of Edward Abbey, Annie Dillard, Aldo Leopold, Barry Lopez, and others in the respected fraternity of hard-boiled nature writers.

    Out of stock

    £16.19

  • The Tree

    HarperCollins The Tree

    15 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    15 in stock

    £15.29

  • Show Dog

    HarperCollins Show Dog

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisBy spending a year alongside rising star Jack, a champion Australian Shepherd, and his friends, this book explores the history of breeding and of dog shows, and all the many related peculiarities: judging, training, naming, promoting, hair styling, kennel owning, RV driving, hotel finding, treat selecting, and more.Trade Review"A wonderful, charming look at the sport of dogs and dog shows and an absolute must read for anyone looking to get involved." -- Pat Hastings, AKC Judge and author of Tricks of the Trade "A hilarious chronicle of blow-dried poodles, diva trainers and egregious canine puns. Above all, though, this is an irresistible story about the wondrous bond between humans and animals." -- Mark Adams, author of Turn Right at Machu Picchu "Filled with heart and humor, bringing to life extravagant characters, pampered pooches, and over-the-top humans without falling prey to tired stereotypes. That's because it's not really about animal beauty pageants; it's about the unyielding bond between people and dogs and what they'll do to make each other happy." -- Jim Gorant, author of The Lost Dogs "As I was sucked into the story of Jack the show dog, I began to understand the subtleties of the sport, the amazing talents of these animals, and the affecting human-and canine- drama behind the show." -- John Hodgman, author of That is All "Fascinating and funny...as I was sucked into the story of Jack the show dog, I began to understand the subtleties of the sport, the amazing talents of these animals, and the affecting human-and canine-drama behind the show." -- John Hodgman, author of That is All "A well-written, entertaining and accurate look at our great sport of dog shows ... Dean makes you feel like you are right there with a brush or a show lead in your handa ... a great accessory for anyone who wants to know more." -- David Frei, Voice of The Westminster Kennel Club and The National Dog Show and author of Angel On A Leash "Terrific" -- Colin McEnroe, WNPR "Superb" -- Michael Solomon, The Guardian "Excellent" -- Benoit Denizet-Lewis, Cesar Milan blog "If you don't know your toy group from your terriers, pick up this beguiling nonfiction account that follows Jack, a lovable, handsome Australian shepherd and an aspiring Best in Show." -- Entertainment Weekly "Show Dog is the real thing with focus, frustration, commitment, passion, ambition and a bit of celebration at times. In the process, it is remarkably informative while delivering vivid, priceless, behind-the-scenes snapshots and a few bizarre characters from small-town America to Manhattan." -- Ranny Green, Seattle Kennel Club "Fascinating and often very funny." -- Star magazine "Eccentric and really fascinating, sometimes treacherous, behind-the-grooming-stand look at the show circuit." -- Virginia Prescott, New Hampshire Public Radio "The literary answer to that laugh-out-loud movie Best in Show." -- Craig Wilson, USA Today "A spellbinding diary written by an outsider looking in, and it's filled with intriguing observations and lessons learned. It's also quite poignant at times. Think of the movie Best in Show and then dial it back just a hair." -- David Baker, Pet Adviser "Amazing, absolutely amazing. No matter how much you think you know about dog shows, this is the real deal. It's not just the whole history, so beautifully interwoven - [Dean has] really delved in and shown this world from every possible angle, and remarkably uncritically." -- Tracie Hotchner, DogTalk Radio "Show Dog added greatly to my already over-the-top love for the subject. Josh has written an absorbing, intimate and good-natured journey into the making of a champion. If you're like me, you'll come for the dogs, but you'll stay for the people." -- Mary Carillo, sportscaster, co-host 2012 Westminster Show "With Dean, curiosity reigns, making it possible to enter this subculture without the fanaticism of a disciple or the condescension of a cynic. He delivers an earnest, wry, and humorous look into what possesses people to spend nearly all their free time and money [showing dogs]." -- Wendy Toth, Petside.com "A tale that represents the world of show dogs fairly and factually in a fashion that people outside our cloistered community will understand and appreciate. It may even persuade a few to join us." -- Billy Wheeler, Best in Show Daily

    15 in stock

    £16.94

  • The Big Bad Book of Botany

    HarperCollins Publishers Inc The Big Bad Book of Botany

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisTrade Review"A fascinating journey. ... If you like animals and odd stories and gooey oddities then this one is for you." -- Examiner.com on The Big, Bad Book of Beasts "An expert guide. ... Delves into truth and lore about our furry friends." -- Miami New Times on The Big, Bad Book of Beasts "Amazingly entertaining." -- Maxim on Final Exits "A literary walk through an amazing botanical garden. ... Full of fun facts and surprising legends, the book is a great read for both plant-lovers and novices alike. I thoroughly enjoyed it and learned a lot - broccoli will never look the same!" -- Dr. Ellen Prager, oceanographer and Safina Center Fellow on The Big, Bad Book of Botany "A fascinating summary of some of the most famous and important plants grown around the world." -- Dr. F.G. (Eric) Hochberg, Curator Emeritus, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History "This gracefully written book will appeal to general readers interested in botany, who will enjoy browsing information on a wide variety of strange and/or useful plants." -- Library Journal "In a quirky, alphabetical collection of folklore, traditional botany, growing suggestions, and modern science and nutrition, Largo shares delight in the weird and wonderful corners of the plant world. ... Colorful. ... Largo's palpable enthusiasm means every page yields something to catch the reader's interest." -- Publishers Weekly "Largo has the gift of transforming a nerdy catalog of facts into an apothecary of invigorating information. His encyclopedic knowledge is never an end in itself, but it is always an engine for historical insight and reflection on human nature." -- BookPage "Not your standard reference book. ... Written with an eye for humor and cocktail-party-friendly trivia, this botanical exploration can serve as a coffee-table piece or conversation starter." -- Shelf Awareness "All the exuberance of a kid's garden." -- Wall Street Journal "A very cool, quirky look at the plant kingdom." -- Miami New Times "This combination of history, mythology, lore, science and sheer entertainment takes us on a tour of the world's most unusual plants." -- Sacramento Bee "[A]n entertaining compendium of unusual plants. Full of history and intriguing cultural tidbits." -- Miami Herald "[A] compendium of unusual botanical knowledge. ... Perfect pre-Halloween reading for gardeners with a slightly twisted take on their flower beds." -- Sacramento Bee "Wonderfully weird. ... Largo does an excellent job of showing both historical background and present-day uses." -- Garden & Gun "What happens when a wise-guy plant nut tosses all the amazing, and occasionally really odd, botanical lore he can think of into a well produced book? You get a wild ride through the plant world. ... A real kick to read." -- The American Gardener "Fascinating. ... A great book to have." -- Steve Young, New York Flora Association "A useful, thorough A-Z study of the plant kingdom. ... Largo's amusing anecdotes will interest even people with brown thumbs. ... Fans of Largo... are now assured that it's a weird, wonderful world." -- Oregonian

    Out of stock

    £15.55

  • The Abundance

    HarperCollins Publishers Inc The Abundance

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisIn recognition of her long and lauded career as a master essayist, a landmark collection including her most beloved pieces and some rarely seen work, rigorously curated by the Pulitzer-Prize winning author herself“A writer who never seems tired, who has never plodded her way through a page or sentence, Dillard can only be enjoyed by a wide-awake reader,” warns Geoff Dyer in his introduction to this stellar collection. Carefully culled from her past work, The Abundance is quintessential Annie Dillard, delivered in her fierce and undeniably singular voice, filled with fascinating detail and metaphysical fact. The pieces within will exhilarate both admiring fans and a new generation of readers, having been “re-framed and re-hung,” with fresh editing and reordering by the author, to situate these now seminal works within her larger canon.The Abundance reminds us that Dillard’s brand of “novelized nonfic

    1 in stock

    £15.29

  • The Abundance

    HarperCollins Publishers Inc The Abundance

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £19.49

  • Shake

    HarperCollins Publishers Inc Shake

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £11.69

  • In Defense of Hunting

    HarperCollins In Defense of Hunting

    15 in stock

    15 in stock

    £11.39

  • Wisdom from a Humble Jellyfish

    HarperCollins Publishers Inc Wisdom from a Humble Jellyfish

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisA delightfully illustrated guide to harnessing the rhythms of nature for self-care.We could all learn a thing or two about living in balance from our friends in the plant and animal kingdom. Take, for example, the jellyfish, one of the most energy-efficient animals in the world, moving through the ocean by contracting and relaxing, with frequent breaks in between. Or the avocado tree, which can credit its existence to a mutually beneficial relationship with the pre-historic sloth, followed by some hungry, hungry humans and the advent of agriculture. And then there is the oyster, producing a pearl as the result of an immune response when a grain of sand invades her system. What better example exists of how adversity can produce something beautiful?We need look no farther than nature—from the habits of the porcupine to the sunflower to the wombat to the dragonfly—for small and simple things we can do to slow down, rechTrade Review"Shah's humor is infectious, and her breezy approach makes learning from shrimp, sloths, spiders, and wombats, among many others, unexpectedly rewardigng." — Publishers Weekly

    2 in stock

    £11.69

  • A Short Philosophy of Birds

    HarperCollins Publishers Inc A Short Philosophy of Birds

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis“This little book does a beautiful job of inspiring awe for the capacities of birds and applying lessons from their lives to the struggles of humanity”   — Wall Street Journal“Brilliant, magical and engrossing-I will never see birds the same way again.”   — Peter Wohlleben, author of The Hidden Life of TreesTHE INTERNATIONAL PHENOMENONTwenty-two short lessons from the secret lives of birds on living harmoniously and reconnecting with nature.This charming volume on bird behavior invites us to take a step back from our busy lives and to listen to the tiny philosophers of the sky. From the delicate sparrow to the majestic eagle, birds are among the most fascinating species on earth, and there is much to be learned from these pa

    Out of stock

    £15.99

  • Pastoral Song

    HarperCollins Publishers Inc Pastoral Song

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £16.14

  • Pastoral Song

    HarperCollins Publishers Inc Pastoral Song

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisThe acclaimed chronicle of the regeneration of one family''s traditional English farmNATIONAL BESTSELLER * Winner of the Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing * Named Nature Book of the Year by the Sunday Times * New York Times Editors'' Choice * Shortlisted for the Orwell Prize and the Royal Society of Literature''s Ondaatje Prize * A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Sunday Times, Financial Times, New Statesman, Independent, Telegraph, Observer, and Daily MailSuperbly written and deeply insightful, the book captivates the reader until the journey’s end.” — Wall Street JournalThe New York Times bestselling author of The Shepherd’s Life profiles his family’s farm across three generations, revealing through this intimate lens the profound global transformation of agriculture and of the human relationship to the

    Out of stock

    £21.74

  • Grounded

    HarperCollins Publishers Inc Grounded

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisFrom the author of The Oak Papers comes a beautiful meditation on how to foster a profound and healing spiritual communion with the natural world, exploring how the sacred can be accessed by looking to the past, to our ancestors and how they tread through their worlds.?Canton''s writing has an exquisite, somewhat dreamlike quality.??Peter Wohlleben, author of The Hidden Life of TreesWhen James Canton walked into Suffolk?s Lindsey Chapel, it was the beginning of what would become a new journey in his life?hours away from the bustling city of London and distant from the years in his early twenties when he traveled from Egypt to Argentina. Standing inside the quaint chapel, Canton realized that his past cosmopolitan desires had been replaced by an intense yearning to understand the history of the place he called home, a burning curiosity about the past and the spiritual ways and beliefs of the people who came before us.In Grounded, Canton retraces his steps into the places where our ancestors have experienced profound emotion, otherwise known as numinous experiences, to help us better understand who we are. Through lyrical meditation, reflection, and a thoughtful consideration of the ways and beliefs of the people who came before us, Canton seeks to know what our ancestors considered to be human, and what lessons we can learn from them to find security in our contemporary selves. Steeped in literary and folklore references, Grounded is a powerful exploration of the power of nature to soothe, nourish, and inspire the human soul.

    Out of stock

    £21.74

  • Dream Drawings

    HarperCollins Publishers Inc Dream Drawings

    15 in stock

    Book Synopsis“[Momaday] must be ranked among the greatest of our contemporary writers.”—American ScholarMomaday’s poems are rich with description, lush with dreaming, and filled with magic. — Library Journal (starred review)From Pulitzer Prize winner and revered literary master N. Scott Momaday, a beautiful and enchanting new poetry collection, at once a celebration of language, imagination, and the human spirit.“Language and the imagination work hand in hand, and together they enable us to reveal us to ourselves in story. That is indeed a magical process. . . . We imagine and we dream, and we translate our dreams into language.” —from the PrefaceA singular voice in American letters, Momaday’s love of language and storytelling are on full display in this brilliant new collection comprising one hundred sketcTrade Review"The 100 poems and short sketches . . . are as simple and complex as our collective existence. . . . Each is a small gem, a glass seed that is part of the pattern on a piece of Native beadwork: By itself it has its own character and texture, its own beauty and completeness. Woven or sewn into the pattern created by the artist, the individual beads together anchor the art and become the design that tells the larger story." — Minneapolis Star Tribune “The iconic Kiowa writer. . . [draws] deeply from dreams, fantasies, personal remembrance, and the wellspring of Native American spirituality to dissolve distinctions between the real and the surreal. . . . Bite-size snacks for the metaphysical appetite.” — Kirkus "Add another entry of mystical lyrics to the still-expanding oeuvre of prolific Kiowa folklorist, novelist, and illustrator Momaday. . . . The book's long view and even pace bring out the best insights of this octogenarian's flourishing career." — Booklist "Momaday’s poems are rich with description, lush with dreaming, and filled with magic. Essential for Indigenous collections and highly recommended for poetry lovers generally." — Library Journal (starred review) "A collection that celebrates language, invention, humanity, and the natural world." — Publishers Weekly "We couldn’t imagine a better soundtrack for a thoughtful weekend walk down whatever dream-like springtime trails you might have at hand." — Paste Magazine (on the audiobook of Dream Drawings) "In many ways, to read Momaday is to read the land. It is to encounter the earth alive with wind and sunlight, with plants and animals, and to know all of it—each aspect of the world—by name. It is also to renew a reverence for beauty and a feeling of hope." — Stanford Magazine

    15 in stock

    £15.30

  • HarperCollins Returning Light

    2 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    2 in stock

    £13.09

  • The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2023

    HarperCollins Publishers Inc The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2023

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisAward-winning writer, columnist, and journalists Carl Zimmer selects twenty science and nature essays that represent the best examples of the form published in 2022.A collection of the best science and nature articles written in 2022, selected by guest editor Carl Zimmer and series editor Jaime Green. Trade Review“Captivating. . . . The contributors showcase science journalism’s capacity to educate while entertaining, and the timely bent of the selections gives the collection a sense of urgency. . . . Readers will be enthralled.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

    1 in stock

    £13.49

  • Stories in the Stars

    Cornerstone Stories in the Stars

    1 in stock

    Book Synopsis***AS READ ON BBC RADIO 4***Travel the night sky and discover the stories in the stars. What a beautiful book it is! A treasured possession.' Mary Beard ''No astronomy book can claim to be as beautiful as the night sky, but Stories in the Stars comes closest!'' Tristan GooleyLook up: above us is a jet-black canvas pricked with white dots, and a carnival of animals, mythical creatures, gods and goddesses in its shining constellations. Here, Susanna Hislop writer and stargazer and Hannah Waldron international artist leap between centuries, cultures and traditions to present a whole universe of stories in all their blazing glory. Stories in the Stars is an imaginative and whimsical exploration of each of the night sky's 88 constellations: a playful and stunningly illustrated compendium.Trade ReviewWhat a beautiful book it is! A treasured possession. -- Mary BeardNo astronomy book can claim to be as beautiful as the night sky, but Stories in the Stars comes closest! I'm learning something new every day and having a lot of fun in the process. -- Tristan Gooley, The Natural Navigator

    1 in stock

    £21.25

  • Wonderful Life

    Vintage Publishing Wonderful Life

    3 in stock

    Book SynopsisHigh in the Canadian Rockies is a small limestone quarry formed 530 million years ago. Called the Burgess Shale, it holds the remains of an ancient sea where dozens of strange creatures lived - a forgotten corner of evolution preserved in incredible detail. In this book Stephen Jay Gould explores what the Burgess Shale might tell us about evolution and the nature of history.The Darwinian theory of evolution is a well-known, well-explored area. But there is one aspect of human life which this theory of evolution fails to account for: chance. Using the brilliantly preserved fossil fauna of the Burgess Shale as his case study, Gould argues that chance was in fact one of the decisive factors in the evolution of life on this planet, and that, with a flip of coin, everything could have been very different indeed.Trade ReviewA masterpiece of analysis and imagination...It centres on a sensational discovery in the field of palaeontology - the existence, in the Burgess Shale... of 530-million-year-old fossils unique in age, preservation and diversity...With skill and passion, Gould takes this mute collection of fossils and makes them speak to us. The result challenges some of our most cherished self-perceptions and urges a fundamental re-assessment of our place in the history of life on earth * Sunday Times *

    3 in stock

    £11.69

  • Gould S Richness of Life

    Vintage Publishing Gould S Richness of Life

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisStephen Jay Gould was the Alexander Agassiz Professor of Zoology and Professor of Geology at Harvard and the Curator for Invertebrate Palaeontology in the University's Museum of Comparative Zoology. He died in May 2002.Steven Rose is Professor of Biology and Director of the Brain and Behaviour Research Group at The Open University, Visiting Professor in the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology at University College London, and, jointly with sociologist Hilary Rose, Professor of Physic (genetics and society) at Gresham College, London. His books include The Making of Memory (1992), Lifelines (1997), Alas, Poor Darwin: Arguments Against Evolutionary Psychology (with Hilary Rose) (2000) and The 21st-Century Brain (2004).Paul McGarr is a mathematics teacher in an east London secondary school and a leading member of the Respect coalition in Tower Hamlets. He is on the editorial board of the International Socialism quarterly journal and has written regularly for that journal on issues around science and society. He has written a number of articles and books, including Marxism and the Great French Revolution (1992) and Mozart: Overture to Revolution (2001).Trade ReviewThis "best of Gould" collection leaves two strong impressions. One is that evolution is as proven a fact as gravity but that how it works is an unsolved problem. The other is that, for the practitioners, science is fun -- Brenda Maddox * The Times *Georgeously crafted essays... entertaining... makes a plausible case for supporting claims that the author was a modern-day Montaigne of science... a rewarding read * Sunday Telegraph *A modern polymath -- John R. G. Turner * Times Literary Supplement *A great scientist and science writer * Sunday Times *A Western Science phenomenon. His quirkiness, his ability to coalesce seemingly unconnected topics, and his individual passion are qualities that help make him such a powerful writer * Observer *

    Out of stock

    £16.14

  • The Worm Forgives the Plough

    Vintage Publishing The Worm Forgives the Plough

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisJohn Stewart Collis was born in 1900. His father was a Dublin solicitor and Collis was educated at Rugby School and Balliol College, Oxford. In 1925 he published a biography of George Bernard Shaw and he later went on to write other biographical works and also became a pioneer of the ecological movement in Britain. During the Second World War his wife and daughters were evacuated to the United States and he worked for the Land Army as an agricultural labourer - accompanied by his beloved dog, Bindo. His memoirs and meditations on rural life, While Following the Plough (1946) and Down to Earth (1947) were first published together as The Worm Forgives the Plough in 1973, which has become a classic of nature writing.Trade ReviewHe is the poet among modern ecologists, a natural philosopher who , whether he is writing about trees or rainbows, an iceberg or a piece of chalk, never takes a fact without linking it to an idea, or an idea without connecting it to a fact. His book dispenses information in the language of the imagination, and by peeling back the film by which everything appears dully familiar, reveals a vision of the world miraculously transfigured -- Michael Holroyd * The Times *Collis' divine gift is to explain the extraordinary nature of the ordinary * Sunday Times *A philosopher who had a shining view of the natural world, and was able to divine the magic inherent in phenomena so commonplace that we take them for granted * Guardian *These jottings establish the man as one of the greatest recorders of English agricultural life -- Val Hennessey * Daily Mail *A little classic * The Oldie *

    1 in stock

    £10.44

  • Edgelands

    Vintage Publishing Edgelands

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisMichael Symmons Roberts (Author) Michael Symmons Roberts was born in Preston, Lancashire in 1963. He has published eight collections of poetry and received a number of accolades including the Forward Prize, the Costa Poetry Award and the Whitbread Poetry Prize. His Selected Poems was published in 2016. As a librettist, his work has been performed in concert halls and opera houses around the world, and he is an award-winning broadcaster and dramatist. He is Professor of Poetry at Manchester Metropolitan University. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, his Quartet for the End of Time: On Music, Grief and Birdsong was published in 2025.Paul Farley (Author) Paul Farley is the author of four collections of poetry and has won the Forward Prize for Best First Collection, the Whitbread Poetry Award and the E.M. Forster Award. He broadcasts regularly on radio and presents The Echo Chamber on Radio 4. Edgelands, co-written with Michael Symmons Roberts, received the Royal Society of Literature's Jerwood Award and the 2011 Foyles Best Book of Ideas Award and was serialised as Radio 4 Book of the Week.Trade ReviewThis book is a delight: witty and wryly contrarian -- Robert MacFarlane * Guardian *A masterpiece of its kind... Even more uplifting is the chapter on weather - truly one of the most extraordinary passages of prose I have read in some time... This is, quite simply, beautiful, but it is also typical of a beautifully conceived work of exploration, by two emissaries to the wilderness who do the wasteland proud -- John Burnside * The Times *Marvellously quirky, fascinatingly detailed and beautifully written * Daily Telegraph *The edgelands, where the veneer of civilisation peels away, are the most despised and ignored of landscapes. Ambition turns to dust in the sewage farm and landfill site. But Farley and Roberts's mischievous and elegant forays into these marginal wastes, show that dust turns back to life in them - into riotous ecologies, agitprop architecture and the wonderful business of playing. A provocative, left-field read -- Richard MabeyHaunting, often inspiring book...Edgelands covers an impressive range of politics, reminiscence, investigation and rumination * Scotland on Sunday *

    1 in stock

    £10.44

  • The Wolf Pit

    Random House UK The Wolf Pit

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsisonly after childhood ended was he aware of the price the adults had paid for life in this most romantic of settings.Navigating family tensions and the trials of growing up, Will describes the close-knit community of North Yorkshire and his family's place within it: the shepherd probing the head-high snowdrifts for his flock;Trade ReviewA love letter to a family defined by a desire to make beauty and a gift for telling stories. The Wolf Pit has more quietly desperate heroism than any book I’ve ever read. -- Brian Morton * Sunday Herald *Persuasive, atmospheric writing. A love letter to a past world * Sunday Times *Bittersweet * The Times *The book takes on an existential desire to understand who we really are * Spectator *

    Out of stock

    £8.54

  • A Sting in the Tale

    Vintage Publishing A Sting in the Tale

    3 in stock

    Book Synopsis**SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER**One man''s quest to save the bumblebee...Dave Goulson has always been obsessed with wildlife, from his childhood menagerie of exotic pets and dabbling in experimental taxidermy to his groundbreaking research into the mysterious ways of the bumblebee and his mission to protect our rarest bees.Once commonly found in the marshes of Kent, the short-haired bumblebee is now extinct in the UK, but still exists in the wilds of New Zealand, descended from a few queen bees shipped over in the nineteenth century.A Sting in the Tale tells the story of Goulson''s passionate drive to reintroduce it to its native land and contains groundbreaking research into these curious creatures, history''s relationship with the bumblebee, the disastrous effects intensive farming has had on our bee populations and the potential dangers if we are to continue down this path.Trade Review[Goulson’s] book is not only enormously informative, but also hugely entertaining: its light touch and constant humour make cutting-edge research a pleasure to read about… For anyone interested in the natural world, this is essential reading. -- Michael McCarthy * Independent *Goulson reminds himself that he ‘began studying bumblebees not because they are important pollinators but because they are fascinating, because they behave in interesting and mysterious ways, and because they are rather loveable.’ It’s worth reading A Sting in the Tale for the same reasons. -- Hannah Rosefield * Literary Review *A worthy book of the year. -- Mary Beard * Observer *Goulson has plenty of wondrous biological stories to tell, as well as the tale of his own struggle to return the short-haired bumblebee to Britain. -- Patrick Barkham * Guardian *This isn’t one of those natural science books that simply tells you things – it admits how much we don’t know. -- Mark Mason * Spectator *

    3 in stock

    £10.44

  • Cold Blood

    Random House Cold Blood

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisRichard Kerridge leads the MA in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University. His essays have been published in Granta and Poetry Review, and he has twice won the BBC Wildlife Award for Nature Writing.Trade ReviewCold Blood shows us how much is to be gained from studying nature. A book that persuades anyone to try sampling life at first-hand rather than at second is much to be welcomed’ -- Steve Jones * Sunday Telegraph *In prose as effortless as a snake's progress, Richard Kerridge has written a wry, wise and refreshingly understated memoir -- Patrick Barkham * Guardian *Cold Blood casts an unexpected but beautiful love-light across ordinary England, and its uncaring reptiles and amphibians -- Tim Dee * Observer *Subtle and meditative, lyrical and passionate * Gavin Francis *Simply wonderful…the natural history book I have been waiting for * Brett Westwood *A mix of memoir, science writing and humn to nature, this will propel Kerridge into the pantheon of great 21st-century nature writers. He tells the story of his fascination with reptiles and explains what it is to be cold blooded. -- Patrick Neale * The Bookseller *[A] perceptive memoir...Cold Blood is proof that an early infatuation with the natural world can lead to a lifetime of wonder -- Barbara Kiser * nature *Perceptive and original... Kerridge writes vividly of the natural world -- Gerard Henderson * Daily Express *As a memoir, Cold Blood has the feel of a minor classic. It is exquisite. As a piece of nature writing, it is also rich, subtle and shot through with quiet passion -- James McConnachie * Sunday Times *[A] perceptive memoir... Cold Blood is proof that an early infatuation with the natural world can lead to a lifetime of wonder -- Pete Dommett * BBC Wildlife *

    Out of stock

    £13.85

  • The Land of Little Rain Classic Nature Penguin

    Penguin Random House LLC The Land of Little Rain Classic Nature Penguin

    15 in stock

    15 in stock

    £18.00

  • My First Summer in the Sierra Penguin nature library

    Penguin Random House LLC My First Summer in the Sierra Penguin nature library

    15 in stock

    15 in stock

    £18.00

  • Birds Beasts and Relatives

    Penguin Publishing Group Birds Beasts and Relatives

    1 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    1 in stock

    £12.75

  • Where I Lived and What I Lived for Penguin Great

    Penguin Putnam Inc Where I Lived and What I Lived for Penguin Great

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe perfect books for the true book lover, Penguin's Great Ideas series features twelve more groundbreaking works by some of history's most prodigious thinkers. Each volume is beautifully packaged with a unique type-driven design that highlights the bookmaker's art. Offering great literature in great packages at great prices, this series is ideal for those readers who want to explore and savor the Great Ideas that have shaped our world.Thoreau's account of his solitary and self-sufficient home in the New England woods remains an inspiration to the environmental movement—a call to his fellow men to abandon their striving, materialistic existences of 'quiet desperation' for a simple life within their means, finding spiritual truth through awareness of the sheer beauty of their surroundings.

    15 in stock

    £11.90

  • The Snow Leopard

    Penguin Putnam Inc The Snow Leopard

    Out of stock

    Book SynopsisAn unforgettable spiritual journey through the Himalayas by renowned writer Peter Matthiessen (1927-2014), the National Book Award-winning author of the new novel In Paradise In 1973, Peter Matthiessen and field biologist George Schaller traveled high into the remote mountains of Nepal to study the Himalayan blue sheep and possibly glimpse the rare and beautiful snow leopard. Matthiessen, a student of Zen Buddhism, was also on a spiritual quest to find the Lama of Shey at the ancient shrine on Crystal Mountain. As the climb proceeds, Matthiessen charts his inner path as well as his outer one, with a deepening Buddhist understanding of reality, suffering, impermanence, and beauty. This Penguin Classics edition features an introduction by acclaimed travel writer and novelist Pico Iyer.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust theseries to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-datetranslations by award-winning translators.

    Out of stock

    £14.40

  • The Tree Where Man Was Born

    Penguin Publishing Group The Tree Where Man Was Born

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisA timeless and majestic portrait of Africa by renowned writer Peter Matthiessen (1927-2014), author of the National Book Award-winning The Snow Leopard and the new novel In Paradise A finalist for the National Book Award when it was released in 1972, this vivid portrait of East Africa remains as fresh and revelatory now as on the day it was first published. Peter Matthiessen exquisitely combines nature and travel writing to portray the sights, scenes, and people he observed firsthand in several trips over the course of a dozen years. From the daily lives of wild herdsmen and the drama of predator kills to the field biologists investigating wild creatures and the anthropologists seeking humanity''s origins in the rift valley, The Tree Where Man Was Born is a classic of journalistic observation. This Penguin Classics edition features an introduction by groundbreaking British primatologist Jane Goodall.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

    1 in stock

    £18.05

  • The Wild Places 2 Landscapes

    Penguin Putnam Inc The Wild Places 2 Landscapes

    10 in stock

    Book SynopsisFrom the author of The Old Ways and Underland, an eloquent (and compulsively readable) reminder that, though we're laying waste the world, nature still holds sway over much of the earth's surface. --Bill McKibben Winner of the Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature and a finalist for the Orion Book AwardAre there any genuinely wild places left in Britain and Ireland? That is the question that Robert Macfarlane poses to himself as he embarks on a series of breathtaking journeys through some of the archipelago's most remarkable landscapes. He climbs, walks, and swims by day and spends his nights sleeping on cliff-tops and in ancient meadows and wildwoods. With elegance and passion he entwines history, memory, and landscape in a bewitching evocation of wildness and its vital importance.

    10 in stock

    £13.60

  • Upstream

    Penguin Putnam Inc Upstream

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £13.50

  • End of Empire

    Penguin Publishing Group End of Empire

    1 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    1 in stock

    £15.29

  • Alone Against the North

    Penguin Books Canada Ltd Alone Against the North

    10 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    10 in stock

    £14.40

  • The Complete Guide to Australian Birds

    Random House Australia The Complete Guide to Australian Birds

    Out of stock

    Book Synopsis

    Out of stock

    £14.44

  • Fossils

    Oxford University Press Fossils

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisFossils have been vital to our understanding of the formation of the earth and the origins of all life on it. However, their impact has not been limited to debates about geology and evolution: attempts to explain their existence has shaken religion at its very roots, and they have remained a subject of ceaseless fascination for people of all ages and backgrounds. In this delightful book, Keith Thomson provides a remarkably all-encompassing explanation of fossils as a phenomenon. How did Darwin use fossils to support his theory of evolution? What are ''living fossils''? What fossils will we leave behind for future generations to examine? Building on the scientific aspects, he places fossils in a very human context, highlighting their impact on philosophy and mythology, our concept of time, and today''s popular culture. What quickly becomes obvious is that the discovery of fossils and the ways in which they have been interpreted over time makes for fascinating reading. From the black market to the Piltdown Man, and from mythological dragons to living dinosaurs, fossils hold a permanent place in the popular imagination.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Table of Contents1. Introduction ; 2. A cultural phenomenon ; 3. In the popular imagination ; 4. Some things we know, some things we don't ; 5. Against the odds ; 6. Bringing fossils to life ; 7. Evolving ; 8. Of molecules and man ; 9. Fakes and fortunes ; 10. Back to the future ; Further reading

    1 in stock

    £9.49

  • Stuffed Animals and Pickled Heads

    Oxford University Press Stuffed Animals and Pickled Heads

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe natural history museum is a place where the line between "high" and "low" culture effectively vanishes - where our awe of nature, our taste for the bizarre and our thirst for knowledge all blend together. But, as this text shows, there is more going on in these institutions than just smart fun.Trade Review"In Stuffed Animals, the natural history museum is a dimly lit stage for scientific dreams. Inside its cabinet of wonder, the mysteries of the natural world are laid bare and the rupture between the scientific and the sublime is momentarily healed."--Voice Literary Supplement"Rich in detail, lucid explanation, telling anecdotes, and fascinating characters.... Asma has rendered a fascinating and credible account of how natural history museums are conceived and presented. It's the kind of book that will not only engage a wide and diverse readership, but it should, best of all, send them flocking to see how we look at nature and ourselves in those fabulous legacies of the curiosity cabinet."--Boston Herald"Asma has already established himself as one of the most creative minds working in cultural history and the history of science. Stuffed Animals and Pickled Heads is an incredibly stimulating discussion of the role of natural history museums in culture and society. It should be read by all, both practicing scientists and philosophers, and the broadly curious general reader."--Michael Ruse, author of The Darwinian Revolution: Science Red in Tooth and Claw"Strap yourself into your seat and prepare for a thrilling ride back into history and natural history through Stephen Asma's time machine--two hundred years back into the history of natural history museums, and two million years back into natural history itself. The weird and the wonderful are on display and visually striking, as Asma traces our journey to understand our origins and evolution, and how we have struggled mightily to convey millions of years of time and change to a species whose chronology is set in decades. A gripping tale with great illustrations that are absolutely necessary--for we are the most visual of all the primates, and there is no greater theatre than evolution."--Michael Shermer, author of The Borderlands of Sciencehistoryh Asma's Stuffed Animals and Pickled Heads surveys the presence and evolution of natural history museums around the world interviewing curators, scientists and exhibit designers and providing many observations of the history of these museums and how their contents and approaches have evolved. The result is an excellent and intriguing survey of the evolution of natural history collections."--The Bookwatch

    15 in stock

    £19.12

  • American Wilderness A New History

    Oxford University Press American Wilderness A New History

    15 in stock

    Book SynopsisThis collected volume of original essays proposes to address the state of scholarship on the political, cultural, and intellectual history of Americans responses to wilderness from first contact to the present. While not bringing a synthetic narrative to wilderness, the volume will gather competing interpretations of wilderness in historical context.Trade ReviewValuable for both is synthesis and innovation. American Wilderness: A New History successfully draws together essays that explore the paradoxes and controversies that continue to plague this mercurial concept. * Robin O'Sullivan, H-Net Book Review *Table of ContentsCh. 1: Michael Lewis: American Wilderness--An Introduction Ch. 2: Melanie Perreault: American Wilderness and First Contact Ch. 3: Mark Stoll: Religion "Irradiates" the Wilderness Ch. 4: Steven Stoll: Farm Against Forest Ch. 5: Bradley P. Dean: Natural History, Romanticism, and Thoreau Ch. 6: Angela Miller: The Fate of Wilderness in American Landscape Art: The Dilemmas of "Nature's Nation" Ch. 7: Benjamin Johnson: Wilderness Parks and Their Discontents Ch. 8: Char Miller: A Sylvan Prospect: John Muir, Gifford Pinchot, and Early Twentieth-Century Conservatism Ch. 9: Kimberly A. Jarvis: Gender and Wilderness Conservation Ch. 10: Paul Sutter: Putting Wilderness in Context: The Interwar Origins of the Modern Wilderness Idea Ch. 11: Mark Harvey: Loving the Wild in Postwar America Ch. 12: Michael Lewis: Wilderness and Conservation Science Ch. 13: Christopher Conte: Creating Wild Places from Domesticated Landscapes: The Internationalization of the American Wilderness Concept Ch. 14: James Morton Turner: The Politics of Modern Wilderness Donald Worster: Epilogue: Nature, Liberty, and Equality Recommended Readings

    15 in stock

    £28.04

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