The countryside, country life: general interest Books

Book SynopsisJames Herriot grew up in Glasgow and qualified as a veterinary surgeon at Glasgow Veterinary College. Shortly afterwards he took up a position as an assistant in a North Yorkshire practice where he remained, with the exception of his wartime service in the RAF, until his death in 1995. He wrote many books about Yorkshire country life, including some for children, but he is best known for his memoirs, beginning with If Only They Could Talk. The books were televised in the enormously popular series All Creatures Great and Small.Trade ReviewBulls with sunstroke, pigs on the run and a cake-eating Peke with a betting habit . . . I grew up reading James Herriot's book and I'm delighted that thirty years on they are still every bit as charming, heartwarming and laugh-out-loud funny as they were then. -- Kate HumbleHerriot's enchanting tales of life in the Dales are deservedly classics. Full of extraordinary characters, animal and human, the books never fail to delight. -- Amanda Owen, bestselling author of The Yorkshire Shepherdess

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Book SynopsisThe ideal portable companion, the world-renowned Collins Gem series returns with a fresh new look and updated material.This is the perfect pocket guide for aspiring foragers. Over 100 edible plants are listed, fully illustrated and described, together with recipes and other fascinating details on their use throughout the ages.Practical advice on how to pick along with information on countryside laws and regulations on picking wild plants helps you to plan your foray with a feast in mind.This is the ideal book for both nature lovers and cooks keen to enjoy what the countryside has to offer.

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Book Synopsis‘A poignant, practical and moving story of how to fix our broken land, this should be conservation's salvation; this should be its future; this is a new hope’ – Chris PackhamIn Wilding, Isabella Tree tells the story of the ‘Knepp experiment’, a pioneering rewilding project in West Sussex, using free-roaming grazing animals to create new habitats for wildlife. Part gripping memoir, part fascinating account of the ecology of our countryside, Wilding is, above all, an inspiring story of hope.Winner of the Richard Jefferies Society and White Horse Book Shop Literary Prize.Forced to accept that intensive farming on the heavy clay of their land at Knepp was economically unsustainable, Isabella Tree and her husband Charlie Burrell made a spectacular leap of faith: they decided to step back and let nature take over. Thanks to the introduction of free-roaming cattle, ponies, pigs and deer – proxies of the large animals that once roamed Britain – the 3,500 acre project has seen extraordinary increases in wildlife numbers and diversity in little over a decade.Extremely rare species, including turtle doves, nightingales, peregrine falcons, lesser spotted woodpeckers and purple emperor butterflies, are now breeding at Knepp, and populations of other species are rocketing. The Burrells’ degraded agricultural land has become a functioning ecosystem again, heaving with life – all by itself.Personal and inspirational, Wilding is an astonishing account of the beauty and strength of nature, when it is given as much freedom as possible.Highly Commended by the Wainwright Golden Beer Book Prize.Trade ReviewThis must be the most inspirational nature book of the year . . . a narrative of conservation, courage, vision and miracles... The story of what happened is thrilling . . . the Knepp Conservation Project is world-famous: a beacon of hope . . . Read this book and marvel. -- Bel Mooney, 'The Year's Best Books on Nature' * Daily Mail *Particularly timely . . . an excellent primer, and anyone who is interested in how we share the planet — what it looks like, what we eat, and what nature can teach us — should read this book. * Sunday Times *A poignant, practical and moving story of how to fix our broken land, this should be conservation's salvation; this should be its future; this is a new hope. -- Chris Packham, presenter of The Really Wild ShowI recently read Wilding, by Isabella Tree, where she and her husband take their over-farmed, not-profitable estate, and rewild it. Thousands of species return. It will have you in tears. Life exploding again - the reverse of most stories today. Hugely recommended. -- Caitlin Moran (on Twitter)The remarkable story of an astounding transformation. -- George Monbiot, author of FeralWilding shines brilliantly . . . . Isabella Tree writes [. . .] with infectious enthusiasm . . . The project she writes about so winningly . . . is inspirational – and inspiration is needed. * Evening Standard *A hugely important addition to the literature of what can be done to restore soil and soul . . . Tree writes with grace about a legion of doubts, obstructions and delays. The book contains moments of lyricism and revelation. -- Caspar Henderson * Guardian *Close to my book of the year. If there’s anything better, I haven’t read it yet . . . An uplifting story and points towards a different sort of farmed future. -- Marcus Berkmann, 'Best Books for Summer Reading' * Daily Mail *'Wilding is both a timely and important book . . . Isabella Tree imagines the last migrating turtledove departing Knepp and flying over a Europe “that is being recolonized by beavers, wolves, wolverines, jackals and bears.” And it is in that changing landscape that hope resides.' -- Tim Flannery * New York Review of Books *Every farmer (and perhaps every conservationist) in Britain needs to go and spend a day at Knepp. The Knepp ‘wilding’ project is a vitally important experiment for working out what we can do to let Nature back into our farmed landscapes . . . This book tells this vital story and deserves to be widely read. -- James Rebanks, author of A Shepherd’s LifeRead Wilding by Isabella Tree . . . Thrilling. -- India Knight * The Times *This honest, thoroughly researched and deeply hopeful book will appeal to everyone - especially farmers - who is concerned about how intensive farming practices are degrading the environment and how to restore nature to ravaged lands. -- Ten Of The Best Books About Climate Change, Conservation And The Environment of 2018 * Forbes *This inspiring and encouraging book demonstrates how nature can shake off the ravages of industrial farming and heal itself. -- John Meadley, founder of Pasture for LifeA thrilling, inspiring and deeply moving story of a wildlife revolution on an ordinary English farm, Wilding shows us what we have lost and what we could regain if we change our relationship with the countryside. -- Patrick Barkham, author of BadgerlandsWilding describes the inspirational story of a pioneering rewilding experiment that is changing the way we look at Nature, the countryside and conservation. Beautifully written, it marks the moment when the task at hand can no longer be about slowing down the inexorable decline of wildlife, but to begin the job of restoration. -- Tony Juniper, former Executive Director of Friends of the EarthAnyone with any interest in land – from a window-box to a National Park – needs to read this book. -- Simon Barnes, author of The Meaning of BirdsSo often we read of the countryside in shock and so seldom to we learn of its recovery. This is a pioneering, wonderful book, blooming with humour, practicality, science and lessons learned; a story whose heart beats in the same neck of the woods as Walden. Read Wilding and restore your belief in the return of nature. -- Nicholas Crane, author of The Making Of The British LandscapeCharming, inspirational and thought-provoking. Beautifully captures the magic and excitement of the Knepp rewilding project. -- Professor Dave Goulson, author of Bee QuestWilding is truly the most magnificent and inspiring book. -- Adam Nicholson, author of The Seabird's CryIsabella Tree’s riveting book captures the excitement of an immensely powerful new idea: that to save our beleaguered wildlife, we should move beyond conserving what remains – we should restore what we have lost. Fascinating in its detail and thrilling in its sense of possibilities, this is essential reading for anyone concerned with the future of the natural world in the demanding times to come. -- Michael McCarthy, author of The Moth Snowstorm: Nature and JoyA compelling account of a brave and far sighted venture. At a moment when the future of our countryside hangs in the balance, Isabella Tree helps us understand how we become locked in by our personal experience and perspectives. A riveting, gloriously written read which expands our imagination, and fuels our commitment to reversing the cataclysmic decline of virtually all species, other than our own. -- Helen Browning, Chief Executive of The Soil AssociationI read Wilding at one go. It is both highly engaging and (equally important) very informative about a unique experiment in nature conservation, set in the context of the depressing decline in Britain’s wildlife. Wilding the Knepp Estate is one of the most exciting wildlife conservation projects in the UK, and indeed in Europe. It’s truly wonderful, and it fills me with hope. -- Professor Sir John Lawton, President of The Institution of Environmental Sciences, Chair of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution 2005-11 and author of the 2010 report Making Space for NatureBrilliantly researched and scripted, this riveting and powerful book will revolutionise farming and nature conservation. -- Matthew Oates, National Specialist on Nature at the National Trust and author of In Pursuit of ButterfliesAt a time when we’re hammering the environment, this is a hopeful book about how the natural world can be reborn if we put the right creatures on our land, step back and let it flourish. -- Simon ReeveAn excellent book. -- Colin Tudge * Literary Review *Table of ContentsSection - i: Timeline Section - ii: Map of the Knepp estate Introduction - iii: Introduction Chapter - 1: Meeting a Remarkable Man under a Remarkable Tree Chapter - 2: At Odds with Everything Chapter - 3: The Serengeti Effect Chapter - 4: The Secret of Grazing Animals Chapter - 5: A World of Wood Pasture Chapter - 6: Wild Ponies, Pigs and Longhorn Cattle Chapter - 7: Creating a Mess Chapter - 8: Living with the Yellow Peril Chapter - 9: Painted Ladies and the Perfect Storm Chapter - 10: Purple Emperors Chapter - 11: Nightingales Chapter - 12: Turtle Doves Chapter - 13: Rewilding the River Chapter - 14: Bringing Back the Beaver Chapter - 15: Pasture-fed Chapter - 16: Rewilding the Soil Chapter - 17: The Value of Nature Section - iv: Appendix: Knepp Wildland Advisory Board Section - v: Sources Section - vi: Bibliography Acknowledgements - vii: Acknowledgements Index - viii: Index Section - ix: List of Illustrations

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Book Synopsis"Stunning images in fine art photobook capture the 'strength and dignity' of America's cowboys and their breathtaking Wild West home." – Daily Mail “Titled American Cowboys, the book captures the pioneering spirit of modern cowboys and cowgirls, turning the camera on high-stakes rodeos, hard-working ranchers and horseback rides across stunning desert landscapes.” – Daily Mail The ranching communities in the heartland of the great American West may be a long way from New York City, but renowned photographer Anouk Masson Krantz has been drawn back time and time again to explore this largely unfamiliar and overlooked part of the world. In West: The American Cowboy, Anouk revisits this enduring iconic symbol of America's pioneering spirit. Set out in a stunning large-format book, the pages within inspire with a fresh and contemporary perspective of the American West. Along with the cowboy's ranching traditions comes a life built around the core values and faith that are central to their integrity. Long admired for their strength, relentless work ethic, and humble values, the forgotten American cowboy is alive and well, and has never stood in such stark contrast to the rapidly changing nation that surrounds them. Earning wide acclaim for her incredible fine art work exhibited in galleries and published in the bestselling Wild Horses of Cumberland Island (2017), also by IMAGES, West: The American Cowboy is another artful, intimate study of the American character and their sense of place, and is a unique collection of works brought together by this award-winning photographer and storyteller. Also available by Anouk Krantz: Wild Horses of Cumberland Island ISBN 9781864708851Trade Review'A unique collection from an award-winning photographer and storyteller, the book is an artful, intimate study of American character and sense of place.'-- The Independent'In this oversize ode to the American West, French photographer Anouk Masson Krantz captures the expansiveness of the frontier as well as the rodeo cowboys, ranchers, country-music singers, and cattle that call it home — all in expressive black-and-white.' -- New York Magazine.’The iconic symbol of America’s pioneering spirit captured in a series of lavish fine art pictures: Jaw-dropping images of the Wild West’s cowboys and epic landscapes.’ -- Sarah Holt, Daily Mail"Her quest was not to glorify well-known ranches or big-name cowboys but to show the hard work of the West and the people who do it… whose experiences and encounters are chronicled in this handsome volume of 137 striking black-and-white images" -- Cowboys and Indians: The Premier Magazine of the West"‘West: The American Cowboy' explores, in black and white, the enduring iconic symbol of our country’s pioneering spirit. She also focused her lens on the wide-open spaces in a largely overlooked part of the world." -- Alice Garbarini Hurley, Aspire Design and HomeInterview with photographer and author Anouk Masson Krantz; article and podcast - The Candid Frame podcastTop 10 Best West Reviews In 2023: West reaches number 2 - Facts Chronicle

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Book Synopsis#1 — The Best Country and Rural Living Books*#1 — 15 Best Homesteading Books for Beginners**For more than 50 years, this homesteading classic is the essential book of basic skills and country wisdom for living off the grid, being prepared, and doing it yourself. Keep your family healthy, safe, and independent--no matter what's going on in the world. From homesteaders to urban farmers, and everyone in between, there is a desire for a simpler way of life: a healthier and self-sufficient natural lifestyle that allows you to survive and thrive—even in uncertain times. Carla Emery's classic book is the original manual of basic country skills and wisdom for living off the land.Learn how to live independently in this comprehensive 1000-page Encyclopedia of Country Living, including how to:* Can, dry, and preserve food * Plan your garden with a beginner's guide to gardening* Grow your own food* Make 20-minute cheese* Make your own natural skincare products* Bake bread * Cook on a wood stove * Learn beekeeping * Raise chickens, goats, and pigs * Create natural skincare products * Make organic bug spray * Treat your family with homemade natural remedies * Make fruit leather* Forage for wild food* Spin wool into yarn* Mill your own flour * Tap a maple tree And more! The Encyclopedia of Country Living has been guiding readers for more than 50 years, teaching you all the skills necessary for living independently off the land. Whether you live in the city, the country, or anywhere in between, this is the essential guide to living well and living simply.* Bookscrolling** OutdoorHappensTrade Review#1 The Best Country and Rural Living Books list: "This comprehensive resource is the most authoritative guide available to a sustainable lifestyle and living off of the land."—Bookscrolling.com#1 15 Best Homesteading Books for Beginners in 2021: "This book is one of our favorites…many aspects of basic farm life fill the (tremendously) detailed 928 pages. You’ll find gardening tips, how to prepare food, and how to buy land. …If you want to know more about keeping bees, raising rabbits, and taking care of cows, then this is the book to get!—Outdoor Happens“For the suburbanite with just enough space for a little garden to the die-hard homesteaders and everyone in between, The Encyclopedia of Country Living makes for both fascinating reading and a truly essential reference source. You won’t find a more complete source of step-by-step information about growing, processing, cooking and preserving every kind of food—from the garden, the orchard, the field or the barnyard!”Rodale Book Club"If you're dreaming about moving "back to the land" someday, or if you're already there and want to live more self-sufficiently, you'll want a copy of ... The Encyclopedia of Country Living."Organic Gardening“This book is a monument to the coevolution of a person and an idea. . . this book should be shelved in your collection between the Foxfire books and Alicia Bay Lau­rel’s Living on Earth.”Whole Earth catalog"Packed with old wisdom as well as up-to-date websites and mail-order sources to make country living easier."Country Almanac“As one aston­ished browser acclaimed, ‘Is there anything this book doesn’t tell you how to do?’”Library Journal"If you’re thinking about ditching the city and reconnecting with a simpler, more direct way of life . . . The Encyclopedia covers a wealth of information to keep you on target."Lehman's Country Living"If I could only have one comprehensive how-to book on self-reliant living, this would be it."Backwoods Home Magazine"The Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery is one of my favorite finds. It is a guide to all things country..."The Jefferson County Post"While it is impossible for one book to have everything you need, 'The Encyclopedia of Country Living' does an exceptional job of giving you the most bang for your buck when it comes to needing a single resource where you are likely to find the answer to your country living questions."Outdoor Self Reliance "Practical advice, invaluable information, and collected wis­dom for folks and farmers in the country, city, and anywhere in between."Territorial Seed catalog

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Book SynopsisPresents the 41 breeds of sheep you are most likely to encounter on farms, each with a full-page photo and a description of their appearance, history and uses. Only the size of a postcard, the book fits perfectly into a rucksack or pocket so is ideal for the interested rambler who is keen to discover more about the flock fleeing from him at the time. Clear color photographs taken of sheep 'straight from the field' illustrate the immense diversity within this species. This is the bestselling title from the `Know Your' series.

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Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTESELLEREmma Mitchell's richly illustrated and evocative diary – as seen on the BBC's Springwatch – records her nature finds over the course of a year and shows how being in the wild benefits our mental and physical wellbeing.'This is a beautiful, beautiful book, and I can't recommend it enough.' Sue Perkins‘Emma's words are profound, her photography is inspiring and her illustrations are exquisite.’ Emma Freud‘Emma's writing is precise, gorgeous and inspiring.’ Amy Liptrot'An absolute joy.’ Joanna CannonEmma Mitchell has suffered with depression – or as she calls it, 'the grey slug' – for twenty-five years. In 2003, she moved from the city to the edge of the Cambridgeshire Fens and began to take walks in the countryside around her new home, photographing, collecting and drawing as she went. Each walk lifted her mood, proving to be as medicinal as any talking therapy or pharmaceutical.In Emma's hand-illustrated diary, she takes us with her as she follows the local paths and trails, sharing her nature finds over the course of a year. Reflecting on how these encounters impact her mood, Emma's candid account of her own struggles is a powerful testament to how reconnecting with nature may offer some answers to today's mental health epidemic.Written with Emma's characteristic wit and frankness, and filled with her beautiful drawings, paintings and photography, this is a truly unique book for anyone who has ever felt drawn to nature and wondered about its influence over us.

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Book SynopsisEnchanting' TelegraphMiraculous' Isabella TreeExquisite' FTFrom the No.1 bestselling author of The Shepherd''s Life, an unforgettable story of friendship, redemption and a life-changing voyage of discovery on a remote Norwegian islandHow far do you have to go to find yourself?One afternoon many years ago, James Rebanks met an old woman on a remote Norwegian island. She lived and worked alone on a tiny rocky outcrop, caring for wild Eider ducks and gathering their down. Hers was a centuries-old trade that had once made men and women rich, but had long been in decline. Still, somehow, she seemed to be hanging on.Back at home, Rebanks couldn't stop thinking about the woman on the rocks. She was fierce and otherworldly and yet strangely familiar. Years passed. Then, one day, he wrote her a letter, asking if he could return. Bring work clothes, she replied, and good boots, and come quickly: her health was failing. And so he travelled to the edge of the Arctic to witness her last season on the island.This is the story of that season. It is the story of a unique and ancient landscape, and of the woman who brought it back to life. It traces the pattern of her work from the rough, isolated toil of bitter winter, to the elation of the endless summer light, when the birds leave behind their precious down for gathering, like feathered gold.Slowly, Rebanks begins to understand that this woman and her world are not what he had previously thought. What began as a journey of escape becomes an extraordinary lesson in self-knowledge and forgiveness.*Shortlisted for the Edward Stanford Travel Book of the Year Award*

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Book SynopsisIn this gloriously illustrated companion to her crime novels featuring Inspector Jimmy Perez, Ann Cleeves takes readers through a year on Shetland. Discover its past, meet its people, celebrate its festivals and see how the flora and fauna of the islands change with the seasons.An archipelago of more than a hundred islands, Shetland is the one of the most remote places in the United Kingdom. Its fifteen hundred miles of shore mean that wherever one stands, there is a view of the sea. It has sheltered voes and beaches and dramatically exposed cliffs, lush meadows full of wild flowers in the summer and bleak hilltops where only the hardiest of plants will grow. It is a place where traditions are valued and celebrated, but new technologies and ways of working are also embraced. Whether it is the drama of the Viking fire festival of Up Helly Aa in winter, or the piercing blue and hot pink of spring flowers on the clifftops, the long, white nights of midsummer or the fierce gales and high tides of autumn, Shetland is vividly captured in all its bleak and special beauty.A book to treasure, full of photos and insightful notes about the stunning location of the Shetland series, now a major BBC One drama starring Douglas Henshall.Table of ContentsIntroduction - i: Introduction Chapter - 1: Winter Chapter - 2: Spring Chapter - 3: Summer Chapter - 4: Autumn Chapter - 5: Conclusion Chapter - 6: Map of Shetland Acknowledgements - ii: AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Section - iii: PICTURE CREDITS

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Book SynopsisJohn Lewis-Stempel is a farmer and 'Britain's finest living nature writer' (The Times). His books include the Sunday Times bestsellers Woodston, The Running Hare and The Wood. He is the only person to have won the Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing twice, with Meadowland and Where Poppies Blow. In 2016 he was named Magazine Columnist of the Year for his column in Country Life. He farms cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry. Traditionally.

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Book SynopsisFall in love with Ireland's dramatic mountains and rugged coastline in 50 unforgettable hikes.* WINNER of Bookstation Lifestyle Book of the Year at the An Post Irish Book Awards 2023 *Roz Purcell has been hiking the length and breadth of Ireland for years with her enthusiastic community The Hike Life, exploring the best of what the island has to offer. This book brings to life the beauty and majesty ofhiking in Ireland along with practical advice, easy-to-follow route descriptions and a wealth of tips. In it you'll find:- the ultimate fifty hikes to do on the island of Ireland, from rugged mountains to forest trails and cliff walks;- the complete guide to everything you need for a safe and enjoyable hike;- dozens of recommendations for pitstops and photo opportunities along the way to turn your hike into a full-day adventure;- and breathtaking photography to inspire you to get out there and start hiking.

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Book SynopsisThis is the story of Alex James's transition from a leading light of the Britpop movement in the 1990s, to gentleman farmer, artisan cheese-maker and father of five.I was hanging around the pigsty in the way I'd previously hung around at The Groucho Club. I felt wonderfully connected, grounded in the real world, standing in pig muck'Following fifteen years in Blur, Alex James did two wild, unexpected things. He fell in love and he bought a farm.Moving into a rambling, chaotic farmstead in the beautiful Cotswold countryside, he decides the best way to learn about farming is the same way he learned most about music: by jumping in and doing it. As his family settles in, he discovers the unexpected joys that country life abounds in: finding the first egg from your very own chicken, coming across a bramble bush laden with blackberries, roasting home-grown pears on an open fire, before stumbling on a new venture making cheese.Wonderfully warm, witty and perfectly observed, this is the storyTrade Review‘James’s prose is clean and poetic. His childlike wonder at the simple things – from herons to heaps of rubble – can be infectious’ DAILY TELEGRAPH ‘A joy to read. Prose flows and weaves and curls itself into pleasing rhythms…(Alex James) can write like a god’ SPECTATOR ‘The upbeat tone matches that of his Blur-era autobiography A BIT OF A BLUR, treating his downsize from rock heart-throb to cockerel-throttling country gent as if cheese contests were Britpop orgies. Riding bikes, the smell of berry bushes, piles of cow dung: all brilliant’ NME

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE SAMUEL JOHNSON PRIZESHORTLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZEFrom the bestselling author of UNDERLAND, THE OLD WAYS and THE LOST WORDS''Few books give such a sense of enchantment; it is a book to give to many, and to return to repeatedly'' Independent Words are grained into our landscapes, and landscapes are grained into our words. Landmarks is about the power of language to shape our sense of place. It is a field guide to the literature of nature, and a glossary containing thousands of remarkable words used in England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales to describe land, nature and weather.Travelling from Cumbria to the Cairngorms, and exploring the landscapes of Roger Deakin, J. A. Baker, Nan Shepherd and others, Robert Macfarlane shows that language, well used, is a keen way of knowing landscape, and a vital means of coming to love it.''Enormously pleasurable, deeply moving. A bid to save our rich hoard of landscape language, and a blow struck for the power of a deep creative relationship to place'' Financial Times''A book that ought to be read by policymakers, educators, armchair environmentalists and active conservationists the world over'' GuardianTrade ReviewPublisher's description. The number one bestselling book from the author of The Old Ways. This is a celebration of the unique relationship between language and place; a field guide to nature writers from Roger Deakin to Nan Shepherd; and a glossary containing thousands of remarkable, poetic, funny, peculiar and endangered words to describe the natural world. * Penguin *Thoughtful and lyrical writing . . . It's gorgeous -- Katy Guest * Independent on Sunday *Enormously pleasurable, deeply moving . . . Landmarks is both a bid to save our rich hoard of landscape language, and a blow struck for the power of a deep creative relationship to place * Financial Times *His writing has a confidence and enjoyment, a passionate purpose . . . he celebrates our vast, but evaporating, vocabulary for the landscape * Daily Telegraph *A story like this is salutary...Landmarks is a book that ought to be read by policymakers, educators, armchair environmentalists and active conservationists the world over. * Guardian *The writing is full of clarity and internal reflections and the chapters ripple over into each other like a linked chain of mountain pools.... What is remarkable about these words is how precise they are, and how deeply local. They feel as if they somehow grew out of the land itself. A delight. * Sunday Times Magazine *The mood is one of celebration... [Landmarks is] the product of an active academic intelligence and emotional generosity, irradiated by a profound sense of wonder... Few books give such a sense of enchantment; it is a book to give to many, and to return to repeatedly * Independent *

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Book SynopsisFollowing on from her hugely popular books, My Good Life in France and My Four Seasons in France, ex-pat Janine Marsh shares more heart-warming and entertaining stories of her new life in rural France.Since giving up their city jobs in London and moving to rural France over ten years ago, Janine and husband Mark have renovated their dream home and built a new life for themselves, adjusting to the delights and the peculiarities of life in a small French village.Including much-loved village characters such as Mr and Mrs Pepperpot, Jean-Claude, Claudette and the infamous Bread Man, in Toujours la France! Janine also introduces readers to some new faces and funny stories, as she and Mark continue their lives in this special part of northern France. With fantastic food, birthday parties, rural traditions old and new – Jean-Claude introduces snail racing to the village – and trouble with uninvited animals, there is never a quiet moment in the Seven Valleys.

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Book SynopsisThe USA's National Parks truly are places of wonder: staggering landscapes of jaw-dropping dimensions and incredible diversity where you can stand on the very edge of civilisation.They are the earth's breathing spaces, precious places to conserve nature and wildlife for future generations. Explore countless places to hike, camp, climb, swim and paddle, where you and your family can create lifelong memories of freedom and wide-open spaces.The book contains inspiring narratives reflecting the rich diversity and natural importance of the parks, including their role in conserving wildlife, their intricate ecosystems, and their importance as untamed yet accessible spaces where people love to escape and unwind. In this book you'll discover: -Beautiful photography and inspiring ideas perfect for planning your next adventure -63 national parks in order of designation, showcasing what makes each one special-Maps, facts and figure

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Book Synopsis‘At a time when disconnection from wildlife threatens our mental health this book offers the perfect adaptor to plug our brains back into natures’ therapeutic socket. Page by page it reconnects us to the real, wild world we live in. A must-read for any modern-day Homo sapiens.’ – Chris PackhamIn The Wild Remedy, Emma Mitchell’s deeply personal account of her interactions with nature and its healing properties, she recorded, month by month, a year of her nature finds and wildlife discoveries and the science behind how nature affects our neurochemistry to provide relief from anxiety and depression. Now, in this stunning journal, she invites you to accompany her on that road, to experience nature for yourself, record your own interactions and find healing in the natural world. Full of Emma’s exquisite artworks and photographs, this journal contains many of her own observations and reflections, along with prompts and ideas that will help to unlock your own experience of nature. It shows how reconnecting with the natural world around us can be a powerful tool – as medicinal as any talking therapy or pharmaceutical.This unique nature journal includes activities, drawing prompts, contemplative quotes and lots of space for you to write about your inner thoughts, feelings and experiences.Trade ReviewEmma’s words are profound, her photography is inspiring and her illustrations are exquisite. This book is the literary equivalent of Prozac. -- Emma FreudThis is a beautiful, beautiful book, and I can’t recommend it enough. -- Sue PerkinsAn absolute joy. -- Joanna Cannon, author of The Trouble with Goats and SheepEmma’s writing is precise, gorgeous and inspiring. -- Amy Liptrot, author of The Outrun

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Book SynopsisThe Garden Apothecary shows us how to harvest and use commonly found plants, weeds and herbs to create our own healing home apothecaries. With tasty recipes, wild skincare, in-depth plant spotlights and a back-to-roots ethos, The Garden Apothecary will encourage the reader to become more connected to the natural world through learning the art of herbalism from plants growing in our gardens. Focusing on 20 herbs and plants, learn how to identify, grow and pick them from your garden or forage them, as well as discovering their medicinal properties. Each plant spotlight includes in depth information on how to use it in a multitude of recipes and remedies. The Garden Apothecary is a safe and mindful approach to the often overwhelming world of foraging and herbalism. Trade ReviewThe book is packed with a wealth of fascinating facts and practical applications, not to mention stunning photographs and beautiful plant illustrations. * Farm Week *

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Book SynopsisA complete guide to help you safely identify edible species that grow around us, together with detailed artworks, field identification notes and recipes.First published in 1972, this updated edition of Richard Mabey''s cult bestseller has been revised to reflect the ever-increasing eco-awareness and popular interest in finding different, and more natural, sources of food. Each of the 240 types of fruit, nut, flower, seaweed, fungi and shellfish featured has its own identification field notes and artwork. Understand and learn about the fascinating edible species that you may come across and, with the help of the numerous recipes also included, find out the best way to pick and enjoy them.Beautifully illustrated and written, Food for Free' will inspire you to take more notice of the natural harvest that surrounds us, learn how to make use of it and conserve it for future generations.Trade Review‘Thirty years after its initial publication, the forager's bible continues to inspire and enthral.’Scottish Field ‘Still a classic’The Financial Times ‘Armed with this guide, this month you could be sampling the simple pleasures of eating a fleshy Hottentot fig straight from a Devon clifftop, making elderflower fritters gathered from the hedgerows, or frying fairy-ring champignons picked off your lawn. With its charming painted illustrations, it is a book to savour in itself.’Devon Life

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Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'Memoir of the year' - Vogue'A wondrous, sensuous memoir of salt-stung survival . . . clear-eyed and poetic prose' Sunday Times'A fascinating memoir' - Daily MailWhen Tamsin Calidas first arrives on a remote island in the Scottish Hebrides, it feels like coming home. Disenchanted by London, she and her husband left the city and high-flying careers to move the 500 miles north, despite having absolutely no experience of crofting, or of island life. It was idyllic, for a while. But as the months wear on, the children she'd longed for fail to materialise, and her marriage breaks down, Tamsin finds herself in ever-increasing isolation.Injured, ill, without money or friend she is pared right back, stripped to becoming simply a raw element of the often harsh landscape. But with that immersion in her surroundings comes the possibility of rebirth and renewal. Tamsin begins the slow journey back from the brink. Startling, raw and extremely moving, I Am An Island is a story about the incredible ability of the natural world to provide when everything else has fallen away - a stunning book about solitude, friendship, resilience and self-discovery.Trade ReviewA wondrous, sensuous memoir of salt-stung survival… clear-eyed and poetic prose. Over and above everything else, I Am an Island is a hymn to the wild, full of fine observation of the natural world. A message that rings true for these testing times. * The Sunday Times *Calidas is a supple, sensuous writer - deeply empathetic... Her account is shot through with moments of intense brightness. * Guardian *This is a startling book, a vivid and terrifying reminder of how an island can seduce, madden - and ultimately sustain those brave enough to endure its confines. -- Madeleine Bunting, author of Love of CountryAn extraordinary book, a wild and redemptive account of reaching rock bottom and swimming back into the light. I’m awed by Tamsin's courage, her resilience and huge heart. Her island will stay with me for a very long time. -- Olivia Laing, author of The Lonely City and To the RiverThe best book I have read in more than a decade. Each page is poetry. Tamsin's story is both heartbreaking and inspiring but ultimately about how the power of nature can heal. The perfect memoir for us all right now. Absolutely stunning. What an incredible woman. -- Susannah ConstantineThe memoir of the year...a lyrical paean to the wild beauty of the Hebrides. * Vogue *An island tale like no other. An unforgettably moving and compulsive read, steeped in anguish and beauty. A book that is unafraid to stare deep into the abyss, and still find a way forward. The story of a woman completely broken by life, and her fifteen-year struggle to find the inner strength to restore herself, through sheer determination, and by immersing herself in solitude. -- Neil Ansell, author of Deep Country and Deer IslandCompletely astonishing. Using language of shimmering beauty, Tamsin Calidas describes the unravelling of a relationship with such exquisitely small stitches that the eventual thread-baring of her physical and emotional safety, her sense of identity and purpose, blows in like a cold slap of Hebridean wind. A Hardyesque, stripped back connection to the landscape emerges. And yet only with the fragmentation of everything that matters is the fragility of life transcended and restored by the triumphant pull of a determination to survive. -- Juliet NicolsonGripping...Tough yet compulsive reading, carried by crisp, vivid prose. -- Amy Liptrot, author of The OutrunRaw, painful, storm-battered writing. Here's what it means to be truly isolated. * Raynor Winn *A meditative breath of fresh air. This book will fill your lungs, sting your eyes and catch in your throat. Soaring prose like birdsong over the harsh lands that compelled Tamsin Calidas to breathe deep. -- Ruth Fitzmaurice, author of I Found My TribeAn extraordinary book of limitless resilience, Calidas' leaping prose is a love song to the natural world. What she achieves with an open heart and a will of iron is nothing short of remarkable. -- Sarah Langford, author of In Your DefenceSo raw, so honest, so intense. I didn't want this book to end. -- Sigri Sandberg, author of An Ode to DarknessCombining intensely beautiful nature writing with the excavation of deep emotion, this brave, startling book examines what it really means to lose yourself in nature, and in doing so find a completely new version of yourself, too. A powerful, unsettling but ultimately redemptive account of one woman’s deep communion with the natural world. -- Clover Stroud, author of My Wild and Sleepless NightsCalidas is a supple, sensuous writer - deeply empathic... Her account is shot through with moments of intense brightness. * Guardian *Any preconceptions you may entertain about 'a Londoner, tiring of the city, moves to a Scottish Island' will be smashed in the first chapter of Tamsin Calidas' astonishing, raw and clear-eyed book. Tamsin charts how she comes to terms with loss, loneliness, hardship and prejudice through immersing herself fully in her island habitat. I am an Island is a powerful, affecting book; glittering and visceral, Tamsin's clear-voiced self-reliance becomes a storm-force of nature in itself. -- Nicola Chester, Nature Writer, RSPB Columnist and Guardian Country DiaristA beautiful book...I urge you to seek it out. -- Jane GarveyA beautifully written, emotionally intense memoir * Sunday Express *The island is a metaphor for anyone who has ever been alone... It is about what happens when everything you are used to falls away, which is something we are all experiencing at the moment. * Daily Mail *An utterly engrossing read. * Saga *

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Book SynopsisA beautifully written classic of nature writing.''A masterly account...of supreme interest...a classic'' Country LifeLong accepted as the best work on the subject, Oliver Rackham''s book is both a comprehensive history of Britain''s woodland and a field-work guide that presents trees individually and as part of the landscape.From prehistoric times, through the Roman period and into the Middle Ages, Oliver Rackham describes the changing character, role and history of trees and woodland. He concludes this definitive study with a section on the conservation and future of Britain''s trees, woodlands and hedgerows.Trade ReviewA masterly account...of supreme interest...a classic of recorded field work and meticulous scholarship * COUNTRY LIFE *As an aid to understanding the landscape I haven't found its equal * NEW SCIENTIST *Have you ever thought about how trees are represented in landscape paintings? Even country-loving Gainsborough could hardly paint them in such a way that individual species can be identified by Dr Rackham * DAILY TELEGRAPH *This is the book that felled the romantic cliche of sylvan England ... There are heroes in this book as much as in any history but they are ancient oaks and beeches and hornbeams. Besides, how could anyone not want to read a book with a section on "What nettles say"? -- Simon Schama

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Book SynopsisCalming, thought-provoking, poetic and honest, Notes from Walnut Tree Farm is a collection of writing and musing by documentary-maker, environmentalist and author of Waterlog, Roger Deakin. ''Gentle, straight, honest, inquisitive, funny, melancholic'' Spectator''A lovely book that is a poignant epitaph to a remarkable individual'' Amazon Review________________For the last six years of his life, Roger Deakin kept notebooks. In them, he wrote his daily thoughts, impressions, feelings and observations about and around his Suffolk home, Walnut Tree Farm. Collected here are the very best of these writings, capturing his extraordinary, restless curiosity about nature as well as his impressions of our changing world.Perfect for fans of Robert Macfarlane and Colin Tudge, this is a book that fills readers with a desire to explore the world around them.________________''A sTrade Review'Superb. Totally fresh and vivid' - Chris Yates 'Deakin's account sings, as unruly and robust as the world he bore witness to ... Deakin's greatest gift is to make the ecologically minded life a matter of gleeful fun' Observer 'If anything this book is superior to Deakin's previous book Wildwood, which is saying something, since that was marvellous. The diary form works beautifully ... In just a few words, Deakin can delight and inspire in equal measure' - Tom Hodgkinson

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Book SynopsisFew have written more beautifully about the British countryside than Francis Kilvert. A country clergyman born in 1840, Kilvert spent much of his time visiting parishioners, walking the lanes and fields of Herefordshire and writing in his diary. Full of passionate delight in the natural world and the glory of the changing seasons, his diaries are as generous, spontaneous and vivacious as Kilvert himself. He is an irresistible companion.This new edition of William Plomer’s original selection contains new archival material as well as a fascinating introduction illuminating Kilvert’s world and the history of the diaries.‘One of the best books in English’ Sunday Times'Kilvert has touched and delighted (and mildly shocked) readers of his diaries ever since they were first published. New readers are in for a treat' Alan BennettTrade ReviewKilvert has touched and delighted and (mildly shocked) readers of his diaries ever since they were first published. New readers are in for a treatOne of the most enchanting portraits of English rural life ever written...Kilvert's lyrical nature writing is recognised for its Wordsworthian sensibility * Guardian *One of the best books in English * Sunday Times *Funny, lyrical, witty and wise, Robert Kilvert’s diaries are a treasure-house of vital fieldwork and social observation. Parochial is the best sense, he joyed in the natural wonders of his parish, recording the trials and splendours of his day-to-day. As such, the diary is a marvel of observance; a hybrid hymn to a world now lost and a vibrant counterpoint to fellow poet-cleric, Gerard Manley HopkinsThe best picture of quiet vicarage life in Victorian England that has yet been given to us

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Book SynopsisA charming addition to Rizzoli’s carefully curated program of bringing classic books back into print. This beautifully packaged facsimile of Edith Holden’s original diary is filled with a naturalist’s masterful paintings and delightful observations chronicling the English countryside throughout 1906. As one of the few true records of the time in print, the handwritten thoughts and paintings contained in The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady transport readers to a more refined, romantic, and simpler time. Capitalizing on the current Downton Abbey–inspired appetite for Edwardian-era ephemera, fashions, and society, this reproduction brings readers back to a time in which propriety, civility, and an appreciation for the natural world reigned. This souvenir of a bygone era serves not only as a calming touchstone, but a reminder that as long as we choose to see it, we are still surrounded by beauty and grace.

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Book SynopsisDay Walks on the Isle of Skye features 20 routes between 3.4 and 14.5 miles (5.5km and 23.3km) in length, spread across the Isle of Skye with one walk on the neighbouring Isle of Raasay. Researched and written by experienced and knowledgeable authors Helen and Paul Webster, founders of the Walkhighlands website, the walks explore the rugged mountains and wildlife-rich coastline of the islands.The routes are split into four sections – Trotternish and the Braes; North-West Skye; Glen Brittle and Sligachan; and South Skye and the Isle of Raasay.Together with stunning photography, each route features Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 maps, easy-to-follow directions, details of distance and navigation information, and refreshment stops and local information.Table of ContentsIsle of Skye Area Map & Route FinderIntroductionAbout the walksNavigationGPS & mobile phonesSafetyBothiesRoads & parkingScottish Outdoor Access CodeHow to use this bookMaps, descriptions, distancesKm/mile conversion chartScottish place namesSection 1 – Trotternish & the Braes1 Ben Tianavaig2 Rubha Hunish3 Quiraing4 The Storr & its Old ManSection 2 – North-West Skye5 The Hoe & Waterstein Head6 Ramasaig to Orbost via MacLeod’s MaidensSection 3 – Glen Brittle & Sligachan7 Rubha an Dùnain8 Bealach Brittle Loop9 Marsco10 Sgùrr na Strì 11 Glamaig & the Red Cuillin12 Bruach na Frìthe13 Sgùrr na Banachdaich14 Sgùrr Dearg & the Inaccessible PinnacleSection 4 – South Skye & the Isle of Raasay15 Point of Sleat 16 Boreraig & Suisnish17 Dùn Caan, Isle of Raasay18 Elgol & Camasunary Circuit19 Broadford Red Hills 20 BlàbheinnAppendix

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Book SynopsisBlending personal memoir with reportage, Surrender is a narrative nonfiction work on the changing landscape of the West and the scavenger, rewilder and ecosexual communities, inspired by a two-year stay in Montana. In the style of Barry Lopez and Annie Dillard, Joanna Pocock, the winner of the 2018 Fitzcarraldo Editions Essay Prize, explores the changing landscape of the West in an era of increasing climatic disruption, rising sea levels, animal extinctions, melting glaciers and catastrophic wild fires.Trade Review‘Pocock’s prose is understated and spare, and, like a cave painting, does perfect justice to her subject. It doesn’t debase the living world by trying to overword it. It is just a sketch, and in its gentleness touches it perfectly ...This is nature writing that we need: standing in contrast to writing that forces the human into the picture as observer, or tries hard to pin the thing down exactly, with alienating expertise or florid description. ... [Pocock’s] is a perspective not of objectivity or voyeurism, but of participation in the web of life and in the land and communities as she writes them.’ — Abi Andrews, Irish Times‘This is a bewitching and deeply affecting book. Pocock’s elegant interweaving of the intimate and the expansive, the personal and the universal, culminates in a work that forces us to consider our own place in, and impact upon, a world that could itself have more past than future.’ — Tom Smalley, The Spectator‘Pocock is an environmentalist, yet she is also clearly a humanist. She is always willing to hear people out, no matter how extreme their points of view, and to accept the limits of her own knowledge. ... Pocock’s writing is a prism, refracting hidden nuance from her subjects and meaning from memory. ... whether it is climate crisis or midlife crisis, Pocock holds her themes lightly, allowing the “fluidity of life” to run its course.’ — Clare Saxby, Times Literary Supplement‘What makes Pocock’s narrative voice so likeable is her frank outsider-ness when encountering some of the more extreme lifestyle choices – both on the political right with the wolf trappers, and on the liberal left with the ecosex earth lovers. She’s a city dweller in a monogamous relationship (and not with the earth), a vegetarian – but not a vegan or a paleo-dieter - and someone who can’t give up the cinema, bookshops or stable healthcare provision. Further, unlike some of the off-gridders that she encounters who harbour anger and resentment towards mainstream society, Pocock is enthusiastic about the potential for society to change. Her narrative voice becomes an earnest mediator between the extent, nuances and degrees of various modes of life-commitments to environmentalism and the average white middle-class, earth-conscious but ultimately safe liberal lifestyle.’ — Baya Simons, Review 31

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Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER SHORTLISTED FOR THE CWA GOLD DAGGER FOR NON-FICTION 2021 SHORTLISTED FOR THE INDIE BOOK AWARD FOR NON-FICTION 2022 ‘Brilliant, passionate and political . . . The Book of Trespass will make you see landscapes differently' Robert Macfarlane 'A remarkable and truly radical work, loaded with resonant truths' George Monbiot The vast majority of our country is entirely unknown to us because we are banned from setting foot on it. By law of trespass, we are excluded from 92 per cent of the land and 97 per cent of its waterways, blocked by walls whose legitimacy is rarely questioned. But behind them lies a story of enclosure, exploitation and dispossession of public rights whose effects last to this day. The Book of Trespass takes us on a journey over the walls of England, into the thousands of square miles of rivers, woodland, lakes and meadows that are blocked from public access. By trespassing the land of the media magnates, Lords, politicians and private corporations that own England, Nick Hayes argues that the root of social inequality is the uneven distribution of land. Weaving together the stories of poachers, vagabonds, gypsies, witches, hippies, ravers, ramblers, migrants and protestors, and charting acts of civil disobedience that challenge orthodox power at its heart, The Book of Trespass will transform the way you see the land. --------------- A GUARDIAN, i AND SPECTATOR BOOK OF THE YEARTrade ReviewWhat a brilliant, passionate and political book this is, by a young writer-walker-activist who is also a dazzlingly gifted artist. It tells - through story, exploration, evocation - the history of trespass (and therefore of freedom) in Britain and beyond, while also making a powerful case for future change. It is bold and brave, as well as beautiful; Hayes's voice is warm, funny, smart and inspiring. The Book of Trespass will make you see landscapes differently -- Robert MacfarlaneSeeks to challenge and expose the mesmerising power that landownership exerts on this country, and to show how we can challenge its presumptions . . . The Book of Trespass is massively researched but lightly delivered, a remarkable and truly radical work, loaded with resonant truths and stunningly illustrated by the author -- George Monbiot * Guardian *A powerful new narrative about the vexed issue of land rights . . . Hayes [is] practically a professional trespasser these days, no sign too forbidding to be ignored, no fence too high to be climed . . . The Book of Trespass is [Hayes’s] first non-graphic book – though the text is punctuated by his marvellous illustations, linocuts that bring to mind the Erics, Gill and Ravilious – and in it, he weaves several centuries of English history together with the stories of gypsies, witches, ramblers, migrants and campaigners, as well as his own adventures. Its sweep is vast * Observer *Brilliantly argued, The Book of Trespass explores with clarity and courage an ancient problem in radically new ways . . . Hayes unearths the psychological preconditions that empower and legitimise these monumental inequalities -- Mark Cocker * New Statesman *Exhilarating . . . A gorgeously written, deeply researched and merrily provocative tour of English landscape, history and culture -- Boyd Tonkin * Arts Desk *Hayes is an alert, inquisitive observer . . . He works also in the tradition of nature writers like Robert Macfarlane … This sensibility gives him a poetic sense of the different ways that we might use and share the land to the benefit of all . . . Beyond its demand for specific, concrete changes to the law on what land we may step onto and for what purposes, this book is a call for a re-enchantment of the culture of nature * Tribune Magazine *Hayes is practised at pushing through overgrown thickets of law to uncover hidden structures of power and privilege. His book’s historical range stretches across centuries . . . The Book of Trespass is incisive, impassioned and beautifully written * Times Literary Supplement *A trespasser’s radical manifesto . . . A book dedicated to demolishing boundaries of all kinds . . . Each chapter includes a double-page black-and-white landscape, rendered with a thrilling air of motion and immediacy . . . Hayes has picked apart the meaning of “trespass” and brilliantly redefined it as an act of solidarity * Guardian *A stirring appeal for us to freely access the land closed off to the public . . . By trespassing on the land, Hayes takes us on a roller-coaster ride through history . . . His book is an example of nature writing at its best but it has real political bite … [A book] to relish and learn from * Morning Star *

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Book SynopsisThe Sunday Times bestseller Have you ever wished you could get the dog in your life to behave better?With experience of training over 5,000 dogs of every breed, Graeme Hall has formulated the golden rules that every dog owner needs to know and he's here to share them with you.In chapters on getting a puppy, kids and dogs, separation anxiety and so much more, Graeme recounts his hard-won, often hilarious success stories and reveals a solution for every dog-related worry. His simple, tried and tested lesson will help you understand your dog and drive better behaviours.The Dogfather has seen it all and he's here to share his secrets.Trade ReviewFunny, enlightening and incredibly moving at times, this absolute joy of a book tells you everything you ever wanted to know about our relationship with dogs. Every four-legged home should have a copy -- Emily DeanInstantly likeable * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERA fascinating and hilarious glimpse into Paul''s life at home in the country with his animalsPaul O''Grady''s Country Life for the first time gives a glimpse into the home life of one of Britain's best loved stars, alongside the animals he adores. Sometimes rural idyll, sometimes hell on earth, Paul's life in rural Kent has been shared over the years with some very vocal pigs, a mad cow, various rescued barn owls, the world's most sadistic geese and Christine the psychotic sheep among many other animal waifs and strays. And of course Paul tells the stories of the dogs in his life including the tiny chihuahua/Jack Russell cross with Napoleonic ambitions, Eddie, Miss Olga, Bullseye, Louis, Boycie and, of course, Buster, the greatest canine star since Lassie. In addition, Paul shares some of his favourite recipes, explores country lore and superstitions, and extols the benefits of growing your own vegetables, herbs aTrade ReviewFor the past decade, O'Grady has lived a quiet life in Kent... and he details the change of pace with typical wit and frankness. * Radio Times *

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Book SynopsisIn this inspirational and practical guide to country life, passionate and hugely knowledgeable countryman Alan Titchmarsh explores the heritage of rural Britain, its landscapes and wildlife, its traditions, customs and crafts. The Lost Skills and Crafts Handbook will help you rediscover your love of the countryside, including:- a checklist of British butterflies and where to find them- how to keep chickens, ducks, goats and sheep- how to make soap, candles and your own herbal remedies- how to track animals and forage for food- essential knot tying- how to build a campfire without matches- how to create a kitchen garden- the origins of country superstitionsAnd much more. With beautiful line art illustrations throughout, this compendium of the British countryside and its delights will be an essential read for any nature lover in your life.

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Book SynopsisChris Yates, one of Britain's most insightful and lyrical writers, raises his gaze from his beloved rivers and ponds and takes us on a mesmerizing tour of the British countryside.Last November, the sudden appearance of a hundred wintering ravens in a wood in Cranborne Chase, where I have lived for twenty-five years without seeing more than a few solitary specimens, reminded me that there is always something ready to flame up again in the landscape, just when it seemed the fire had gone out.In Nightwalk we accompany Chris Yates on the most magical of journeys into the very heart of the British countryside. His acute observation of the natural world and ability to transcend it exquisitely sets Chris apart from his contemporaries.Time slows down for a deeper intimacy with nature, and through Chris's writing we hear every rustle of a leaf, every call of a bird. He widens the power of our imagination, heightening our senses and revealing beauty in the smallest details.Trade Review‘Wonderful stuff’Independent on Sunday ‘There can be few who have explained so elegantly both the zen-like trance of the serious fisherman and the all-too-active comedy of preparation, expedition and return’Guardian ‘Chris Yates is a god’Condé Nast Traveller ‘A wonderfully elegiac book’Big Issue ‘lyrical and haunting…Yates’ narrative is presented as an account of a midsummer countryside walk…Its beauty lies in its tenderness about the world and the author’s personal responses to what he hears, feels and smells…It stayed with me a long time after I finished.’ Rachel Joyce, The Times ‘This book is the result of following a whim to its natural conclusion. It’s about time and losing track of it. Chris Yates doesn’t really want his wanderings to end, and neither will you. It’s a wonderful book, and I’m happy to recommend it without qualification.’ Marcus Berkmann, Daily Mail ‘there is no doubt about the elegance and precision of Yates’ language, or his ability to conjure up an atmosphere… perhaps this is the real beauty of Nightwalk, and the true value of Yates’ gift as a writer: that it gives back the night to us, offers up a sense of freedom in the place of anxiety, reminds us of the silence in the midst of its bustling life, and soothes our atavistic fear of the dark while never quite permitting us to be complacent.’ EarthLines ‘Chris’s existing and extensive fan-base, the anglers, will find a freedom in Nightwalk…I believe this is [his] finest work to date…What is certain, though, is that Nightwalk will delight for many, many years to come.’ Kevin Parr, Caught By the River ‘In Yates’s darkest England, four delightful decades of meandering nostalgia, curiosity and hedonism meet creatures of the night in the finest tradition of country writing.’ BBC Wildlife

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Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics.

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Book SynopsisWhat would happen if you got on a bike in central London and didn't stop riding until you hit the Welsh coast? Steve Silk, the best-selling author of The Great North Road, provides the answer over eight days, 300 miles and rather a lot of hills. Enriched with history, Go West is a must for anyone who has ever dreamed of a cycling adventure.

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Book SynopsisOnce common across most of the country, beavers were hunted to extinction in the sixteenth century, but have gradually been returning to Scottish waters. In this deeply personal account, Argaty's Tom Bowser tells of his attempts to save these incredible animals, and the gains that beavers ultimately brought to his family farm.

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Book SynopsisJames Herriot grew up in Glasgow and qualified as a veterinary surgeon at Glasgow Veterinary College. Shortly afterwards he took up a position as an assistant in a North Yorkshire practice where he remained, with the exception of his wartime service in the RAF, until his death in 1995. He wrote many books about Yorkshire country life, including some for children, but he is best known for his memoirs, beginning with If Only They Could Talk. The books were televised in the enormously popular series All Creatures Great and Small.Trade ReviewHe can tell a good story against himself, and his pleasure in the beauty of the countryside in which he works is infectious. * The Daily Telegraph *Full of warmth, wisdom and wit. * The Field *It is a pleasure to be in James Herriot's company. * Observer *

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Book Synopsis''The best portrait of rural life in England'' Roger Deakin''Exquisite'' John Updike''The finest contemporary writer on the English countryside'' ObserverRonald Blythe''s perceptive and vivid evocation of the rural Suffolk he had known since childhood was acclaimed as an instant classic when it was published in 1969. It reverberates with the voices of the village inhabitants, from the reminiscences of survivors of the Great War evoking days gone by, to the concerns of a younger generation of farm-workers and the fascinating and personal recollections of, among others, the local schoolteacher, doctor, blacksmith, saddler, district nurse and magistrate. Providing insights into the land, education, welfare, class, religion and death, Akenfield forms a unique document of a way of life that has, in many ways, disappeared.Trade ReviewA hundred years from now, anyone wanting to know how things were on the land will turn more profitably to Akenfield than to a sheaf of anaemically professional social surveys. * the Guardian *Blythe lovingly opens the curtains of legend and landscape, revealing the inner, almost clandestine, spirit of the village behind. His book consists of direct-speech monologues, delivered by 49 Suffolk residents, and interpretatively linked by the author. The effect is one of astonishing immediacy: it is as if those country people have looked up for a moment from their plow, lawnmower or kitchen sink, and are talking directly (and disturbingly frankly) to the reader -- Jan Morris * The New York Times *Exquisite -- John Updike

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Book SynopsisHandy little full-colour map and guide of Yorkshire Dales National Park.Detailed mapping and visitor information to the National Park along with a selection of photographs. Map at a scale of 1:140 000 (1cm to 1.40km, 2.2 miles to 1 inch).This small map with additional text and photographs gives a great overview of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and is the perfect companion for exploring this beautiful area of Northern England.Clear, detailed mappingKey park, tourist and travel informationIdeal for planning visits to the National ParkIndex to help locate and plan your tripThis and the Yorkshire Dales Park Rangers Favourite Walks (ISBN: 9780008462659) are the perfect companions for exploring this superb walking area of England.

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Book Synopsis''Wonderfully warm and funny'' Cathy Woodman, bestselling author of Trust Me I''m A Vet Will is a Yorkshire lad, through and through. He''s in his element when he''s outside in the country air, not stuck in a classroom wasting his youth and the beauty of Yorkshire. When he starts as an apprentice farrier, his first few days are a baptism of fire. His fellow apprentice is a wind-up merchant and his gruff boss, Stanley, ribs him mercilessly about his tea drinking habit. But in this chaotic environment, the three of them form a brotherhood, and soon, Will realises that the coming year is going to teach him a lot more than how to shoe a horse properly...A charming story full of dry Yorkshire humour and warmth - a must-read for fans of James Herriot, Clare Balding, Countryfile and The Shepherd''s Life.Trade ReviewWonderfully warm and funny -- Cathy Woodman, bestselling author of TRUST ME, I'M A VET'Perfect holiday poolside read.' -- The Lady

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Book SynopsisThe Great Wood of Caledon - the historic native forest of Highland Scotland - has a reputation as potent and misleading as the wolves that ruled it. The popular image is of an impassable, sun-snuffing shroud, a Highlandswide jungle infested by wolf, lynx, bear, beaver, wild white cattle, wild boar, and wilder painted men. Jim Crumley shines a light into the darker corners of the Great Wood, to re-evaluate some of the questionable elements of its reputation, and to assess the possibilities of its partial resurrection into something like a national forest. The book threads a path among relict strongholds of native woodland, beginning with a soliloquy by the Fortingall Yew, the one tree in Scotland that can say of the hey-day of the Great Wood 5,000 years ago: 'I was there.' The journey is enriched by vivid wildlife encounters, a passionate and poetic account that binds the slow dereliction of the past to an optimistic future.Trade Review'An acclaimed nature writer and wildlife expert… with a deep knowledge… His prose style is exquisite and his approach to his subject matter is pleasingly literary' * Herald *'Crumley gives unique insight into the rich history of this land' * Scottish Field *'An engaging read' * BBC Wildlife Magazine *

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Book SynopsisExplore the National Parks with this handy pocket map.Handy little full colour map and guide of New Forest National Park. Detailed mapping and visitor information to the National Park along with a selection of photographs.This small map with additional text and photographs gives a great overview of the New Forest National Park, and is the perfect companion for exploring this beautiful area of Southern England.Clear, detailed mappingKey park, tourist and travel informationIdeal for planning visits to the National ParkIndex to help locate and plan your trip

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Book Synopsis'BRITAIN'S FINEST LIVING NATURE WRITER' - THE TIMESA SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER and BBC Radio 4 'Book of the Week' from 'indisputably, one of the best nature-writers of his generation' (Country Life) Written in diary format, The Wood is the story of English woodlands as they change with the seasons. Lyrical and informative, steeped in poetry and folklore, The Wood inhabits the mind and touches the soul.For four years John Lewis-Stempel managed Cockshutt wood, a particular wood - three and half acres of mixed woodland in south west Herefordshire - that stands as exemplar for all the small woods of England. John coppiced the trees and raised cows and pigs who roamed free there. This is the diary of the last year, by which time he had come to know it from the bottom of its beech roots to the tip of its oaks, and to know all the animals that lived there - the fox, the pheasants, the wood mice, the tawny owl - and where the best bluebells grew. For many fauna and flora, woods like Cockshutt are the last refuge. It proves a sanctuary for John too. To read The Wood is to be amongst its trees as the seasons change, following an easy path until, suddenly the view is broken by a screen of leaves, or your foot catches on a root, or a bird startles overhead. This is a wood you will never want to leave.Trade ReviewIt is a pleasure to be in the company of a man who is so attuned to his woody world ... He is good at sketching nature, fixing a vivid image in the mind's eye of a reader ... Lewis-Stempel has rightly won himself the reputation as being among our best nature writers ... The Wood is an entertaining, illuminating, well-turned read -- Robbie Millen * The Times *John Lewis-Stempel is the hottest nature writer around. * Spectator *A heartfelt and evocative diary of a year among the trees…it’s his observation of the natural world – the sight, the sound, the smell of it – that is so memorable. He has a distinctively brisk, muscular style of writing that has a poetic intensity and concision. * Guardian *Lyrical diary documenting a year in nature ... he’s brilliant on birds and their habits. -- Helen Brown * Daily Mail *Another triumph. Natural, translucent, full of half-glimpsed depths....just like a wood itself. -- Philip Marsden

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Book SynopsisA SUNDAY TIMES NATURE BOOK OF THE YEAR*UPDATED EDITION FEATURING EXTRA MATERIAL*A nature diary by award-winning novelist, nature writer and hit podcaster Melissa Harrison, following her journey from urban south London to the rural Suffolk countryside.''A writer of great gifts.'' ROBERT MACFARLANE''The journal of a writer to compare to Thomas Hardy. Melissa Harrison is among our most celebrated nature writers.'' JOHN CAREY, THE TIMESA Londoner for over twenty years, moving from flat to Tube to air-conditioned office, Melissa Harrison knew what it was to be insulated from the seasons. Adopting a dog and going on daily walks helped reconnect her with the cycle of the year and the quiet richness of nature all around her: swifts nesting in a nearby church; ivy-leaved toadflax growing out of brick walls; the first blackbird''s song; an exhilarating glimpse of a hobby over Tooting Common.Moving from scrappy c

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Book SynopsisThe perfect companions for exploring the National Parks.Walking guide to the Peak District National Park, with 20 best routes chosen by the park rangers. Each walk varies in length from 2 to 10 km and can be completed in less than 4 hours.20 best routes chosen and written by National Park rangersWalks from 2 to 10kmDetailed description for each walk with highlights clearly marked on the map along with an accompanying map and photographsGeneral information about the National Park plus basic advice on walkingThis and the Peak District National Park Pocket Map (ISBN: 9780008439217) are the perfect companions for exploring this superb walking area of England.Trade Review“Walking guides from Collins will have you expertly traversing the landscape like a park ranger.” – Great British Life

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