The countryside, country life: general interest Books

Book SynopsisThe wooden holiday cabin, or hytte, is a staple of Norwegian life. Robert Ferguson, author of Scandinavians, explores the significance of a national icon in this charming, affectionate history. Turf-roofed and wooden-built, offering fresh air, breathtaking views and peaceful isolation, the wooden cabin home – or hytte – is a crucial part of Norwegian national identity. In 2016, Robert Ferguson and his wife bought a piece of land high up in the Hardangervidda, and on it they built a cabin. As the cabin takes shape, Ferguson learns how native Norwegians have married a new-found urban affluence to their past as a tight-knit rural community-nation, and confronts his own ideas about the dream-tradition of the hytte, drawing an affectionate but unsentimental portrait of Norwegian culture, society and landscape. 'Singular and captivating: the pursuit of a dream' Professor John Carey 'Illuminating' TLS 'An uncompromising journey into the dark cold north, to reveal the warmth that comes from deep community bonds' Tim EcottTrade ReviewIlluminating... Insightful knowledge of Norway's cultural and social history' * TLS *Ferguson takes us on an uncompromising journey into the dark cold north, to reveal the warmth that comes from deep community bonds – qualities all too often lost in our modern urban lives -- Tim EcottSingular and captivating: the pursuit of a dream -- Professor John CareyPRAISE FOR ROBERT FERGUSON: 'Scandinavians is a terrific read... [It] reads like many 19th-century travel books, which also combined wonderful narrative description with bright speculation... It's this approach that makes the book so thoroughly enjoyable' Literary Review. 'Ferguson stretches wide the fabric of history, his knowledge and insights in the process bringing the varied stories of the Nordic people vividly to life' Irish Times. 'Charming, affectionate... Penetrating' -- David Aaronovitch, The Times

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Reflecting on nature's unknowable and mysterious qualities, Grounded explores how we can therapeutically benefit from a deeper connection with nature, finding within it balance, stillness, solitude, resilience, contentment, activity, fearlessness – and our own wild voice.In addition to practical exercises and mindful activities, there are personal stories and thought-provoking questions that will help us understand what it means to be alive in the natural world, and in the moment.

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Book SynopsisA moving portrait of the landscape that shaped the life of Laurie Lee, the beloved author of Cider With Rosie ''Before I left the valley I thought everywhere was like this. Then I went away for 40 years and when I came back I realized that nowhere was like this.'' Laurie Lee walked out of his childhood village one summer morning to travel the world, but he was always drawn back to his beloved Slad Valley, eventually returning to make it his home. In this portrait of his Cotswold home, Laurie Lee guides us through its landscapes, and shares memories of his village youth - from his favourite pub to winter skating on the pond, the church through the seasons, local legends, learning the violin and playing jazz records in the privy on a wind-up gramophone. Filled with wry humour and a love of place, Down in the Valley is a writer''s tribute to the landscape that shaped him, and where he found peace.Trade ReviewIt is a fine thing to revisit this writer's landscape and hear his amiable voice in it again. -- Michael Caines * Times Literary Supplement *Down in the Valley is truly evocative of time and place. A beautiful illustration of how, in some way, we are all indelibly influenced by the landscape of our childhood. -- Raynor Winn, author of The Salt Path

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Book SynopsisNew paperback edition - Jonathan Young, Editor of The Field, says: 'Field readers always have the solution to a problem, whether it's a pattern for kiltsocks (Patons No 3285) or clearing out a vacuum flask (bicarbonate of soda) and they have always been more than forthcoming with robust advice.' A vast range of subjects is covered.

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Book SynopsisSince his rise to fame in 1967 when his work "The Peregrine" was awarded the Duff Cooper Memorial Prize, J A Baker has captured the popular imagination with his vivid descriptions of British landscapes and native wildlife. Compelling, strange and at times both startlingly funny and cruel, Baker's prose is at one with his image as a writer, which has, since the publication of his first work, been characterized as an obsessive recluse.Next to nothing was known about Baker, who died in 1987, until an archive of his materials and those related to him was gifted to the University of Essex in 2013. Only now has it been possible to piece together an accurate view of the life and unpublished work of the man whose writing has been described as "the gold standard for all nature writing" (Mark Cocker), and whose work has influenced naturalists such as Richard Mabey and Simon King, as well as film-makers David Cobham and Werner Herzog.This new book showcases the most compelling parts of the Baker Archive, containing previously unknown elements of his life, many photographs and unpublished poems.It provides an invaluable new insight into both his sensitive and passionate character, and late twentieth century Britian, a country experiencing the throes of agricultural and environmental change.

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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 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 SynopsisThe Times and Irish Independent: BEST NATURE BOOKS OF THE YEARGreat nature writing needs to be informative, detailed, accurate, lyrical, and, above all, to instil a sense of gratitude and wonder. John Lewis-Stempel succeeds in all these things triumphantly. From amorous toads to the eye-popping mating habits of water boatmen, a magical celebration of pond life by one of our finest, most evocative nature writers.' Daily MailPonds: small bodies of water, both naturally formed and artificial, home to wondrous, multitudinous life-forms. Ponds define our childhood: frogspawn, goldfish, feeding the ducks, but also our village life, our farms, our landscape. And they are multi-layered - from carp circling the bottom to water boatmen, coot, and birds dragonflies overhead. In Still Water, John immerses himself in the murky depths, both literarily and figuratively, to explore the still waters of the British countryside through each month of the year.Trade ReviewA beautifully written celebration of one of the natural world's most fertile founts of biodiversity and artistic inspiration ... A call to arms. * BEST NATURE BOOKS OF THE YEAR, 2019, The Times *The master of nature-writing takes readers through the changing life of a pond season by season. * Radio Times *Great nature writing needs to be informative, detailed, accurate, lyrical, and, above all, to instil a sense of gratitude and wonder. John Lewis-Stempel succeeds in all these things triumphantly. From amorous toads to the eye-popping mating habits of water boatmen, a magical celebration of pond life by one of our finest, most evocative nature writers. * Daily Mail *One of England's most noted nature writers ... Still Water is a scintillating mirror of ourselves. -- Derek Turner * BOOK OF THE WEEK: The Lady *UK farmer and nature writer John Lewis-Stempel has won much acclaim for his perfectly observed reflections on pastoral habitats and their residents. Still Water explores "the deep life" of ponds with characteristic wit and beauty from the two-time Wainwright Prize winner. -- Hilary A White * Irish Independent *

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Book SynopsisFrom its earliest origins to the present day, this award-winning, beautifully written book describes the endlessly changing character of Britain''s countryside.''A classic'' Richard MabeyExploring the natural and man-made features of the land - fields, highways, hedgerows, fens, marshes, rivers, heaths, coasts, woods and wood pastures - he shows conclusively and unforgettably how they have developed over the centuries. In doing so, he covers a wealth of related subjects to provide a fascinating account of the sometimes subtle and sometimes radical ways in which people, fauna, flora, climate, soils and other physical conditions have played their part in the shaping of the countryside.''One thing is certain: no one would be wise to write further on our natural history, or to make films about it, without thinking very hard about what is contained in these authoritative pages'' COUNTRY LIFETrade ReviewA classic, written with humanity, dignity, concern and a great deal of humour -- Richard Mabey * TES *One thing is certain: no one would be wise to write further on our natural history, or to make films about it, without thinking very hard about what is contained in these authoritative pages * COUNTRY LIFE *As quirky and rewarding as the English countryside itself ... it is full of answers to questions that others have not had the wit to ask * THE ECONOMIST *A classic of scholarship and imagination...A monumental work, but it is written with humanity, dignity, concern and a great deal of humour * TIMES EDUCATIONAL SUPPLEMENT *He opened readers' eyes to regional differences in patterns of land settlement, the original meaning of the term forest (countryside beyond the common law), the timing of key changes in human management of the landscape, new ways of looking at hedges, ponds and marshes, and, through it all, the balance between the natural world and human activities * GUARDIAN *

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Book SynopsisEthical dilemmas and decision-making are a persistent feature of the everyday operations of animal shelters and animal protection organizations. These organizations frequently face difficult decisions about how to treat the animals in their care, decisions that are made all the more difficult by limited funding, material resources, and human labor. Moreover, animal protection organizations must also determine how to act within and toward the wider social and institutional environment in which non-human animals are routinely exploited. The first section of The Ethics of Animal Shelters contains practical recommendations developed by ethicists in response to the ethical challenges identified by employees of the Montreal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. These challenges arise across the organization''s activities, including its internal structure; shelter operations; public campaigns and advocacy work; dealing with the public, animal agriculture and governmental agencies; and their work with feral animals. The second section offers philosophical analyses of the ethical challenges unique to animal shelters. Issues explored include the killing of shelter animals; shelter animals'' diets; medical decision-making procedures; adoption policies; and the role shelters might play in transforming social attitudes and norms.Table of ContentsNotes on contributors Acknowledgements Exploring the ethics of animal shelters: An introduction Part I The Ethics of Animal Shelters: Guidelines and Recommendations Valéry Giroux, Angie Pepper, Kristin Voigt, Frédéric Côté-Boudreau, Nicolas Delon, Sue Donaldson, François Jaquet, Will Kymlicka, Angela Martin and Agnes Tam Part II 1. The value of death for animals: an overview Nicolas Delon 2. Caring in Non-Ideal Conditions: Animal Rescue Organizations and Morally Justified Killing Angie Pepper 3. Decision-making under non-ideal circumstances: Establishing triage protocols for animal shelters Angela Martin 4. What If They Were Humans? Non-Ideal Theory in the Shelter François Jaquet 5. Being Popular and Being Just: How Animal Protection Organizations Can Be Both Agnes Tam and Will Kymlicka 6. Companion Animal Adoption in Shelters: How "Open" Should It Be? Valéry Giroux and Kristin Voigt 7. Transformative Animal Protection Sue Donaldson and Will Kymlicka Afterword Élise Desaulniers

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Book SynopsisShortlisted for the James Cropper Wainwright Prize 2022 for Nature Writing - Highly Commended Winner for the Richard Jefferies Award 2021 for Best Nature Writing 'A rural, working-class writer in an all too rarefied field, Chester’s work is unusual for depicting the countryside as it is lived on the economic margins.' The Guardian 'An important portrait of connection to the land beyond ownership or possession.' Raynor Winn ‘It’s ever so good. Political, passionate and personal.’ Robert Macfarlane ‘Evocative and inspiring…environmental protest, family, motherhood and…nature.’ Claire Fuller, author of Unsettled Ground, Costa Novel Award Winner 2021 Nature is everything. It is the place I come from and the place I got to. It is family. Wherever I am, it is home and away, an escape, a bolt hole, a reason, a place to fight for, a consolation, and a way home. As a child growing up in rural England, Guardian Country Diarist Nicola Chester was inexorably drawn to the natural landscape surrounding her. Walking, listening and breathing in the nature around her, she followed the call of the cuckoo, the song of the nightingale and watched as red kites, fieldfares and skylarks soared through the endless skies over the chalk hills of the North Wessex Downs: the ancient land of Greenham Common which she called home. Nicola bears witness to, and fights against, the stark political and environmental changes imposed on the land she loves, whilst raising her family to appreciate nature and to feel like they belong – core parts of who Nicola is. From protesting the loss of ancient trees to the rewilding of Greenham Common, to the gibbet on Gallows Down and living in the shadow of Highclere Castle (made famous in Downton Abbey), On Gallows Down shows how one woman made sense of her world – and found her place in it.Trade Review‘I couldn’t put it down! A must read!’—Dara McAnulty, author of Diary of a Young Naturalist 'From treetop protests at the Newbury Bypass to the grand Highclere Estate, On Gallows Down is that rare thing: nature writing as political as it is personal.'—Melissa Harrison, author of The Stubborn Light of Things: A Nature Diary'A powerful personal and political journey through place that charts the profound influence we have on nature, and that nature has on us.'—Rob Cowen, author of Common Ground and The Heeding'An evocative and inspiring memoir which touches on environmental protest, family, motherhood and most importantly, nature. Her passion for the natural world and especially birds, shines through in this wonderful book.'—Claire Fuller, author of Unsettled Ground'Nicola Chester deserves many readers. On Gallows Down is an impassioned study of a contested landscape, which interrogates our attitudes towards land stewardship, ownership and living in the right relationship with both human and other-than-human neighbours. Charged with love and fire, On Gallows Down is a beautiful exploration of a much-mapped, multi-faceted landscape.'—Katharine Norbury, author of The Fish Ladder'Chester’s writing has a lovely elasticity, dancing between wonder, introspection and anger as she moves from the particular to the universal…She belongs to the disappearing English, rural working class, and is intent on handing this baton to her three children, who play a part in the book. Chester also explores the familiar tension between wanting to write and being needed at home. The heady ecstasy of time carved out alone, in nature. The scrabble to earn a precarious living, and the insecurities of occupying a tied cottage. The idea of ‘home’ lies at the heart of this fierce, beautifully written, immersive book about one’s place within the landscape.'—Tessa Boase, author of Etta Lemon: The Woman Who Saved the Birds'Nicola’s passionate and enduring love of nature shines through every single word, paragraph and page of this book, as she seamlessly weaves memoir with stories of the landscape in which she is so deeply rooted that it seems to speak through her. Powerful, enlightening, dazzling, hopeful, On Gallows Down is a rare and precious gem – to be savoured, not rushed, and returned to again and again. My words cannot do this book justice – it simply needs to be read.'—Brigit Strawbridge Howard, author of the Wainwright-shortlisted Dancing with Bees

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With rolling green hills and extensive woodlands, it’s easy to see why the Chiltern Hills are one of the most beautiful and well visited of all England’s natural wonders. Crossing five counties and covering 833 square kilometres, the Hills are home to a huge variety of habitats including chalk grasslands, scrub, river valleys, commons and farmland. This book will take the reader on a journey of the Chilterns, from its earliest settlers to today’s enthusiastic trekkers, exploring how the Hills have been shaped by their occupants and, in turn, how the Hills have shaped them. Exquisitely illustrated and expertly researched, A Journey Through The Chiltern Hills is a must-read for anyone interested in this beautiful and breathtaking area.

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Book SynopsisJohn Wyatt first encountered the Lake District during a boyhood camping trip to Windermere. He was overwhelmed by the freedom of the landscape and the closeness to nature he felt. It was as if he belonged here, amongst the fells, the crags and the endless horizon. This call to the wild stayed with him, becoming so powerful that one day he did what many only dream of: he left a steady job and his town life to become a forestry worker in a Lakeland wood at Cartmel Fell. This is one of the finest books ever written on the Lake District. Like Thoreau, John Wyatt embraced the simplicity of living alone in a woodland hut, immersing himself in a life made rich by birdsong, foraging for food the smell of woodsmoke, and the extraordinary companionship of Buck, a young roe deer discovered in the woods.

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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 SynopsisThis fully updated special edition of the classic complete guide to the edible species that grow around us includes a new foreword from the author and a plate section with identification guides for all major species.Originally published in 1972, Richard Mabey's classic foraging guide has never been out of print since. Food for Free is a complete guide to help you safely identify edible species that grow around us, together with detailed field identification notes and recipes.In this stunning 50th anniversary edition, Richard Mabey's updated text is accompanied by a wealth of practical information on identifying, collecting, cooking and preparing, as well as history and folklore. Informative illustrations of key species by expert botanical artists are included in a colour plate section. Beautifully written and produced in a new, readable format, Food for Free will inspire us to be more self-sufficient and make use of the natural resources around us to enhance our lives.Trade Review‘Food for Free is a life-enhancing classic. That it is erudite and charming as well as practical and accurate is a testament to Richard Mabey’s great gift as a biographer of our natural heritage. It remains the best possible antidote to the over-processed and the pre-packaged.’ Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall ‘The forager's bible continues to inspire and enthral.’ Scottish Field ‘Still a classic’ 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 SynopsisAbout two-thirds of Britain's small, traditional orchards have been lost since 1960. This is a loss in ecological diversity, in community knowledge and the intricacy of local distinctiveness. In 2007 the pomologist Liz Copas and cidermaker Nick Poole began a quest to find and identify old varieties of cider apple trees around Dorset. The search lasted more than a decade, taking them across the county, searching in forgotten orchards, hedgerows and the corners of gardens. The Lost Orchards follows the journey they took to find, propagate and make cider with Dorset's forgotten apple varieties: Golden Ball, Kings Favourite, Yaffle, Dewbit, Golly Knapp, Tom Legg, Best Bearer and Symes Seedlings. The book is also an illustrated guide to the apple varieties they discovered and an important history of West Country Orchards. This hopeful story will resonate far beyond Dorset and will encourage readers to look closely at their surroundings and conserve their local orchards.

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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 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 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 SynopsisFrom award winning novelist and journalist David Profumo comes a dazzling work about the restorative power of nature and finding joy in simple pleasures. 'David Profumo has fished everywhere man and boy, and come back with his creel crammed with adventures and misadventures - a memoir for every fisherman's bookshelf.' Tom Stoppard It is often said there is more to the experience of fishing than the mere catching of fish, and in this evocative, wide-ranging memoir he explores the delights and mysteries of one of mankind's most ancient pursuits. As we move from the Highland waters of his childhood and into his adult travels from the Arctic Circle to the South Seas, The Lightning Thread unpeels this idiosyncratic subject, and shows how it embraces folklore, poetry, magic, drink and disaster. By turns a lyrical celebration of the natural world and also the quirkiness of human nature itself, this is a hymn to the great happiness that pursuing his life's passion has brought the auth

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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 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 ShepherdessThe attraction of Herriot’s ever popular memoirs of a country vet . . . is their alternating highs and lows, humour and pathos, and gripping anecdotes about delivering lambs, grumpy farmers, hypochondriac pet-owners, stroppy cows and blunt Yorkshire characters. * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisA reckoning with our past and a vision for a new ecological future' Amy-Jane Beer Seeks to undo the damage of exclusionary ownership through the transformative power of belonging' Guy Shrubsole In May 2022, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences released a paper that measured fourteen European countries on three factors: biodiversity, wellbeing, and nature connectedness. Britain came last in every single category. The findings are clear. We are suffering, and nature is too.Enter Wild Service' a visionary concept crafted by the pioneers of the Right to Roam campaign, which argues that humanity's loss and nature's need are two sides of the same story. Blending science, nature writing and indigenous philosophy, this groundbreaking book calls for mass reconnection to the land and a commitment to its restoration.In Wild Service we meet Britain's new nature defenders: an anarchic cast of guerilla guardians who neither own the places they pr

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Book SynopsisWhether you live in a house or flat, in a rural or urban environment, this beautiful book shows how to harness the natural world around us and feel more grounded and rooted in our surroundings.'Inspirational' – Cara DelevingneThe Wild Journal is a beautifully illustrated guide from leading florist and nature writer Willow Crossley. Guiding you through creative practical projects and therapeutic seasonal reflections, The Wild Journal celebrates the potential of nature to mend, heal and transform our mood.The simple, back-to-basics habits and small seasonal changes in the book can help everyone to counteract the unpredictability and chaos of everyday life. Wherever you live, there are simple mindful actions – from listening to birdsong instead of rushing on your commute, to collecting natural treasures such as feathers, branches, pebbles or pine cones. Willow shares her creative techniques for bringing nature into your daily routine – whether it's planting and potting, identifying wild flowers, trying your hand at beautifully simple flower arrangements or making your own essential oils and candles. There is space to record reflections and your favourite seasonal activities, as well as ideas for star-gazing, bird-watching, and so much more.Willow Crossley's creative approach is informed by an artistic eye and a life spent immersed in nature. From growing up in Wales where days were spent exploring outdoors and flowers adorned every surface, to living in France surrounded by fields of sunflowers, iris and fragrant lavender, nature has always been an intrinsic part of her everyday life.Trade ReviewBeautifully illustrated...a pleasing entry into the transformative and healing power of the outdoors. -- Evening Standard Top Pick for books on mindfulness and meditationHaving moved to the countryside four years ago, this book is not only a wonderful guide, but also feels like it could be my own personal journal. In her passion-driven knowledge and playful storytelling, Willow talks and cares for her surroundings the way one would for a friend. It has reminded me how much love, loyalty and kindness are as important to nature, as they are to me. -- Jack SavorettiA must-have for anyone interested in the positive impact engaging with nature can have on your soul -- Chloe Delevingne

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Book SynopsisDiscover the best of wild Britain, whether it''s hiking, climbing, cycling or just soaking up nature, lovers of the outdoors will find this ideal for planning the adventure of a lifetime.Philip''s RGS Outdoor Britain highlights the remarkable activities on offer: from cheese-rolling in Gloucestershire to wild swimming in the Thames, surfing off the Cornish coast to bog snorkelling in Wales. This ultimate outdoor companion clearly illustrates all the parks, trails, long distance footpaths, pilgrim routes and much more. So grab your boots (or swimmers), pack your rucksack, and reconnect with nature.* National trails in England and Wales, Long distance footpaths in Scotland and scenic driving routes including: North Coast 500, West Highland Way, Pennine Way, Thames Path, South West Coastal Paths and Offa''s Dyke* Camping and caravanning sites for those who want to roam* National Parks and A

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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 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 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 SynopsisI adore the fox for its magnificence; I hate the fox for killing my chickens. To love and loathe the fox is a British condition.The fox is our apex predator, our most beautiful and clever killer. We have witnessed its wild touch, watched it slink by bins at night and been chilled by its high-pitched scream. And yet we long to stroke the tumbling cubs outside their tunnel homes and watch the vixen stalk the cornfield. There is something about foxes. They captivate us like no other species.Exploring a long and sometimes complicated relationship, The Wild Life of the Fox captures our love and sometimes loathing of this magnificent creature in vivid detail and lyrical prose.

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Book Synopsis''Joyous, funny and full of warm, relatable characters, this is the queer Christmas rom-com I''ve been waiting for'' LAURA KAYAfter the year from hell, Haf is ready to blow off steam at a Christmas party. A no-strings-attached kiss with a stranger under the mistletoe is just what she needs.But by the next day, rumours have spread. Everyone believes she and Christopher are madly in love and spending the festive season with his family in the English countryside. To save her new friend from embarrassment - and with no better plans of her own - Haf agrees to go along with the ruse.Until she meets Kit: Christopher''s mysterious, magnetic and utterly irresistible sister.She can''t possibly fall for her fake boyfriend''s sister this Christmas . . . can she?*****''The perfect cosy Christmas read - sexy, sweet and smart'' KIRAN MILLWOOD HARGRAVE''Cosy, Christmassy and wonderfully queer'' KATE DAVIES''Trade ReviewJoyous, funny and full of warm, relatable characters, this is the queer Christmas romcom I've been waiting for * Laura Kay *A treat of a novel - cosy, Christmassy and wonderfully queer * Kate Davies *'The perfect cosy Christmas read - sexy, sweet and smart' * Kiran Millwood Hargrave *A thoroughly modern love story filled with joy, inappropriate Christmas jumpers and a daring reindeer rescue. I adored it * Tanya Byrne *An adorable Christmas novel filled with terrible schemes, a grand ball and one very horrible goose * Kat Dunn *Easily one of the best rom-coms I've ever read. Funny, sweet and emotionally satisfying. Filled with characters you'll fall in love with and dreamy Christmas moments - it's a festive delight! * Chloe Timms *Comforting Christmas chaos! * Amber Crewe *This is the joyous queer Christmas romcom you've been wishing for * Lily Lindon *Sweet, hot, and delightfully festive, Huxley-Jones's debut romcom will leave you longing to ditch your own family this Christmas, so you can curl up by the fire and devour this gift of a book * Kate Dylan *Joyous, funny and full of warm, relatable characters, this is the queer Christmas rom-com I've been waiting for -- Laura Kay, author of The SplitThe perfect cosy Christmas read - sexy, sweet and smart -- Kiran Milwood Hargrave, author of The MerciesA thoroughly modern love story filled with joy, inappropriate Christmas jumpers and a daring reindeer rescue. I adored it -- Tanya Byrne, author of AfterloveAn adorable Christmas novel filled with terrible schemes, a grand ball and one very horrible goose -- Kat Dunn, author of Dangerous RemedyComforting Christmas chaos! -- Amber Crewe, author of That Jewish ThingMake You Mine This Christmas is easily one of the best rom-coms I've ever read. Funny, sweet and emotionally satisfying. Filled with characters you'll fall in love with and dreamy Christmas moments - it's a festive delight! -- Chloe Timms, author of The Seawomen

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Book SynopsisHandy little full colour map and guide of Snowdonia National Park. Detailed mapping and visitor information to the National Park along with a selection of photographs. Map at a scale of 1:119 000 (1.2cm to 1km, 1.9 miles to 1 inch).This small map with additional text and photographs gives a great overview of the Snowdonia National Park, and is the perfect companion for exploring this beautiful area of North Wales.Clear, detailed mappingKey park, tourist and travel informationIdeal for planning visits to the National ParkIndex to help locate and plan your tripInformation on historic railways, stargazing, mountain biking and places of interestDiscover more about the walking routes at this National Park with the Snowdonia Park Rangers Favourite Walks (ISBN: 9780008439132).

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Book SynopsisExplore the National Parks with this handy pocket map.Handy little full colour map and guide of Lake District 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 Lake District 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 Lake District Park Rangers Favourite Walks (ISBN: 9780008439149) are the perfect companions for exploring this superb walking area of Northwest England.

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Book SynopsisA captivating, life-affirming memoir of a life in nature that celebrates finding wonder in our world. 'A wonderful book... It has taught me a lot. I feel great love for it' MAX PORTERAt the age of sixteen, Marc Hamer left home with only a rucksack and started walking. By day, he observed the animals and birds. By night, he slept under hedges, in woodlands and on riverbanks. It was the beginning of a life in nature.Years later, now working as a gardener and mole-catcher in the Welsh countryside, Marc tells of the experiences that have shaped him and of the wonders that he encounters each day. He considers, too, the fascinating ways of the mole and the myths that surround this curious creature.This beautiful, meditative book explores what nature can teach us about ourselves and our search for contentment. It is a celebration of living peacefully and finding joy in the world around us.'It is rare to encounter such respect and understanding of nature' Rosamund Young, author of The Secret Life of Cows** Longlisted for The Wainwright Prize 2019 **(Published in hardback as How to Catch a Mole)Trade ReviewIn lyrical prose, Hamer revealed a curious kinship with moles - creatures who, like him, often work alone. Like Laurie Lee, Hamer is an elegist, attracted to what's beautiful precisely because it's poised to pass away. * Washington Post *From the first few words I knew I had encountered loving honesty and no one needs more than that. It is rare to encounter such respect and understanding of nature for herself. -- Rosamund Young, author of The Secret Life of CowsHow To Catch A Mole is a beguiling mixture: part autobiography, part handbook, part travel book, part philosophical treatise. I’m happy to report that it succeeds on each level -- Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday *Not only a compelling meditation on the 'little gentleman in black velvet'…but also a fascinating, lyrical account of the loneliness and beauty of life on the margins, a memoir of vagrancy * Times Literary Supplement *This is a wonderful book about our relationship with the earth, with other animals and with our own troubled humanity. It has taught me a lot. I feel great love for it. -- Max Porter

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Book SynopsisEnter the secret lives of Britain''s ordinary garden birds and the brilliant, unconventional woman who opened her doors to them.In the late 1930s, Len Howard packed up her life in London, bought a plot of land in Sussex and built herself a little house there. This was to be Bird Cottage, a place where the doors of the house were open to the birds of the garden great tits, blue tits, robins, blackbirds, willow warblers and many others. Len lived the rest of her life alongside her bird neighbours, with some sleeping in her bedroom and many flitting in and out all day long.This is the book she wrote about the birds a study not just of their behaviour but their individual personalities. We learn about their intelligence, emotional lives, and characters, their capacity for play and humour, the range of their song, their likes and dislikes, and their bond with Len.Enchanting, life-enriching, revelatory and completely original, this is a gorgeous evocation

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Book SynopsisAn engaging portrait of Hampstead Heath – a place rich not just in natural wonders but in history and monuments, emotions and memories, people and places. 'I enjoyed every inch of the way, from Parliament Hill to the Pergola... A late-life little masterpiece' Ferdinand Mount 'A love letter, both to the Heath and to his late wife' Islington Tribune 'An affectionate book which blends personal anecdote, history and interviews' Ham & High The eight hundred acres of Hampstead Heath lie just four miles from central London; and yet unlike the manicured inner-city parks, it feels like the countryside: it has hills and lakes, wild spots and tame spots. Hunter Davies has lived within a stone's throw of Hampstead Heath for more than sixty years and has walked on it nearly every day of his London life. For him, it is not just a place of recreation and relaxation but also a treasure-house of memories and emotions. In The Heath, he visits all parts of this, the largest area of common land in Britain's capital city: from Kenwood House to the Vale of Health, from Parliament Hill to Boudicca's Mound, and from the Ladies Bathing Pond to the fabulous pergola. As he walks, Davies talks to the diverse array of individuals who frequent the Heath: regulars; visitors; dog walkers; stall holders at the weekly farmer's market; famous faces having their morning stroll; twenty-first-century hippies spreading peace, love and happiness.Trade ReviewAn affectionate book which blends personal anecdote, history and interviews with key players from The Heath and Hampstead Society and City of London Corporation, to swimmers and dog walkers * Ham & High *A love letter, both to the Heath and to his late wife... Hunter's portrait of the Heath zips by, as a warm reminder of the familiar, but introducing you to new territory * Islington Tribune *Just like taking a walk on the Heath, most of the book is familiar before pointing out something you had not noticed before * Camden New Journal *I enjoyed every inch of the way, from Parliament Hill to the Pergola... I particularly liked the way [he] gently but remorselessly undermines everyone's preconceptions... A late-life little masterpiece -- Ferdinand MountPRAISE FOR LAKELAND: 'Davies's easy, affable style makes his Lakeland a plum-pie delight of gossip, pictures and facts. This is one to treasure' WI Life. 'Nicely produced and tastefully illustrated, the whole thing enchants from start to finish' The Times 'The generous illustrations to Lakeland are by turns beautiful and quirky. Engravings by artists of the Picturesque evoke the changing past of what Hunter Davies sums up as 'a living place not a museum'' TLS. 'A beautifully produced Lake District miscellany, informed by a lifetime's enthusiasm' TGO Magazine. 'A lovely read for everyone who loves the Lakes' * Cumberland News *

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Book SynopsisAfter 20 years working as a professional biologist, the author decided to 'retire' to the Highlands, moving with his wife to a croft at the edge of a small and somewhat inaccessible village on the west coast. This was no romantic and idealistic aspiration for the Good Life, nor really an attempt to 'get away from it all'; rather a growing disaffection with living in the overpopulated south of England and a desire to return to his Scottish roots. Moving was like stepping back 50 years in time: most of the other residents of this tiny hamlet had been born and bred there, the majority were Gaelic-speaking and, with few of the conventional 'services', there was a strong sense of community that had been missed. This engaging story gives a collection of cameos from those first few years as they moved into and settled in their remote smallholding. It is developed as a series of short 'anecdotes' about life in this isolated west-coast Scottish community. Actual anecdotes are interwoven with snippets of natural history observation related to various topical wildlife issues. In the tradition of Lillian Beckwith's The Hills is Lonely, the stories revolve around the strong characters who made up this isolated community and became part of their everyday life. All the people and events described in this book are real, although places and names may have been changed. Enough clues remain that professional biologists or those with a keen interest in natural history will readily identify the peninsula. It is a joy to read and reveals Highland life with all its humour and character. Beautifullly illustrated by wildlife artist Catherine Putman.

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Book SynopsisTo watch wild foxes as they go about their lives is a thrill to convert anyone to a fox lover. It is not that difficult, if you know how. Here are tips on how to choose a likely spot, by studying all the telltale signs; how to find your fox family, and then how to equip yourself for watching. Then the excitement begins.

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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 SynopsisBestselling author of The Hidden Life of Trees, Peter Wohlleben, invites you to reconnect with natureAs soon as we step out of the door, nature surrounds. Thousands of small and large processes are taking place, details that are long often fascinating and beautiful. But we've long forgotten how to recognise them.Peter Wohlleben, bestselling author of The Hidden Life of Trees, invites us to become an expert, to take a closer look and interpret the signs that clouds, wind, plants and animals convey. Chaffinches become weather prophets, bees are live thermometers, courgettes tell us the time.The Weather Detective combines scientific research with charming anecdotes to explain the extraordinary cycles of life, death and regeneration that are evolving on our doorstep, bringing us closer to nature than ever before. A walk in the park will never be the same again.Trade ReviewThe best weather detectives are the birds, plants and animals we share this fragile world with. But how many of us nowadays can interpret the clues they offer? Peter Wohlleben delves deep into the mysteries of animal and bird behaviour, soil management, plant adaptation, and ways of mitigating the effects of climate change on our gardens and our planet. * Christopher Somerville, walking correspondent for The Times. Author of The January Man *Wohlleben’s insightful observations of nature, combined with his signature blend of science and imagination, invite us into deeper relationship with the ecology of our homes * David George Haskell, Pulitzer finalist and author of The Forest Unseen and The Songs of Trees *For a society increasingly distanced from nature, Wohlleben renews our appreciation of the wonderful and varied ties between the living and nonliving worlds, including those that bind our favorite plants and animals with that most familiar of all physical entities, the weather * Bill Streever, nationally bestselling author of Cold *[A] fascinating book * Daily Mail *A treasure trove of fascinating information about the environment. A primer for the curious gardener... a book to browse and then think to yourself, 'Oh, so that's why.' * Town and Country magazine *

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Book SynopsisBen Law's incredible sense of the land and his respect for age old traditions offers a wonderful insight into the life of Prickly Nut Wood.Having travelled to Papua New Guinea and the Amazon, observing age-old techniques for living in, working in and preserving forests and woodland, Ben Law felt compelled to return home and apply his learnings to a 400-year-old plot of woodland near where he grew up Prickly Nut Wood.This is the story of how he came to know and love his woodland, how he lived off the land, how he coppiced and hedged and created charcoal, how he puddled and built shelter, and finally how he carved out his famous, characterful woodland home that Kevin McCloud has cited as his favourite ever Grand Design.Trade Review‘Ben Law’s house is my favourite Grand Design’ Kevin McCloud ‘This book will leave you with a sense of awe and admiration but also a yearning to follow in Ben’s footsteps’ Permaculture magazine ‘Ben continues to inspire his readers about woodland … In Prickly Nut Wood, Ben Law practically demonstrates the benefits of living close to the land’ Woodland Matters

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Book SynopsisWindswept is a wonderful work, prose painted in bold, bright strokes like a Scottish Colourist's canvas' ROBERT MACFARLANE An instant classic of British nature-writing' SUNDAY TELEGRAPHTrade Review Praise for Windswept ‘Windswept isn’t only enjoyable and enriching, it contains some of the most striking descriptions of nature I’ve ever read . . . An instant classic of British nature-writing’ HORATIO CLARE, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH ***** ‘Let’s face it, few of us are likely to experience life as Worsley does: remote, wild, elemental, between mountains andsky. But we get a tantalising glimpse of this other world through these pages. It’s like breathing in pure, invigorating Scottish Highlands air and it is a very welcome interlude… Worsley is the Real Deal’DAILY MAIL ‘Windswept is a wonderful work, prose-painted in bold, bright strokes like a Scottish Colourist's canvas. It is a story of learning to keep time differently, in one of the most spectacular landscapes in Britain. Annie Worsley has written a gorgeous almanac or year-book in which the minutes, hours and months are marked not by the tick of clock-hands but weather-fronts, bird migrations and plant-patterns of growth and decay’ Robert Macfarlane ‘Woven with the wisdom of both scientist and poet, Windswept is a beautiful account of life and landscape in one of the UK's most remote and dramatic enclaves. I was transported with every reading, left with gale-ruffled hair and a salty tang on my tongue’ Lee Schofield author of Wild Fell ‘A shaft of golden stormlight, a blast of pure Highland air, Windswept is an exhilarating account of life lived closer to the elements than most of us will ever have the chance to experience’ Melissa Harrison, author of All Among the Barley ‘A compelling, abundantly descriptive portrait of a captivating place’ The Herald ‘Her nature writing is so fluent and captivating that you can lose yourself in it, find yourself feeling the breeze and smelling the warm vegetation of a Wester Ross summer’ West Highland Free Press

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Book SynopsisOne night Mark Cocker followed the roiling, deafening flock of rooks and jackdaws which regularly passed over his Norfolk home on their way to roost in the Yare valley. From the moment he watched the multitudes blossom as a mysterious dark flower above the night woods, these gloriously commonplace birds were unsheathed entirely from their ordinariness. They became for Cocker a fixation and a way of life.Cocker goes in search of them, journeying from the cavernous, deadened heartland of South England to the hills of Dumfriesshire, experiencing spectacular failures alongside magical successes and epiphanies. Step by step he uncovers the complexities of the birds'' inner lives, the unforeseen richness hidden in the raucous crow song he calls ''our landscape made audible''.Crow Country is a prose poem in a long tradition of English pastoral writing. It is also a reminder that ''Crow Country'' is not ''ours'': it is a landscape which we cohabit with thousands of otTrade ReviewLuminously beautiful and dartingly intelligent, Cocker's obsessive quest after the ancient trails of rooks across our dusk skies leads to an almost sacred space: a place where the landscape of the imagination and the lovingly, minutely observed realities of the natural world come to roost together -- Richard MabeyGuaranteed to ensure that you never look at a crow in quite the same way again * Guardian *Fabulous... Like all classic works of natural history, is is an extraordinary revelation of riches and wonders and that lie at our doorsteps, completely ignored * Independent *A splendid book...Crow Country's narrative of rookish discovery unfolds with splendid variety, incorporating scientific exposition, biography, environmental history, poetry, memoir and biography... Your heart beats faster as he describes a pack of tight-packed wigeon flushing in fear from an icy creak. You feel the shock of recognition as a barn owl meets his gaze. It's infectiously emotional. At it's most lyrical Crow Country matches the heights of that deeply eerie work of avian obsession JA Baker's The Peregrine; yet at its most scientific, it could sit alongside the best ornithological monographs... Crow Country is a significant, beautiful work * New Statesman *Exquisitely written, passionate exploration of the local and commonplace * BBC Wildlife *

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