The countryside, country life: general interest Books
Coch-y-Bonddu Books The Rabbit Skin Cap: A Tale of a Norfolk
Book Synopsis
£19.95
HarperCollins Publishers Birdsong
Book Synopsis Beautiful bird illustrations by Madeleine Floyd Details of the wonderful songs and sounds of our birds A celebration of our feathered creatures and their songs for all bird lovers A celebration of British birds and their songs, from the sought-after artist Madeleine Floyd. Some 50 of her exquisite drawings of birds, along with their specific eggs are captured here for fans of her work and wildlife enthusiasts. It includes details of the songs and sounds made by each of the birds, from sparrows, tits, to the lyrical nightingale. The latter has up to 250 different phrases in his song and each performance is made up of a unique composition. The art of Madeleine Floyd is beautifully presented in this gem of a book and should delight all bird lovers.
£9.49
Vertebrate Publishing Ltd Walking South Yorkshire: 30 circular walks
Book SynopsisWalking South Yorkshire is a collection of 30 circular walks, between 2 and 8 miles (3 and 13 km) in length, that explore the ancient woodland and rural visitor attractions around Sheffield, Rotherham and Barnsley.Attractions visited include: Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wentworth Castle Gardens, Stainborough Park, Cannon Hall Museum, Old Moor RSPB Reserve, Monk Bretton Priory, Elsecar Heritage Centre, Worsbrough Mill, Rockley Blast Furnace, Wentworth Woodhouse, the Waterloo Pottery Kiln, Catcliffe Glass Cone, Graves Park Animal Farm, Roche Abbey and the Chesterfield Canal.Written by local walker, Rob Haslam, each walk features detailed route directions, combined with a thorough insight into the county's rich, yet little-known, heritage of ancient woodland. All walks can be reached by public transport from Sheffield, Meadowhall, Rotherham and Barnsley, feature Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 maps and information on public transport, car parking, history, refreshments and terrain.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction What is Ancient Woodland? Types of Ancient Woodland History of Woodland Management Restoration Archaeological and Historical Features Improved Paths Transport Grid References Area Map and Key Sheffield1 Wincobank Hill2 Prior Royd & Birkin Royd3 Woolley Wood & Concord Park4 Ecclesall Wood5 Shirtcliffe Wood from Flockton Park6 The Chapeltown Woods7 Eckington Woods8 Glen Howe Park & More Hall Reservoir9 New Hall Wood & Whitwell Moor10 Wheata Wood & Birley Edge11 The Gleadless Valley Woods12 The Upper Moss Valley13 Bowden Housteads & Tinsley Park WoodsRotherham14 Canklow Wood Heritage Trail15 Ravenfield Park16 Herringthorpe Valley & Brecks Plantation17 Wath Wood & Roman Ridge18 Grange Park Woodlands19 Anston Stones & the Chesterfield Canal20 Scholes Coppice & Wentworth Woodhouse21 Treeton Woods22 Roche AbbeyBarnsley23 Old Moor RSPB Reserve24 Cannon Hall25 Dearne Valley Park & Monk Bretton Priory26 Elsecar Heritage Centre27 Wombwell Ings & Gypsy Marsh28 Yorkshire Sculpture Park29 Worsbrough Mill & Wentworth Castle30 The Upper Don ValleyAppendix
£11.40
First Stone Publishing Cockapoo - Dog Expert
Book Synopsis
£15.36
Little Toller Books The Shining Levels
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.
£12.60
Little Toller Books My House of Sky: A Life of J A Baker
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.
£17.00
Little Toller Books Copsford
Book SynopsisWalter Murray was a young man tired of living in the city. Early in the 1920s, he persuaded a Sussex farmer to rent him a derelict cottage, which stood alone on a hill, with no running water or electricity. Most of the windows were broken, it was dirty, dark and ran with rats. He bought a brush and pail in the village, forced the rats to retreat, brought in rudimentary furniture. The local postman found him a dog, and with his new companion he began to explore his surroundings. In that year at Copsford he made a living from collecting, drying and selling the herbs he found locally: agrimony, meadow-sweet and yarrow. He became alert to the wildlife and plants around him. His life was hard - he supplemented his income with occasional journalism, but it was here he met his future wife, who he calls The Music Mistress, and with whom he would later found a school. Copsford is an extraordinary book. Bearing comparison to Thoreau's Walden, Murray's intense feeling for his place is evident on every page. It is, though, no simple story of a rural idyll - life at Copsford was hard, and Murray does not shy away from the occasional terrors of a house that had its hauntings. A publishing success when first published in the late 1940s, this new edition has an introduction by Raynor Winn, author of The Salt Path.
£12.60
Windgather Press Yorkshire Landscapes: A Photographic Tour of
Book SynopsisYorkshire is by far the largest county in England, taking up most of the land area from Sheffield in the south to Cleveland in the north. Covering such a large area between the North Sea and the Pennine watershed, the variety of landscapes is astonishing, and in this book you will get a taste of much of it. Our tour starts in the rolling, highly urbanised south, then climbs into the Pennines where high heather-clad moorland is bisected by valleys full of industrial heritage. Heading north, the landscape transforms into the limestone pavements and glacial valleys of the Dales where sheep graze peacefully on high grassland. The central Plain of York is the next area with its ancient castles and fertile farmland under a huge sky. To the east rises the scarp of the North Yorkshire Moors where high moorland and remote valleys stretch all the way to the gull-strewn North Sea cliffs. Turning south, we explore the gentle countryside of the Yorkshire Wolds. The final destination is the banks of the River Humber from the industrial plain to Yorkshire's furthest outpost at Spurn Head. Doug Kennedy has roamed Yorkshire's lanes, byways and footpaths, seeking out what makes each place special and applying his photographer’s eye to capture the scene perfectly in sumptuous photographic images. These are complemented by informative text that gets underneath the surface of why things look like they do. It is a book for everyone who loves the Yorkshire to treasure, and a splendid introduction to its landscape for those less familiar with 'God's Own County'.
£16.14
Uniformbooks Living Locally
Book Synopsis
£12.00
Uniformbooks Wild Dress: Clothing & the natural world
Book Synopsis
£10.53
First Stone Publishing Scent Training For Every Dog
Book Synopsis
£24.99
Merlin Unwin Books Sport in the Fields and Woods: An anthology
Book SynopsisClassic Victorian countryside writer Richard Jefferies has his best articles gathered together here on the subject of pheasants, pigeons, foxes, rabbits, hares and game birds and the wild habitats in which they live.
£15.19
Merlin Unwin Books My Wood
Book SynopsisAward-winning photographer Stephen Dalton, famed for his pioneering fast-shutter shots, photographs his 8-acre woodland through the seasons, showcasing the stunning diversity of plants, trees, insects, birds and animals that live there.
£13.49
Merlin Unwin Books Pull the Other One!
£10.80
Carnegie Publishing Ltd Lancashire: a journey into the wild
Book SynopsisThis beautiful book is an exploration and celebration of modern Lancashire’s unspoilt and lesser-known corners. Full of fascinating facts, figures and insights, complemented by many colour images, and produced to a very high standard, the book is designed to be both informative and lovely to look at. It is written in an accessible and lively style and will delight anyone who has an interest in the natural history of our region.Table of ContentsFOREWORD 6 PREFACE 8 1 INTRODUCTION 10 2 UPLANDS 20 3 RIVERS 21 4 WOODLANDS 60 5 GRASSLANDS 130 6 LAKES, TARNS AND PONDS 164 7 MOSSLANDS 180 8 LIMESTONE PAVEMENTS 196 9 COAST 218 BIBLIOGRAPHY 257 GLOSSARY 261 APPENDIX I: PLACENAMES OF LANCASHIRE 262 APPENDIX II: GAZETTEER OF SITES BY BOROUGH BY HABITAT 269 INDEX 281 LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS 285 BIOLOGICAL RECORDING FORM 287
£18.99
Fircone Books Ltd The Farm that Raised Me: Tales from a Breconshire
Book Synopsis
£9.50
Vertebrate Publishing Ltd Kinder Scout: The people's mountain
Book Synopsis'An exceptional book.' Robert Macfarlane, author of The Lost Words, Landmarks and Mountains of the Mind‘We made Kinder Scout, not just metaphorically, or metaphysically, not just with our stories and our battles, but literally changed its shape, from the peat washing off its summit, to the drystone walls that turn the hillside into a harmonious grid, the trees that are and more often aren’t there, to the creatures that we’ve allowed to remain and those we’ve done away with. It’s our mountain.’In 1951 the Peak District was designated the UK’s first national park: a commitment to protect and preserve our countryside and wild places. Sandwiched between Manchester and Sheffield, and sitting at the base of the Pennines, it is home to Kinder Scout, Britain’s most popular ‘mountain’, a beautiful yet featureless and disorientating plateau which barely scrapes the 600-metre contour, whose lower slopes bore witness in 1932 to a movement of feet, a pedestrian rebellion, which helped shape modern access legislation: the Kinder Mass Trespass.But Kinder Scout’s story is about much more than the working class taking on the elite. Marked by the passage of millions of feet and centuries of farming, a graveyard for lost souls and doomed aircraft, this much-loved mountain is a sacred canvas on which mankind has scratched and scraped its likeness for millennia. It is a record of our social and political history, of conflict and community.Writer Ed Douglas and photographer John Beatty are close friends and have a shared history with Kinder going back decades. In this unique collaboration they reveal the social, political, cultural and ecological developments that have shaped the physical and human landscape of this enigmatic and treasured hill.Kinder Scout: The People’s Mountain is a celebration of a northern English mountain and our role in its creation.Trade Review'An exceptional book. The writing is rich with original research, the photographs glitter with strangeness and beauty, and the whole book rings with the passion, knowledge and vision of two people who have explored their subject for most of their lives, and fallen into profound acquaintance with it.' – Robert Macfarlane, author of The Lost Words and Mountains of the Mind'Kinder – even the word has an echo-like quality. And this is a book of beautiful echoes in which words and pictures call to each other back and forth across the pages. Simple waymarkers such as moss, grouse, flight open up a spacious meditation that takes in history, adventure, memory and the necessity of beauty. The echoes build as we pass through the phases of the book, creating a vivid and moving iconography of the character and temper of this ‘half-poisoned, denuded and yet still-sacred ground.' – Katharine Towers, award-winning poet and author of The Remedies and The Floating Man'Everyone who loves the Peak District should have this book and help to work for its ultimate redemption. We will win!' – Mark Avery'Quietly astonishing and important piece of work.' – David Lintern, The Great Outdoors'Douglas tells the story in his fine poetic style, "pacing out time’s shore" while walking its northern rim, or when squatting on the summit "dismantled by wind and rain, grains of sand washed away, and me with them, pretty soon".' – Jules Stewart, Geographical'This is one of the most stand out books you will ever see. You will come to appreciate one of our most most iconic landscapes, its people, its seasons and beauty. This is achieved though it's delightful, thoughtful and well researched commentary combined with enchanting imagery. In a phrase it's a "Classic".' - Mansel Kersey, The Snow Leopard AwardTable of ContentsSand; Sheep; Flight; Grouse; Moss; Hare.
£16.96
HarperCollins Publishers Woods: A Celebration
Book SynopsisA tribute to the natural history of some of our most iconic British woods. The National Trust manages hundreds of woods, covering over 60,000 acres of England and Wales. They include many of the oldest woodlands in the land and some of the oldest living things of any kind – trees that are thousands of years old. From Dean to Epping, from Hatfield to Sherwood, this book covers the natural history of our forests and how they have changed the face of our landscape. Covering the different species of trees that give our woods their unique characters, the plants and animals that inhabit them and the way their appearance changes throughout the seasons, Woods is a fascinating and beautifully illustrated celebration of Britain's trees and the ancient stories that surround them.
£17.00
HarperCollins Publishers Our Isles: Poems celebrating the art of rural
Book Synopsis From baker, beekeeper and birdwatcher to falconer, farrier and forager, join poet Angus and printmaker Lilly as they explore the British Isles, uncovering and celebrating our crafts and traditions. This collection of poetry and printmaking aims to capture and celebrate the heritage and craftsmanship of the British Isles. The book comprises of thirty poems with accompanying black and white linocut prints. In this book, Angus and Lilly draw attention to traditional, artisan crafts of particular importance as many are in danger of becoming 'extinct' and there is a fear that, without recognition, aspects of our cultural heritage will disappear. This is a timely celebration of rural lifestyle.Trade Review'From the beekeeper to the bird watcher, the verses are packed full of rich imagery that’s wonderful escape from the daily humdrum Each of Angus’s thoughtful poems is accompanied by a charming illustration by Lilly – the perfect combination in print.' * Planet Mindful *
£11.69
HarperCollins Publishers From Field & Forest: An artist's year in paint
Book Synopsis ‘The beginnings of a bitter-sweet commission: a mistle thrust’s egg, heralding a brief but very welcome return to spring… This year has been in such a hurry, at times almost tripping over itself in its keenness to reach autumn, and now she’s here.’ Highly respected illustrator Anna Koska is best known for her drawings of fish and fruit and is widely celebrated by food journalists and restaurateurs. In this mindful, artistic journal, Anna celebrates the natural world; the changing of the seasons, the blossoming of flowers and the ripening of fruit. Working in watercolour, pen and ink, oils and luscious egg tempera, Anna’s illustrations are reproduced in beautiful detail and they are accompanied by her musings and observations of objects, engaging us in the everyday realities of her artistic practice. Anna sources inspiration from the flora and fauna in the fields and forests surrounding her home in East Sussex. Her illustrations root us in nature, allowing us to pause to admire and appreciate the beauty and significance of everyday occurrences – whether she is drawing wasps feasting on apples fallen in the orchard, or trying to capture the cerulean blue of a winter sky. In this book, image and narrative text are wedded to create a beautiful journey through the seasons, taking time to appreciate our surroundings. ‘It started with my favourite fish, a red mullet, all bronze, copper, gills and scales. Then mackerel, coloured like a Scandi sky. Soon enough, I was seduced by a sketch of figs and Anna’s alluring tones.’ Allan Jenkins, Observer Food Magazine.Trade Review‘Writing about food you sometimes describe the skin of an apple or the colour of the flesh of a dark plum. This book helps you see’ -- Diana Henry‘Koska’s vivid accounts, coupled with her illustrations, create an evocative tale that almost serenades you in melodious bird song, or the gentle hum of bees.’ -- Town & Country Magazine‘Every page is touching in one way or another…Anna has a way of taking things that may go unseen, quietly passing us by, and bringing them to our attention in the most natural way.’ -- Anja Dunk‘... her warm and personal observations of the life of the land around her home in Sussex, but we are sucked in and they become ours too...’ -- Rachel Roddy
£13.49
Graffeg Limited Wilder Wales (Compact Edition)
Book SynopsisIn Wilder Wales, writer Julian Rollins and photographer Drew Buckley explore and document the very best of Wales''s landscapes, visiting a dozen of the nation''s key wildlife locations month by each calendar month.
£9.49
Saraband A Scots Dictionary of Nature
Book SynopsisScotland is a nation of dramatic weather and breathtaking landscapes - of nature resplendent. And, over the centuries, the people who have lived, explored and thrived in this country have developed a rich language to describe their surroundings: a uniquely Scottish lexicon shaped by the very environment itself. A Scots Dictionary of Nature brings together - for the first time - the deeply expressive vocabulary customarily used to describe land, wood, weather, birds, water and walking in Scotland. Artist Amanda Thomson collates and celebrates these traditional Scots words, which reveal ways of seeing and being in the world that are in danger of disappearing forever. What emerges is a vivid evocation of the nature and people of Scotland, past and present; of lives lived between the mountains and the sky.Trade Review"Delightful ... A celebration of Scotland's great outdoors, this is a lovely book to have on the coffee table. Easy to read and interesting to rifle through." Scottish Field; "So good." Robert Macfarlane; "Full of words and expressions which ...[are] ripe for reappropriation." Scotsman; "A reminder of how easily the beauty of language and its connection with nature can be lost." Herald; "A stunning wee book detailing some of the wonderfully inventive Scots words that document the world around us." The List; "...a delight to leaf through" Herald
£9.99
Vertebrate Publishing Ltd Day Walks in Somerset: 20 coastal, moorland and
Book SynopsisDay Walks in Somerset features 20 routes between 7 and 15 miles (11km and 24km) in length, spread across the county of Somerset, including the Exmoor National Park. Researched and written by experienced and local authors Jen and Sim Benson, the walks range from gentle rambles to more challenging day walks, all through interesting and varied landscapes. Split into five sections – Exmoor; Quantock Hills & Blackdown Hills; Somerset Levels; Mendip Hills; and Bath & North East Somerset – this guidebook explores the best that Somerset has to offer. 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 ContentsSomerset Area Map & Route Finder Introduction Acknowledgements About the walks Navigation GPS & mobile phones Comfort Safety The Countryside Code How to use this book Maps, descriptions, distances Km/mile conversion chart Section 1 – Exmoor 1 Selworthy & Bossington, 16.5km 2 Dunkery Beacon & Horner Wood, 18km 3 Dunster Castle & Woods, 17km 4 Around Wimbleball Lake, 13.4km Section 2 – Quantock Hills & Blackdown Hills 5 Kilve Coast & Beacon Hill, 20.1km 6 Northern Quantock Hills, 11.2km 7 Wills Neck & Cothelstone Hill, 15.6km 8 East Deane Way Link-Up, 19.4km Section 3 – Somerset Levels 9 Bridgwater & Taunton Canal, 21.9km 10 Burrow Mump & West Sedgemoor, 24.2km 11 Collard Hill & Lollover Hill, 12.5km 12 Cadbury Castle & the Corton Ridge, 16.3km Section 4 – Mendip Hills 13 Brean Down, 20.6km 14 Crook Peak, 14km 15 Cheddar Gorge, 15.5km 16 Ebbor Gorge, 12km Section 5 – Bath & North East Somerset 17 Ashton Court & Leigh Woods, 13.3km 18 Ammerdown, 12.6km 19 Cotswold Way, 17.9km 20 Kennet & Avon Canal Loop, 14.6km Appendix
£13.46
Vertebrate Publishing Ltd Day Walks in Fort William & Glen Coe: 20 routes
Book SynopsisDay Walks in Fort William & Glen Coe features 20 routes between 4.4 and 14.4 miles (7km and 23.2km) in length, spread across the Scottish Highlands. Researched and written by experienced and knowledgeable authors Helen and Paul Webster, founders of the Walkhighlands website, the walks range from gentle rambles to more challenging day walks, all through grand and impressive landscapes.Split into four sections – Glen Coe & Glen Etive; Kinlochleven & the Mamores; Fort William & the Great Glen; and The Road to the Isles – this guidebook explores the best that the Highlands has to offer.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 ContentsIntroductionAbout the walksNavigationGPS & mobile phonesSafetyBothiesScottish outdoor accessEstate activitiesHow to use this bookMaps, descriptions, distancesKm/mile conversion chartScottish place namesFort William & Glen Coe Area MapSection 1 Glen Coe & Glen Etive1 The Two Lairigs2 The Pap of Glencoe3 Buachaille Etive Beag4 Buachaille Etive Mòr5 Ben StaravSection 2 Kinlochleven & the Mamores6 Blackwater Reservoir7 Mam na Gualainn8 Binnein Mòr & Na Gruagaichean9 Stob Bàn & Mullach nan Coirean10 An Steall & An GearanachSection 3 Fort William & the Great Glen11 Cow Hill12 Ben Nevis North Face13 Beinn Bhàn14 Sgùrr na h-Eanchainne & Druim na Sgrìodain15a Ben Nevis by the Mountain Track15b Ben Nevis by the Càrn Mòr Dearg Arête16 The Grey CorriesSection 4 – The Road to the Isles17 Peanmeanach18 Gulvain19 Sgùrr Thuilm & Sgùrr nan Coireachan20 StreapAppendix
£13.46
Vertebrate Publishing Ltd Sheffield Round Walk: A 24km/15mile scenic city
Book SynopsisSheffield Round Walk is a 15-mile circular walk covering the beautiful south-west corner of the city. It reveals the stunning and varied landscapes of this part of the city, you’ll see ancient woodlands, river valleys, pretty Victorian suburbs and parkland, and you’ll glimpse the moorland above the city. Written by Sheffield local Jon Barton, the text is peppered with interesting detail about Sheffield’s industrial past, geology and the varied and surprising wildlife that can be seen on this walk. The walk starts and finishes at Hunter’s Bar Roundabout, where you can visit the lovely independent shops and cafes along Ecclesall Road and Sharrow Vale Road. From here the route goes through Endcliffe Park following the Porter Brook to Ringinglow. Next, pick up the Limb Brook, following it down to Ecclesall Woods and then on to Beauchief. Onwards through Graves Park, Meersbrook Park and passing the River Sheaf before climbing up through Nether Edge and Chelsea Park and back to the start. The walk is split into four linear sections, which vary in character from peaceful and rural to lively and urban. Each section includes plenty of ideas for places to visit on the route as well as details of local cafes and pubs.Together with stunning photography, this book features Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 maps, easy-to-follow directions, refreshment stops and places to visit on and near the route.Table of ContentsIntroductionAcknowledgementsRun or walk?Walk timesThe Countryside CodeMaps, descriptions, distancesKm/mile conversion chartSheffield Area Map1 Porter Valley2 Limb Valley3 Sheaf Valley4 Gleadless ValleyFurther Information
£8.54
Merlin Unwin Books How now?: Britain's Favourite Dairy Farmer
Book Synopsis
£14.24
Merlin Unwin Books To Everything a Season: A View from the Fen
Book SynopsisA beautifully-crafted and moving personal account of the rolling seasons, as seen from a man who loves his Fenland village, its ever-changing scenery, its adaptable wildlife, its stoical local people, and its evolving farming practices over the centuries.
£14.39
Merlin Unwin Books Everything you Wanted to Know about the
Book Synopsis
£24.00
Merlin Unwin Books Mushrooming without Fear
Book SynopsisPeople love mushrooms. They want to pick them and eat them. but when they get home and try to check them, the fears crowd in. The reference books are vague. Too many dangerous look-alikes. Is the colour in that photograph exaggerated? A field mushroom suddenly seems worryingly like a Destroying Angel....the mushrooms are all discarded. Here is a mushrooming guide with a totally new, positive approach. Forget all the other 500 species. You only need to know these twelve. And you need to know them fully, without a shadow of a doubt. Alex Schwab's mushrooming rules are few but they are fixed rules. His key identification points leave no room for uncertainty. And he promises you these mushrooms will all taste delicious. Mushrooming without fear for the first time.
£17.00
Merlin Unwin Books Land of Milk and (no) Money
Book SynopsisDairy farmer Roger Evans's diary covers the latest news from his farm and his village, his fat little dog Gomer, hare coursers, the local wildlife and equally wild villagers, tales from the neighbours and much more.
£13.49
Saraband Skylarks with Rosie: A Somerset Spring
Book SynopsisMarch 2020: Stephen Moss's Somerset garden is awash with birdsong: chiffchaffs, wrens, robins and a new arrival, the blackcap, all competing to sing as the season gathers pace. Overhead, buzzards soar and ravens tumble, apparently as delighted as he is to herald the new season...But this Spring Equinox is unlike any other. As the nation stumbles toward a collective lockdown, Stephen begins to observe and record the wildlife in his immediate vicinity, with his fox-red Labrador, Rosie, as his companion on his daily exercise. As old routines fall away, and blue skies are no longer crisscrossed by contrails, they discover the bumblebees, butterflies and birdsong on their patch. This evocative account underlines how an unprecedented crisis has changed the way we relate to the natural world, giving us hope for the future at perhaps the darkest time in our lives. And it puts down a marker for the 'new normal': the many species around us, all enjoying, for once, a land less lived in than usual by humankind.Trade Review"A beautiful memoir of life and wildlife from one of the UK's finest nature writers." Chris Packham; "The uncoiling of a marvellous spring ... a well-written and enjoyable book." Mark Avery; "Excellent ... Exalting skylark song and orange-tip butterflies at a time of so much human suffering is a delicate balancing act ... It is a delight to share the company of such an upbeat wildlife guide." Ben Hoare, BBC Countryfile; “A great read.” John Miles, Birdwatching magazine; Praise for previous work: "An absorbing account . . . very heartening". Anna Pavord, Sunday Times; "In simple, lucid prose Moss maps out how ornithology has evolved from a specialist interest for a tiny minority." Mark Cocker; "Energetic and uplifting." Jonathan Drummond, Times Literary Supplement; "Moss seeks out Britain's hidden corners where wildlife survives against the odds." National Geographic Traveller;"Moss ... is a good storyteller, seamlessly linking biological fact with the anecdotal." Patrick Galbraith, The Times; "An enchanting book... elegiac." Express, Peter Burton; "An affectionate, enterprising book." Sunday Times; "Stephen Moss unlocks a trove of folk history . . . Not a page goes by without at least one diverting fact." The Times; "Entertaining and exciting . . . Moss takes us on a series of wonderful diversions into bird etymology, tracing the tracks of avian meaning." Philip Hoare, New Statesman; "The book really comes alive when Moss heads out into the field to see the birds . . . Beautifully described." Spectator; "An absorbing account . . . very heartening". Anna Pavord, Sunday Times; "The glass is one hundredth full rather than 99 hundredths empty ... [a] hopeful stance supported by delightful observations." Caspar Henderson, Spectator; "In simple, lucid prose Moss maps out how ornithology has evolved from a specialist interest for a tiny minority." Mark Cocker; "Energetic and uplifting." Jonathan Drummond, Times Literary Supplement; "An intriguing natural history story." BBC Wildlife; "Moss seeks out Britain's hidden corners where wildlife survives against the odds." National Geographic Traveller; "Moss explores some very unlikely oases for hard-pressed wildlife in the UK." New Scientist; A wildlife rich tour of the in-between habitats of the British Isles. Simple Things; "Moss ... is a good storyteller, seamlessly linking biological fact with the anecdotal." Patrick Galbraith, The Times; "An enchanting book... elegiac." Express, Peter Burton; "An affectionate, enterprising book." Sunday Times; "Stephen Moss unlocks a trove of folk history . . . Not a page goes by without at least one diverting fact." The Times; "Entertaining and exciting . . . Moss takes us on a series of wonderful diversions into bird etymology, tracing the tracks of avian meaning." Philip Hoare, New Statesman; "The book really comes alive when Moss heads out into the field to see the birds . . . Beautifully described." Spectator; "From stone-age remains to modern day skyscrapers, Stephen Moss takes us on an exhilarating journey through place and time, providing a fascinating insight into nature's relationship with environments created by man." Mya-Rose Craig, Birdgirl; "Moss's bible of hidden places to spy wildlife is a welcome addition to our shelves. From London's city jungle to UK rail corridors, he shows us that rare finds can just be a happy accident in our own back garden." Wanderlust
£11.69
Saraband Lakeland Wild
Book SynopsisThe Lake District is one of our busiest national parks. Many people believe that wildness is long gone from the fells, lakes, tarns and becks, yet, within its boundaries, Jim Crumley sets out to prove them wrong – to find “a new way of seeing and writing about this most seen and written about of landscapes". With a naturalist’s eye and a poet’s instinct he is drawn to Lakeland’s turned-aside places where nature still thrives, from low-lying shores to a high mountain oakwood that’s not even on the map. Through backwaters and backwoods, Crumley traces this captivating land’s place in the evolution of global conservation and pleads the case for a far-reaching reappraisal of all of Lakeland’s wildness.Trade ReviewPraise for Previous work: Richard Jefferies Society & White Horse Bookshop Literary Prize for nature writing: SHORTLISTED; Saltire Society award: SHORTLISTED "A delightful meditation." Stephen Moss, Books of the Year, Guardian; "Nature writing is like trying to catch birds with cobwebs. Crumley's just has a higher tensile strength than most." Herald; "Enthralling and often strident." ObserverTable of ContentsNowhere under the Rainbow; The Tree Mountaineers; Nature’s Social Union; The Tree Mountaineers (2); The Juniper Belt; Time Stalls, You Grow Still, You Go Deeper In; A Sense of Place Fell; Golden Eagle, Silver Swan; A Sense of Rightness Regained; Ash to Ashes; Divining in Reverse
£11.69
Gritstone Publishing The West Yorkshire Woods - Part 2: The Aire
Book Synopsis
£12.34
Gritstone Publishing The Borders The Lands We Share
Book SynopsisAndrew Bibby walks south from Edinburgh through the Scottish borders to the Cheviots and the English border and then carries on until he reaches North Yorkshire and the river Swale. His journey is one of discovery into the distinctive landscapes of the border lands,
£14.25
Candlestick Press The Winter Hedge: Walks in a Deep Lane
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£7.41
Parthian Books Riverwise: Meditations on Afon Teifi
Book SynopsisRiverwise, a volume of slow river prose centred around Afon Teifi, is a book of wanderings and wonderings, witnessings and enchantments, rememberings and endings. Weaving memoir, poetry and keen observation into its meandering course, it shifts across time and space to reflect the beauty of hidden, fluvial places, and to meditate on the strangeness of being human. Above all, though, this book stands as a hymn to those fragments of riparian wilderness which on our maps appear as ever- shrinking horns of green amid a white, gridded landscape of human dominance. Riverwise is a clarion call to learn to love and protect the natural world and its waterways.
£8.55
Crumps Barn Studio My Village in the Valley: In the country, nothing
Book Synopsis"I have long since ceased to be surprised at how often incidents in my village end up with someone in the river..." My Village in the Valley is a quiet unassuming place where, on the whole, very little happens. Until, that is, we all get together to tackle aggressive drivers, disputed footpaths, yapping hearthrugs and the ubiquitous village fete. In my Village in the Valley, nothing is ever simple ... Original comedy from TV and radio scriptwriter Michael Bartlett (The Archers, BBC Radio Drama)Trade Review"Absolutely one of the best laugh out loud books you can treat yourself to ... IN SUMMARY- I would love this book to become a new sitcom. The writing is very visual, the characters are credible and the situations so utterly bonkers they are probably true!" ~ Goodreads reviewer
£8.54
Crumps Barn Studio Sheep For All Seasons: A tale of lambs, sheepdogs
Book Synopsis"That good old farming saying 'make hay while the sun shines' is true in so many ways ... " Life on a family farm is always full of its ups and downs, but the past year for sheep farmer Sue Andrews has been busier than most. There's the arrival of husband Aubrey's lively new sheepdog puppy. Then livestock sales become online auctions just as Sue's beloved pedigree Blue Texel sheep are set to find new homes. And now, to top it all - as lambing starts, a new generation of young farming grandchildren decides it's time to learn the ropes ... This is the latest 'enchanting' portrait of a year in the life of a Cotswold sheep farmer from Amazon bestselling author Sue Andrews (If Clouds Were Sheep, Jumping Over Clouds) - perfect for anyone who enjoys a lively tale of the countryside
£8.54
Little Toller Books The Lost Orchards: Rediscovering the forgotten
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.
£15.30
Chelsea Green Publishing UK On Gallows Down: Place, Protest and Belonging
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
£10.44
Lopinga Books The Pick of Wild Essex
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£11.87
i2i Publishing Unearthing Communal Happiness
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£16.99
Fremantle Press Salt Story: Of Seadogs and Fisherwomen
Book SynopsisIn this warm, lively, salty account of living on and by the sea, Drummond writes of fishing and feuds, of life as an apprentice fisherwoman, and of all the fish that got away. SALT STORY pays homage to sea-dogs, fisherwomen, oystermen and storytellers everywhere.
£15.29
University of Nevada Press Cowboy is a Verb: Notes from a Modern-day Rancher
Book SynopsisFrom the big picture to the smallest detail, Richard Collins fashions a rousing memoir about the modern-day lives of cowboys and ranchers. However, Cowboy is a Verb is much more than wild horse rides and cattle chases. While Collins recounts stories of quirky ranch horses, cranky cow critters, cow dogs, and the people who use and care for them, he also paints a rural West struggling to survive the onslaught of relentless suburbanization. A born story-teller with a flair for words, Collins breathes life into the geology, history, and interdependency of land, water, and native and introduced plants and animals. He conjures indelible portraits of the hardworking, dedicated people he comes to know. With both humor and humility, he recounts the day-to-day challenges of ranch life from how to build a productive herd, distribute your cattle evenly across a rough and rocky landscape, and how to establish a grazing system that allows pastures enough time to recover. He also intimately recounts a battle over the endangered Gila Topminnow and how he and his neighbors worked with university range scientists, forest service conservationists, and funding agencies to improve their ranches as well as the ecological health of the Redrock Canyon watershed. A rancher who wants to stay in the game doesn't dominate the landscape; instead, they have to continually study the land and the animals it supports. Collins is a keen observer of both. He demonstrates that patience, resilience, and a common sense approach to conservation and range management are what counts, combined with an enduring affection for nature, its animals, and the land. Cowboy is a Verb is not a romanticized story of cowboy life on the range, rather it is a complex story of the complicated work involved with being a rancher in the twenty-first-century West.Trade ReviewCollins seamlessly weaves a memoir about how he learned to ranch in southeastern Arizona with astute commentaries about the challenges of doing so in a land where most of his neighbors were exurbanites and a small endangered minnow caused more problems than the drug runners trekking through his mountain pastures.— Tom Sheridan, Professor of Anthropology, University of Arizona and author of Stitching the West Back TogetherI do think this book may become a classic and sit alongside other memorable books on ranching culture.— Richard L. Knight, retired professor of wildlife conservation, Colorado State UniversityThere is something special about being able to live and work in a landscape over many years. Each year offers a greater understanding of place and your place in it. Richard Collins shines when he is describing his beloved high desert grasslands and the people and creatures who occupy it.— Ross Humphreys, San Rafael RanchCollins is not only a fine storyteller, but there is generosity and exuberance in his writing and thinking that I hope will spread like wildfire to renew the many landscapes and cultures of the American West.— Gary Paul Nabhan, author of Food from the Radical Center: Healing Our Lands and CommunitiesCollins' descriptions of abundant wildlife, expansive scenic views and especially the watershed that divides his ranch from north to south, all attest to his deep connection to the property that he has explored, inch by inch, on horseback… The efforts of a hands-on working rancher to sustain the viability of the land he so loves makes it likely that cowboy truly is a verb.— Betty Barr, historian and author of Hidden Treasures of Santa Cruz CountyThe best description of ranching in southeast Arizona that I have yet run across. — Bill McDonald, Co-founder of the Radical Center and Past President of the Malpai Borderlands Group and fifth generation rancherCowboy is a Verb should be read by every rancher, agency member, or any folks that just love open spaces. Using local examples to illustrate his points, Richard shows the need to add a powerful; fourth "C" to the three Cs of successful ranching. Cowboys, Cattle, and Cow Dogs—make room for Cooperation. Anyone with feelings about the west will find things they like and things they wish Richard hadn't brought up in this book. That is the surest way to know he has written the truth about a subject that he knows and cares deeply about."— Jim Koweek, Author, Grassland Plant ID for Everyone: Except Folks that That Take Boring Technical Stuff Too SeriouslyOne of the few books available that gives a well-rounded description of modern-day ranching in the southwest… A very balanced picture of the challenges facing ranchers today. Thanks for writing such an enlightening book and giving me the opportunity to read it.— Walter Lane, Co-Owner Headquarters West, Ltd. and fourth generation rancherRichard Collins was a leader in the vitally important task of building a radical center among ranchers, conservationists, and federal agencies in southern Arizona. Today, as the West and the nation continues to harden into opposing factions we need the work of radical centrists more than ever. In this thoughtful, humorous, and heartfelt memoir, Collins captures the spirit of those heady years, sharing lessons learned for all of us along the way.— Courtney White, author of Grass, Soil, Hope and co-founder of the Quivira CoalitionAs a lifelong rancher and cowboy, I was mesmerized by Richard Collins' beautifully crafted stories. What I particularly relished was Collins' deep love of the land. His passion for conserving and improving grasslands, water, wildlife—the very environment that sustains us—shines through his articulate and moving prose. He is a down-to-earth rancher and cowboy who finds great joy in his daily tasks while never losing sight of his role as steward of the land.— H. Alan Day, author of The Horse Lover and Cowboy Up!Table of Contents Foreword by George B. Buyle, PhD Introduction Chapter 1. Alamo Spring Chapter 2. Fine Feathers Chapter 3. Tar Paper and Tin Shacks Chapter 4. What Goes Around Chapter 5. Living Close to Predicament Chapter 6. Rainfall, Cow Counts, and Climate Change Chapter 7. The Seibold Ranch Chapter 8. Fences, Fires, and Drug Mules Chapter 9. More Horses and a Dog Chapter 10. Canelo Hills Coalition Chapter 11. Toward a Practice of Limits Chapter 12. Taking Good Care Chapter 13. Habitat or Species Chapter 14. Why in Hell? Chapter 15. Cowboy is a Verb Acknowledgments Selected Sources About the Author
£20.21
Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht GmbH & Co KG Urwald der Bayern: Geschichte, Politik und Natur
Book SynopsisOther countries - from Yellowstone to serengeti - had long since had their large national parks when Germany's first national park was founded in 1970 in the Bavarian Forest. How did it come about? Why did the local "Waidlers" fight against the national park? How has the park's management dealt with conflicts over bark beetles, red deer and lynx? Does the national park region benefit from tourism? These and other critical questions are answered in this volume on the Bavarian Forest by experts from different disciplines. Prominent contemporary witnesses from the national park and its planning also have their say.
£24.69
Un año en Sand County
Book Synopsis
£20.62
Lannoo Publishers Escape to the Country: Living on the Farm
Book SynopsisA slower pace of life, outdoor space and tight-knit communities come hand-in-hand with village living – something many have come to appreciate in recent months. Many city-dwellers are looking for an alternative way of life and are preparing to move, making the dream reality. In this beautifully photographed book, Ben Ashby, the editor-in-chief of Folk Magazine, reflects on the authenticity and charm of life on the farm. Having made the move several years ago from New York to Kentucky, he shares his thoughts on fitting into a small town, living on the farm, learning to celebrate the slow life, and being self-sufficient. For each season, he pilots us to the most inspiring farmhouses and pays tribute to the architecture and interiors of these unique spaces, as well as to the lifestyle and sense of community that goes along with country life. Now might be a perfect time for you to give farming life a try!
£40.50
