The countryside, country life: general interest Books
Green Books The River's Voice: An Anthology of Poetry
Book Synopsis
£9.45
Whittles Publishing Something Out There
Book Synopsis'Like many a Highland glen, the Fathan Ghlinne should be wooded but isn't. But I have sat long and often and listened to the ancient river speech, to the windsong of three birches and a rowan, the rowan above a meeting of waterfalls which should be a portentous place. And the word on the wind and in the speech of the river is that the trees and wolves and the people will be back.' Thus Jim Crumley concludes this remarkable book of nature writing. The setting is largely Highland Perthshire (there are startling asides to Mull and Alaska), the author's home for several years, and where, having 'chased a rainbow' that faded early he stayed on and put down a root that nourished his nature writer's instincts. Something Out There is Jim Crumley's account of his quest to rediscover something of the ancient bond between man and nature. It is told in prose that is three-quarters of the way to poetry, and in the process gives the art of nature writing a bold new standard bearer for the 21st century.Trade Review'...Jim Crumley, the best nature writer now working in Great Britain...' David Craig in the Los Angeles Times Book Review
£14.20
Whittet Books Ltd Fox Watching: In the Shadow of the Fox
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.
£9.49
Ramblers' Association East Berkshire Group The Secrets of Countryside Access: An Illustrated
Book Synopsis
£6.75
Prospect Books Lost World: England 1933-1936
Book SynopsisDuring 19331936, Dorothy Hartley was commissioned by the Daily Sketch newspaper to write articles describing the English countryside, old English crafts and customs, country foods and country ways (with the odd excursion to Wales, Scotland and Ireland). She did her research in the British Museum (she had by then written several books of social history) and on the ground, travelling around the country on her sturdy bicycle, staying with her subjects, or under a hedgebank if no other choice. These articles were to form her knowledge-bank which she used in several books that came out during the 1930s and beyond (particularly Here’s England, 1935), but they have never been seen as they were first written. We offer a selection, with a foreword by Lucy Worsley (who is presenting the BBC TV documentary on Hartley to be transmitted in November) and introduced by the writer Adrian Bailey (who befriended Dorothy Hartley in her later life). The 65 articles are illustrated with some of Hartley’s own snapshots which she kept as notes for future reference. The subjects range widely over matters as various as thatching, clog-making, eels, the country chemist, marram grass, sand shoes, crabs, sheep shearing, spring-cleaning, country kitchens, ploughing, weather lore, and elevenses.
£14.25
Green Books The English Meadow: A Portrait of Country Life
Book Synopsis
£12.30
The Dovecote Press Dorset Barns
Book Synopsis
£8.94
Whittles Publishing Seton Gordon's Cairngorms
Book SynopsisSeton Gordon really created himself as naturalist, photographer and writer, the first such in the country, his first book appearing when he was eighteen. In all he wrote 27 books, two specifically about the Cairngorms where he grew up and first explored and returned to many times throughout his long life. He wrote with a revelational wonder and freshness, writing in poetic prose descriptions only possible by someone intimately at home in the hills with their interacting, connected features: birds, plants, trees, geology, weather, Gaelic culture, place names, history, folklore - an ecologist before the word was coined. Hamish Brown selected passages for "Seton Gordon's Scotland" and has now made a fascinating choice from Seton Gordon's extensive writings about the Cairngorms. There are descriptions of hill days throughout the seasons and intimate descriptions of wildlife. Seton Gordon lived to a great age but the Cairngorms were his first, young man's enthusiasm. Hamish Brown, no mean mountaineer and lover of the outdoors, has garnered biographical material and archive pictures for a book which everyone with an interest in the Scottish hills will welcome.Table of ContentsGaick and Spey; Western Heights; The Bird of Birds; Lairig Ghru; Birds of the Heights; Cairngorm - Macdhui - Loch Avon; Birds of the Lower Ground; Eternal Snows; All Growing Things; Deeside Approaches; People of the Hill; A Varied Wildlife; Folklore of Spey and Dee
£22.50
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
Merlin Unwin Books Advice from a Gamekeeper
Book SynopsisJohn Cowan is headkeeper on a large Scottish estate, and has worked as a gamekeeper all his life. He passes on everything he knows about the profession he loves.Crammed with fascinating practical advice, it is also a very entertaining read for anyone interested in the day-to-day challenges and joys of running a busy sporting estate.
£18.00
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 Arboreal: A Collection of Words from the Woods
Book SynopsisA century ago woodlands were at the heart of daily life. Trees and hedgerows, copses and spinneys provided wood-fuel, thatch and bedding, woodland pasture for pigs and cattle, medicine from tree bark and a wild harvest of nuts and fruit for the home. But the role of woodlands has been in decline in the last two centuries, drifting ever further from our modern lives. Yet there is no other landscape in the British Isles that matches the complexity and variety of life in a woodland, above and below ground.And while sheltering wildlife, woods continue to enrich our language, feed our imagination and still have the power to transform us, literally and metaphorically. Woodlands have not only inspired folktales, music, novels, visual art and poetry, they are also finding new uses in healthcare and as outdoor classrooms.Arboreal is a landmark publication of new writing from woodlands across the UK and beyond. In memory of the great historical ecologist Oliver Rackham, the book gathers contributions from a variety of voices - novelists, teachers, poets, botanists, artists, architects and foresters - to explore why woods matter and mean so much.Table of ContentsIntroduction - South Mead Coppice - Adrian Cooper,Inshriach - Inshriach Bothy - Kathleen Jamie, Bird Song - Hannah's Wood - Jay Griffiths, Another Look at Glennamong - Nephin Beg - Sean Lysaght, Hidden Places - The Lincolnshire Wolds - Fiona Stafford, Arborotopia - New Forest - Philip Hoare, Chanterelles - Pankhurst Forest - Evie Wyld, Why Woods Matter - Badby Woods - Fiona Reynolds, Forest of Eyes - Burnham Beeches - Paul Kingsnorth, Speaking Wood - Cae'n-y-coed - David Nash, Princess Forest - Coille Na Bana Phrionnsa - Alec Finlay, Medieval Survivor - Chalkney Wood - Simon Leatherdale, Don't Look Back - Piles Copse - Gabriel Hemery, Thinning - Kingsettle Wood - Robin Walter, The Ramsbury Elm - Ramsberry Village - Peter Marren, Two Storms - Tedworth Square - William Boyd, Sand Forest - Tentsmuir Forest - Jim Crumley, Wood Woes - Up the Forest! - Sue Clifford, Ash - Farnley Estate - Simon Armitage, Nine Oaks - Curridge Village - Adam Thorpe,Trunk - Spinney Wood - Jackie Kay, City, Trees, Water - Avon Gorge - Helen Dunmore, Return to Ruskin Land - Wyre Forest - Neil Sinden, Heartwood - Windsor Hill Road - Tobias Jones, Cusop Dingle - Dulas Brook - Nina Lyon, The Gypsy Stone - Epping Forest - Will Ashon, The Green Stuff - Wandlebury Wood - Ali Smith, Forest Fear - Wood of Cree - Sara Maitland, Thwaite - Ulpha Fell - Richard Skelton, On the 7.46 - Shrewsbury to Crewe - Paul Evans, Alison - West Sussex Downs - Madeleine Bunting, Yggdrasil in Shetland - Lea Gardens - Jen Hadfield, What is a Tree? - Stump Cross - Germaine Greer, Laburnum Time - B13 - Zaffar Kunial, The Common Dean - The Edge - Alan Garner, Searching for Natural Woodland - Lady Park - George Peterken, Woodcock - Wicken Fen - Tim Dee, Taking Root - Moonshine Wood - Piers Taylor, Discovering the Spinney - Spinney Wood - Deb Wilenski, Rackham's Treasure - Merthen Wood - Philip Marsden, Still Lives - Berkhamsted Common - Richard Mabey
£20.00
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
Fox Chapel Publishers International Cows and Catastrophes: The Flights and Fancies of
Book SynopsisCows and Catastrophes includes tales of author Brindley Hosken's 40 years of farming on the beautiful Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall, where he has lived and worked for all his life. After 35 years of dairy farming, and in an increasingly challenging market, Brin made the difficult decision to sell his cows in 2010 and now contract rears dairy heifers.Some of the stories told are factual, some take a situation, turn it upside down and approach it from a completely different angle and others ask important questions such as "What if I'm a Celebrity was set on a farm?" and "What if a tractor could write a letter to a car?" Most are humorous; some are sad but they are all thought provoking. Including 32 specially commissioned illustrations by Rory Walker, this book will bring a wry smile to the faces of other farmers who will recognise situations that they too have been in. It will also give readers who are not involved in farming an idea about what happens down farm lanes and in the patchwork of fields that they pass on their way to work each day and to help them appreciate the tough job that farmers today face.
£8.96
Corpus Publishing Limited Pathway To Positivity: Creating The Perfect Pet
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£19.99
First Stone Publishing Scent Training For Every Dog
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£24.99
Fitzcarraldo Editions Ash before Oak
Book SynopsisAsh before Oak is a novel in the form of a fictional journal written by a solitary man on a secluded Somerset estate. Ostensibly a nature diary, chronicling the narrator’s interest in the local flora and fauna and the passing of the seasons, Ash before Oak is also the story of a breakdown told slantwise, and of the narrator’s subsequent recovery through his reengagement with the world around him. Written in prose that is as precise as it is beautiful, winner of the 2018 Fitzcarraldo Editions Novel Prize, Jeremy Cooper’s first novel in over a decade is a stunning investigation of the fragility, beauty and strangeness of life.Trade Review‘Very moving, beautiful and so thoughtful too – a wonderful evocation of animals and birds, sky and Somerset.’ — Kate Mosse, author of Labyrinth‘... what Cooper offers, very boldly and successfully, is a broad narrative arc of collapse and tentative recovery, in which a struggle for meaning and purpose in life assumes a desperate intensity.... Because of the narrator's inability to describe his anguish, what's mostly written here is not his pain, but his clinging to life: the beauty caught and traced, with great skill, in trying to overcome suffering. In its journal form, Ash before Oak salvages detritus, the unremarkable mess, banality and repetition of the everyday, just as the narrator works on restoring his dilapidated buildings in Somerset. And in a larger way, too, with admirable wisdom and precision, it salvages, from agonizing, ruinous thoughts and experiences, something transcendent, of lasting value.’ — Jerome Boyd Maunsell, Times Literary Supplement‘Low-key and understated, this beautiful book ... is a civilised and melancholy document that slowly progresses towards a sense of enduring, going onwards, and even new life. It feels like a healing experience.’ — Phil Baker, The Sunday Times‘A disarming and gorgeously rendered portrait of interiority ... The novel’s genius lies in what goes unsaid, and in the gaps between entries – what the narrator keeps from readers is the most haunting plot of all. This meandering novel is one of quiet beauty, and brief flashes of joy among seasons of despair. A study in how writing can give lives meaning, and in how it can fail to be enough to keep one afloat, this is a rare, delicate book, teeming with the stuff of real life.’ — Publishers Weekly, starred review‘Mr. Cooper’s depiction of depression is powerful—and very challenging—in its artlessness. We do not follow a clean arc from near-death to recovery. Instead we find ourselves in the midst of a marathon, something grueling and repetitive and, though filled with hopeful pleasures, always dogged by despair.’ — Sam Sacks, Wall Street Journal
£15.11
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
Indigo Dreams Publishing Forest moor or less
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£10.45
Merlin Unwin Books How now?: Britain's Favourite Dairy Farmer
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£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
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£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
