The Earth: natural history: general interest Books
Schiffer Publishing Ltd My Heart Rocks
Book SynopsisA compilation of beautiful heart rocks found in their natural environment by nature photographer Amy M. Dykens.
£19.54
Transworld Publishers Ltd The Unexpected Truth About Animals: Stoned
Book SynopsisShortlisted for the 2018 Royal Society Investment Science Book Prize'Endlessly fascinating.' - Bill Bryson 'Eye-opening, informative and very funny!' - Chris Packham'Well-informed and downright funny' - Richard DawkinsHistory is full of strange animal stories invented by the brightest and most influential, from Aristotle to Disney. But when it comes to understanding animals, we’ve got a long way to go. Whether we’re watching a viral video of romping baby pandas or looking at a picture of penguins ‘holding hands’, we often project our own values – innocence, abstinence, hard work – onto animals. So you’ve probably never considered that moose get drunk and that penguins are notorious cheats. In The Unexpected Truth About Animals Zoologist Lucy unravels many such myths – that eels are born from sand, that swallows hibernate under water, and that bears gave birth to formless lumps that are licked into shape by their mothers – to show that the stories we create reveal as much about us as they do about the animals. Astonishing, illuminating and laugh-out-loud funny.Trade ReviewA bloody fabulous read. Thoroughly recommend. -- Sue Perkins (Twitter)A riot of facts....Cooke scores a series of goals with style and panache. * The Times *Beautifully written, meticulously researched, with the science often couched in outrageous asides, this is a splendid read. In fact, I cannot remember when I last enjoyed a non-fiction work so much. * Daily Express *Best science pick.Sigmund Freud's first paper involved the dissection of eels in an attempt to locate their testes. To his frustration, Freud failed to find any. The eel's life cycle remains slippery, notes natural-history broadcaster Lucy Cooke in her deeply researched, sassily written history of "the biggest misconceptions, mistakes and myths we've concocted about the animal kingdom", spread by figures from Aristotle to Walt Disney. Other chapters spotlight the sloth, vulture, hippopotamus, panda, chimpanzee and others, and dismantle anthropocentric clichés with scientific, global evidence. * Nature *Lucy Cooke's The Unexpected Truth About Animals was a joy from beginning to end. Who could resist a writer who argues that penguins have been pulling the wool over our eyes for years, and that, far from being cute and gregarious, they are actually pathologically unpleasant necrophiliacs? * Guardian *
£10.44
Hancock House Publishers Ltd ,Canada Wolves of the Rocky Mountains from Jasper to
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£13.49
Wild Nature Press The Essential Guide to Beachcombing and the
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£16.14
British Geological Survey Exploring the Landscapes of Assynt
Book SynopsisDescribes eight walks in Assynt, ranging from easy to more challenging mountain walks. A fold-out colour map shows the different rock types which make up the area and also has the walks and other sites of interest marked.
£11.40
Transworld Publishers Ltd The Wood: The Life & Times of Cockshutt Wood
Book Synopsis'BRITAIN'S FINEST LIVING NATURE WRITER' - THE TIMESA SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER and BBC Radio 4 'Book of the Week' from 'indisputably, one of the best nature-writers of his generation' (Country Life) Written in diary format, The Wood is the story of English woodlands as they change with the seasons. Lyrical and informative, steeped in poetry and folklore, The Wood inhabits the mind and touches the soul.For four years John Lewis-Stempel managed Cockshutt wood, a particular wood - three and half acres of mixed woodland in south west Herefordshire - that stands as exemplar for all the small woods of England. John coppiced the trees and raised cows and pigs who roamed free there. This is the diary of the last year, by which time he had come to know it from the bottom of its beech roots to the tip of its oaks, and to know all the animals that lived there - the fox, the pheasants, the wood mice, the tawny owl - and where the best bluebells grew. For many fauna and flora, woods like Cockshutt are the last refuge. It proves a sanctuary for John too. To read The Wood is to be amongst its trees as the seasons change, following an easy path until, suddenly the view is broken by a screen of leaves, or your foot catches on a root, or a bird startles overhead. This is a wood you will never want to leave.Trade ReviewIt is a pleasure to be in the company of a man who is so attuned to his woody world ... He is good at sketching nature, fixing a vivid image in the mind's eye of a reader ... Lewis-Stempel has rightly won himself the reputation as being among our best nature writers ... The Wood is an entertaining, illuminating, well-turned read -- Robbie Millen * The Times *John Lewis-Stempel is the hottest nature writer around. * Spectator *A heartfelt and evocative diary of a year among the trees…it’s his observation of the natural world – the sight, the sound, the smell of it – that is so memorable. He has a distinctively brisk, muscular style of writing that has a poetic intensity and concision. * Guardian *Lyrical diary documenting a year in nature ... he’s brilliant on birds and their habits. -- Helen Brown * Daily Mail *Another triumph. Natural, translucent, full of half-glimpsed depths....just like a wood itself. -- Philip Marsden
£9.49
Atlantic Books Blowfish's Oceanopedia: 291 Extraordinary Things
Book SynopsisA New Scientist Gift Pick 2017From luminous squid to invisible plankton, from sandy shorelines to the bone-crushing pressure of the deep, marine conservationist Tom "The Blowfish" Hird takes us on an incredible journey revealing what lurks beneath the waves. A treasure chest of fascinating facts, full-colour photos and vintage line drawings, Blowfish's Oceanopedia is a stunningly beautiful guide to all we know about our oceans and the weird and wonderful creatures that inhabit them.Trade ReviewA lively, sumptuous cornucopia of all things oceanic. Who knew a squid could fly, or that hagfish drown their prey in slime? * Jonathan Balcombe, author of What a Fish Knows *A marine marvel... Tom Hird applies his boundless enthusiasm to give us a smorgasbord of bite-sized oceanic and fishy facts. * Brian Clegg, author of The Universe Inside You *Thoroughly entertaining and enlightening. Packed with first-hand experiences and fascinating facts, this is the most accessible encyclopaedia you'll ever read! * Miranda Krestovnikoff, wildlife presenter and RSPB President *Amazing facts for ocean-lovers. * New Scientist (Gift Pick 2017) *Packed with proper science, brought alive by marine biologist, Tom "the Blowfish" Hird's entertainingly blokey turn of phrase. * BBC Wildlife Magazine *
£11.39
Cambridge University Press Extinctions
Book SynopsisAre we now entering a mass extinction event? What can mass extinctions in Earth''s history tell us about the Anthropocene? What do mass extinction events look like and how does life on Earth recover from them? The fossil record reveals periods when biodiversity exploded, and short intervals when much of life was wiped out in mass extinction events. In comparison with these ancient events, today''s biotic crisis hasn''t (yet) reached the level of extinction to be called a mass extinction. But we are certainly in crisis, and current parallels with ancient mass extinction events are profound and deeply worrying. Humanity''s actions are applying the same sorts of pressures - on similar scales - that in the past pushed the Earth system out of equilibrium and triggered mass extinction events. Analysis of the fossil record suggests that we still have some time to avert this disaster: but we must act now.Trade Review'… a useful and succinct summary of the research into the reality and timing of mass extinctions from the early concepts to recent research - it brought me up-to-date with current thinking on mass extinctions. I admire his 'sceptical' stance: attempting to discriminate what a mass extinction actually is - outside the biggest three - is not as easy as has been assumed. The mass extinctions of the past clearly have relevance to the current approaching catastrophe in the Anthropocene, and the careful appraisal of exactly where we are in comparison with previous extinctions will be of great concern to those interested in the 'long view'. I particularly appreciated the focus on the notion of the interconnectedness of Earth systems.' Richard Fortey, author of Life: An Unauthorised Biography History and Trilobite: Eyewitness to Evolution'Despite its somber title and topic, Extinctions is an exuberant road trip through the history of life on Earth, led by a friendly and knowledgeable guide who knows all the locals along the way. Visiting so many ancestral Earthlings and vanished ecosystems is heady - and deeply humbling.' Marcia Bjornerud, Lawrence University, author of Timefulness and Reading the Rocks'Most of life may well be extinct, because of the huge age of the Earth, but Michael Hannah shows vividly in this book that the 8.7 million species on Earth today are profoundly at risk; the lessons of the fossil record tell us what will surely happen if we continue pushing species after species to the brink.' Michael Benton, University of Bristol, author of Dinosaurs Rediscovered'Without death, there can be no change. And, as Michael Hannah makes clear in his engaging new book, mass extinctions on various scales have been key shapers of the world as we know it. Had the dinosaurs not abruptly disappeared, we humans would not be here today. But as Hannah also shows, there is something dreadfully menacing about the massive species loss and climate change the world is currently experiencing, making his book a balanced yet deeply unsettling account of what humans are unwittingly doing to the world.' Ian Tattersall, American Museum of Natural History, co-author of The Accidental Homo sapiens'An accessible and authoritative guide to the past, present, and future of extinctions. Michael Hannah dives into the fossil record and surveys the great mass extinctions of Earth history, from the death of the dinosaurs to the demise of the woolly mammoth, and explains how they are relevant to understanding the predicament we are in today, and to plotting a better future.' Steve Brusatte, University of Edinburgh and New York Times/Sunday Times bestselling author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs'Michael Hannah's book expertly examines the geological record of mass extinction events. It asks us to consider whether we wish to join asteroid strikes and massive volcanic eruptions as causes of mass extinction. Or whether we can change our relationships with the wonderful diversity of life around us to avoid such an ignominious outcome.' Mark Williams, University of Leicester'… measured, thought-provoking analysis.' Andrew Robinson, NatureTable of ContentsPreface; Acknowledgements; Further reading; Introduction; 1. The Anthropocene and the Earth system; 2. A short detour: the fossil record and the geological time scale; 3. The origin of animals and the emergence of the Earth system; 4. Documenting ancient biodiversity; 5. Mass extinctions – the basics; 6. Causes of the End-Permian and End-Cretaceous extinction events; 7. Time heals all – recovering from a mass extinction; 8. The late Quaternary megafaunal extinctions; 9. Surviving the Anthropocene; Further reading; Index.
£18.63
Milkweed Editions A Year in the Wilderness: Bearing Witness in the
Book SynopsisSince its establishment as a federally protected wilderness in 1964, the Boundary Waters has become one of our nation’s most valuable—and most frequently visited—natural treasures. When Amy and Dave Freeman learned of toxic mining proposed within the area’s watershed, they decided to take action—by spending a year in the wilderness, and sharing their experience through video, photos, and blogs with an audience of hundreds of thousands of concerned citizens. This book tells the deeper story of their adventure in northern Minnesota: of loons whistling under a moonrise, of ice booming as it forms and cracks, of a moose and her calf swimming across a misty lake. With the magic—and urgent—message that has rallied an international audience to the campaign to save the Boundary Waters, A Year in the Wilderness is a rousing cry of witness activism, and a stunning tribute to this singularly beautiful region.Trade ReviewPraise for A Year in the Wilderness Named One of Twenty Big Indie Books of Fall 2017 by Publishers Weekly Featured in the Wall Street Journal "With this book, the Freemans prove themselves natural successors of Sigurd Olson's legacy of carefully crafted activist writing. . . . It is an excellent book for any season—once you read it, you will find it difficult to get the Freeman’s singing wilderness or their lone, lingering call of warning out of your head."―Los Angeles Review “For 365 days in 2015 and 2016, the Freemans lived in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, paddling a canoe or towing a toboggan from campsite to campsite. They fell through the ice. They were trailed by wolves. They drank from the lakes. Mostly, they bore witness.”―Minneapolis Star Tribune “Gorgeous . . . [the Freemans’] words are complemented by an outstanding selection of photographs that immerse the reader in the watery landscape, making an indelible impact.”―Canoe & Kayak “Through evocative personal narrative and nature photography, the Freemans . . . speak with a single attentive and amiable voice that centers the joys and challenges of navigating the land and water. . . . Gorgeous color photographs focus on the human experience of being in wilderness and augment a novel work that should draw attention to the plight of the Boundary Waters.”―Publishers Weekly “This book is a documentary on paper, the plural we of the authors’ voice inviting the reader to join the conversation … We need conservation activism, we need adventure activism, we need witness activism, and we need more writers to put places to the page. The BWCA was protected through the written word and A Year in the Wilderness is an extension of that work.”―Orion Magazine “The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is among our nation’s great natural treasures. It is also fragile, and increasingly threatened by the prospect of sulfide-ore copper mining. At this moment in our history, when calls are growing to privatize public lands and weaken national parks, adventurers Amy and Dave Freeman spent a year in the Boundary Waters, experiencing its singular beauty and advocating for its preservation. In this extraordinary book, they have done us all an invaluable service, offering a wonderfully compelling testimony for the value of wild places and the creatures who inhabit them. I urge you to read it, and then to join the Freemans in advocating for the preservation of the Boundary Waters.”―Vice President Walter Mondale “Recounting their adventure in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Amy and Dave Freeman offer a compelling tale about the beauty as well as the brutal challenges of living a year in this northern wilderness―one of our nation’s very first areas protected by the Wilderness Act of 1964. Their first-hand observations about the wild, the land ethic, and threats to this natural heritage build on a long tradition. Exemplifying a new generation of outdoors writer-adventurers, the Freemans infuse excitement and energy into the wilderness canon crafted by Mardy and Olaus Murie, Sigurd Olson, and other champions in earlier generations who have done so much to protect our wild places by describing them with a keen eye and a passionate heart.”―Jamie Williams, President, The Wilderness Society “Here’s the story of a great adventure in one of the planet’s most gorgeous wildernesses―and with high stakes at risk in a fight to stave off a truly gross assault on its integrity. So many reasons to read this book!”―Bill McKibben, author of Wandering Home “Although my adventures have taken me to both ends of the earth, I share with Amy and Dave Freeman the same life-affirming natural centerpoint for physical and spiritual sustenance: Minnesota’s Boundary Waters wilderness. While I occasionally get to taste the wonders of this pristine place, they got to live and breathe it for a full year. The depth of their insights in this remarkable book reflects the intensity of their extraordinary experience and their love for this amazing national treasure.”―Ann Bancroft “All-in-all this is a fantastic narrative, with something for every outdoor-loving reader. The descriptions of the wilderness in four seasons will make nature-lovers happy. Stories of the gear, sled dogs and camping’s constant problem-solving will please experienced trekkers. And there is a note of nostalgia in the effort, proof that a man and a woman can leave the city behind and make a difference in the world. “Dave and Amy Freeman understand something very significant―that an iconic object such as a canoe can make a strong political statement, in this case in opposition to sulfide-ore mining in a pristine wilderness―much like an earlier American hero, Woody Guthrie, used his guitar to fight fascism. This land, they all say, is your land.”―Mark Neuzil, coauthor of Canoes: A Natural History in North America
£21.24
Waterford Press Ltd Pond Life: A Folding Pocket Guide to Familiar
Book SynopsisSo many people get their start in nature study by exploring ponds. These small bodies of calm, standing water are fascinating living laboratories of plant and animal life at all scales, from microscopic algae to iconic birds like Great Blue Herons or ecosystem engineers like Beavers. To better understand how a pond ecosystems functions, it helps to get familiar with its living parts, namely its flora and fauna. The portable reference Pond Life is an excellent tool to bring on your next pond study, as it includes beautiful illustrations of 140 common and familiar birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, insects, and other invertebrates as well as trees, shrubs, and wildflowers. Laminated for durability, this lightweight, waterproof, 12-panel folding pocket guide is the perfect tool for educators, learners, naturalists, botanists, and wildlife enthusiasts to use the next time they go searching for minnows, tadpoles, or dragonfly nymphs at their local pond. Made in the USA.
£7.95
Sterling Publishing Co Inc The Earth Book
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£21.25
Transworld Publishers Ltd The Wild Life of the Fox
Book SynopsisI adore the fox for its magnificence; I hate the fox for killing my chickens. To love and loathe the fox is a British condition.The fox is our apex predator, our most beautiful and clever killer. We have witnessed its wild touch, watched it slink by bins at night and been chilled by its high-pitched scream. And yet we long to stroke the tumbling cubs outside their tunnel homes and watch the vixen stalk the cornfield. There is something about foxes. They captivate us like no other species.Exploring a long and sometimes complicated relationship, The Wild Life of the Fox captures our love and sometimes loathing of this magnificent creature in vivid detail and lyrical prose.
£9.49
Ebury Publishing Expedition: Adventures into Undiscovered Worlds
Book SynopsisShine a light into the unknownThere are still dark corners of our planet that are yet to be explored. In this remarkable book, Steve Backshall offers an unflinching account of his adventures into these uncharted territories around the globe, in search of world firsts. Each location brings its own epic challenges - whether it's the first climb of an arctic ice fall in Greenland, the first recorded navigation of a South American river, or the first exploration of the world’s longest cave system in Mexico. But all of them represent new tests of the limits of human endeavour.Accompanying a major 10-part series on BBC and Dave, Expedition is a breathtaking journey into the unknown, and a brilliantly written celebration of the pleasures of genuine discovery.
£9.49
Transworld Publishers Ltd Still Water: The Deep Life of the Pond
Book SynopsisThe Times and Irish Independent: BEST NATURE BOOKS OF THE YEARGreat nature writing needs to be informative, detailed, accurate, lyrical, and, above all, to instil a sense of gratitude and wonder. John Lewis-Stempel succeeds in all these things triumphantly. From amorous toads to the eye-popping mating habits of water boatmen, a magical celebration of pond life by one of our finest, most evocative nature writers.' Daily MailPonds: small bodies of water, both naturally formed and artificial, home to wondrous, multitudinous life-forms. Ponds define our childhood: frogspawn, goldfish, feeding the ducks, but also our village life, our farms, our landscape. And they are multi-layered - from carp circling the bottom to water boatmen, coot, and birds dragonflies overhead. In Still Water, John immerses himself in the murky depths, both literarily and figuratively, to explore the still waters of the British countryside through each month of the year.Trade ReviewA beautifully written celebration of one of the natural world's most fertile founts of biodiversity and artistic inspiration ... A call to arms. * BEST NATURE BOOKS OF THE YEAR, 2019, The Times *The master of nature-writing takes readers through the changing life of a pond season by season. * Radio Times *Great nature writing needs to be informative, detailed, accurate, lyrical, and, above all, to instil a sense of gratitude and wonder. John Lewis-Stempel succeeds in all these things triumphantly. From amorous toads to the eye-popping mating habits of water boatmen, a magical celebration of pond life by one of our finest, most evocative nature writers. * Daily Mail *One of England's most noted nature writers ... Still Water is a scintillating mirror of ourselves. -- Derek Turner * BOOK OF THE WEEK: The Lady *UK farmer and nature writer John Lewis-Stempel has won much acclaim for his perfectly observed reflections on pastoral habitats and their residents. Still Water explores "the deep life" of ponds with characteristic wit and beauty from the two-time Wainwright Prize winner. -- Hilary A White * Irish Independent *
£10.44
Simon & Schuster Soil: The Story of a Black Mother's Garden
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£21.74
Atlantic Books Everest 1922: The Epic Story of the First Attempt
Book SynopsisThough it remains by far the world's most famous mountain, in recent years Everest's reputation has changed radically, with long queues of climbers on the Lhotse Face, lurid tales of frozen corpses and piles of high altitude trash. It wasn't always like this though. Once Everest was remote and inaccessible, a mysterious place, where only the bravest and most heroic dared to tread. The first attempt on Everest in 1922 by George Leigh Mallory and a British team is an extraordinary story full of controversy, drama and incident, populated by a set of larger than life characters straight out of Boys Own and Indiana Jones. The expedition ended in tragedy when, on their third bid for the top, Mallory's party was hit by an avalanche that left seven men dead. Using diaries, letters, published and unpublished accounts, Mick Conefrey creates a rich character driven narrative, exploring the motivations and private dramas of key individuals and detailing the back room politics and bitter rivalries that lay behind this epic adventure.Trade ReviewThe 1922 expedition was perhaps the most exciting of all Everest ventures. One hundred years ago virtually nothing was known about the effects of extreme altitude and those brave pioneers were making it up as they went along, pushing the boundaries of human possibility. With his usual forensic analysis and keen eye for the previously untold anecdote, Mick Conefrey re-illuminates one of the greatest mountain adventures of all time. * Stephen Venables *A gloriously British failure: The lost story of the tweed jacket-wearing and Kendal mint cake-eating band of eccentrics who were the first to try to conquer Everest is finally told 100 years on ... The story of that first attempt on the mountain is one history has largely erased. Failure tends to be forgotten. But in its centenary year, that 1922 expedition is celebrated in a gripping new book by mountaineering historian Mick Conefrey. Yes, it was a failure - but a glorious one. * Daily Mail *Table of Contentsi: Dramatis Personae ii: Introduction 1: Himalayans at Play 2: No Place for Old Men 3: The Hardest Push 4: Larger than Life 5: Oxygen Drill 6: News from the North 7: We May Be Gone Some Time 8: The Gas Offensive 9: Summit Fever 10: Trouble in the Sanctuary 11: A Terrible Enemy 12: 2020 Hindsight iii: Bibliography and Sources iv: Acknowledgements v: Index
£10.44
PublicAffairs The Three Ages of Water: Prehistoric Past,
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£22.50
The Crowood Press Ltd North York Moors and Yorkshire Wolds
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£17.09
Amber Books Ltd Endangered Animals
Book SynopsisIllustrated throughout with 200 outstanding colour photographs, Endangered Animals presents an in-depth look at around 100 species of animal from around the world, all of which are currently endangered or threatened according to the annual list drawn up by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). The selection spans a broad spectrum of wildlife, from large, charismatic mammals such as the Bengal tiger to lesser-known species such as New Zealand’s kakapo, the world’s only flightless parrot, which was once presumed to be extinct. Each continent is covered, with examples carefully drawn from every habitat – from the mysterious aye-aye of Madagascar’s shrinking rainforest, to the shy spectacled bear of the high Andes. Arranged geographically, each photographic entry is supported by a fascinating caption, which explains the animal’s current plight and whether it is critically endangered or classified as vulnerable. From the Ethiopian wolf to the Bengal tiger to monk seal and dugong, Endangered Animals is a fascinating introduction to some of the most threatened species on the planet.Table of ContentsContents Introduction AFRICA 1. Addax 2. African Elephant 3. African Wild Ass 4. African Wild Dog 5. Aye-Aye 6. Black Rhino 7. Chimpanzee 8. Ethiopian Wolf 9. Mountain Gorilla 10. Nano-chameleon — Brookesia nana 11. Okapi 12. Crowned sifaka 13. Secretarybird — Sagittarius serpentarius 14. Mandrill 15. Shoebill 16. Leopard 17. Pygmy Hippopotamus Choeropsis liberiensis 18. Nile Lechwe Kobus megaceros 19. Cheetah 20. Giraffe ASIA & AUSTRALIA Arabian Oryx Asiatic Elephant Asiatic Lion Bactarian Camel Clouded Leopard Double-wattled Cassowary Giant Panda Huon Tree Kangaroo Kakapo Kiwi Lion-tailed Macaque Long Footed Potoroo Malleefowl Numbat Orangutan Red Panda Siberian Tiger Snow Leopard Sumatran Rhino Tiger Yangtze Giant Softshell Turtle Rafetus swinhoei Malay tapir Indian Vulture Gyps indicus Red crowned crane Painted terrapin Siamese crocodile Red slender loris Purple faced langur Chinese crocodile lizard Caspian seal Black crested gibbon Golden snub-nosed monkey Banteng Bos javanicus Philippine eagle Rufous-headed Hornbill Przewalski's Horse Equus ferus Baiji Lipotes vexillifer Pangolin Dhole Pika Visayan Warty Pig Sus cebifrons NORTH AMERICA 1. Californian Condor 2. Black-footed Ferret 3. West Indian Manatee 4. Great Prairie Chicken 5. Desert Tortoise 6. West Indian Manatee 7. Vancouver Island Marmot Marmota vancouverensis SOUTH AND CENTRAL AMERICA 1. Spectacled Bear 2. Giant Otter 3. Chinchilla 4. Macaroni Penguin 5. Flightless Cormorant 6. Golden Lion Tamarin 7. Brown Spider monkey 8. Muriqui 9. Andean cat 10. Andean night monkey 11. Imperial Amazon 12. Cuban crocodile 13. Darwin’s fox 14. Chacoan peccary 15. Northern pudu 16. Sooty albatross 17. White-throated toucan 18. Amazon river dolphin 19. Mexican agouti EUROPE European bison Mediterranean Monk Seal Great Bustard European Sturgeon Red-Breasted Goose Saiga Ivory-billed Woodpecker Campephilus principalis Steppe eagle Iberian lynx THE WORLD’S OCEANS Blue Whale Right Whale Great White Shark Leatherback Turtle Dugong Sea Otter Giant Tortoise Polar Bear Beluga Rodrigues Flying Fox Pteropus rodricensis Sperm whale Harbour porpoise Hector's dolphin Marine iguana Whale shark Ocean sunfish Bluefin tuna Seahorse
£17.99
Danann Media Publishing Limited The Big Book of the Ocean
Book SynopsisCovering around 70 per cent of our planet’s surface and home to more than 200,000 known species, the world’s oceans are vital to life on Earth. However, despite producing around half the world’s oxygen and helping to regulate our climate and weather patterns, human behaviour has put our incredible oceans and the amazing animals within them at risk. In The Big Book of the Ocean, we go beneath the surface to explore the fascinating secrets of the sea and take an in-depth look at some of the planet’s magnificent marine creatures, from killer whales and sea turtles to seahorses and starfish. We also explore what we can do to help protect these vital environments and discover ten of the most endangered ocean species.
£18.00
Princeton University Press The Lives of Fungi
Book SynopsisTrade Review"A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year""It is hard to imagine that there has ever been a more comprehensive book written on fungi, or one with such stunning photography, that enables the reader to see these mysterious life forms in a totally different light. No walk in the countryside will ever be the same again." * Country Smallholding *"A wide range of fascinating examples and enlightening facts."---Andy Overall, Field Mycology"[This book] will serve as a great introduction to many naturalists wanting to know more about this unique and bizarre kingdom and hopefully will then lead onto reading more academic texts. The future is fungi."---Roy Stewart, British Naturalists Association"[General] readers will find much to learn about these environmentally critical organisms. ... Highly recommended."---D.H. Pfister, CHOICE"Detailed, yet accessible . . . a fascinating exploration of the mysterious and often hidden world of fungi."---Carol Gridley, ABC Gardening Australia"[A] joy to peruse."---Lynne Boddy, The Quarterly Review of Biology
£21.25
Profile Books Ltd Notes from Deep Time: A Journey Through Our Past
Book Synopsis'Astounding ... To call this a "history" does not do justice to Helen Gordon's ambition' Simon Ings, Daily Telegraph 'Awe-inspiring ... She has imbued geological tales with a beauty and humanity' Shaoni Bhattacharya-Woodward, Mail on Sunday The story of the Earth is written into our landscape: it's there in the curves of hills, the colours of stone, surprising eruptions of vegetation. Wanting a fresh perspective on her own life, the writer Helen Gordon set out to read that epic narrative. Her odyssey takes her from the secret fossils of London to the 3-billion-year-old rocks of the Scottish Highlands, and from a state-of-the-art earthquake monitoring system in California to one of the world's most dangerous volcanic complexes in Naples. At every step, she finds that the apparently solid ground beneath our feet isn't quite as it seems.Trade ReviewThe reward of Helen Gordon's profoundly considered and far-reaching book is that it opens up the dizzying view of geological time ... Notes from Deep Time reaches into a place that, in a post-religious era, offers a glimpse of something close to eternity -- Philip Marsden * FT *Astounding ... To call this a "history" does not do justice to Helen Gordon's ambition. Her adventures in the deep time of Earth hark all the way back to its beginnings as a barren ocean planet, 4.4 billion years ago, while keeping one foot firmly planted in the depleted and desertified plaything we're left with today ... Notes From Deep Time sidesteps the maundering and finger-wagging that comes with much Anthropocene thinking, and shows us how much sheer intellectual and poetical entertainment there is to be had in the idea -- Simon Ings * Daily Telegraph *Awe-inspiring ... It's Gordon's background as a literary writer that takes Notes From Deep Time to the next level. She has imbued geological tales with a beauty and humanity -- Shaoni Bhattacharya-Woodward * Mail on Sunday *Notes From Deep Time is a marvel-rich masterclass of narrative non-fiction, one of those books that teaches its reader to see the world completely differently. That it does so with wit, wisdom and crystal-perfect prose only adds to the pleasure. To escape from the present into deep time with such a companionable guide is clarifying, almost therapeutic, and at times gratifyingly dizzying -- Max Porter, author * Lanny *If there were ever a good time to think about deep time, it's now ... A whirlwind tour of our planet's deep past and far future ... succeeds in grounding our existence firmly in the context of geological time -- Alexandra Witze * Nature *Helen Gordon's wonderfully expansive book encompasses a paradoxical fluidity, both tangible and immense, where human witnesses measure out deep time in golden spikes and ammonites, excavating lost seas and saurians for clues as to what we were and who we will be -- Philip Hoare, author * Leviathan *A book as multi-layered as the deep-time planet itself -- Sara Wheeler, author * Terra Incognita *Sublime ... a fascinating and thrilling descent into time, human in scale but full of moments of vertiginous wonder -- Jon Day, author * Homing *Helen Gordon's terrifically readable book juxtaposes scenes from deep Earth time with telling accounts of how geologists forensically analyse the evidence for this enormous narrative - and looks to the future, too, as humans make their own additions to the planet's strata. Highly recommended -- Jan Zalasiewicz, author * The World in a Pebble *Questing, thoughtful and profoundly moving, Notes From Deep Time is a remarkable TARDIS of a book -- Dan Richards, author * Outpost *A sparkling book that humanises the pre-human era. In her journey from the Earth's molten Hadean beginnings to our Holocene age, Gordon delivers stratigraphic revelations through the stories of the intriguing individuals who have brought their mysteries to light -- India Bourke * New Statesman *
£10.44
Penguin Putnam Inc Where the Water Goes
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£12.59
Thunder Bay Press The World's Best National Parks in 500 Walks
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£26.59
Bloomsbury Publishing USA Wild Souls: Freedom and Flourishing in the
Book SynopsisWinner of the 2022 Rachel Carson Environment Book Award * Winner of the 2022 Science in Society Journalism Award (Books) * Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize?Thoughtful, insightful, and wise, Wild Souls is a landmark work.?--Ed Yong, author of An Immense World"Fascinating . . . hands-on philosophy, put to test in the real world . . . Marris believes that our idea of wildness--our obsession with purity--is misguided. No animal remains untouched by human hands . . . the science isn''t the hard part. The real challenge is the ethics, the act of imagining our appropriate place in that world." --Outside MagazineFrom an acclaimed environmental writer, a groundbreaking and provocative new vision for our relationships with--and responsibilities toward--the planet''s wild animals.Protecting wild animals and preserving the environment are two ideals so seemingly compatible as to be almost inseparable. But in fact, between animal welfare and conservation science there exists a space of underexamined and unresolved tension: wildness itself. When is it right to capture or feed wild animals for the good of their species? How do we balance the rights of introduced species with those already established within an ecosystem? Can hunting be ecological? Are any animals truly wild on a planet that humans have so thoroughly changed? No clear guidelines yet exist to help us resolve such questions.Transporting readers into the field with scientists tackling these profound challenges, Emma Marris tells the affecting and inspiring stories of animals around the globe--from Peruvian monkeys to Australian bilbies, rare Hawai''ian birds to majestic Oregon wolves. And she offers a companionable tour of the philosophical ideas that may steer our search for sustainability and justice in the non-human world. Revealing just how intertwined animal life and human life really are, Wild Souls will change the way we think about nature-and our place within it.
£23.80
Yale University Press Coral Reefs
Book SynopsisAn eye-opening introduction to the complexity, wonder, and vital roles of coral reefs Trade Review“In this book, Sale takes the reader on a journey to make reefs real, building a sense of awe and wonder that they exist, and a commitment to caring about their plight.”—Reef in Review, the annual magazine of the Australian Coral Reef Society“Peter Sale takes readers on a dazzling tour of coral reefs, explaining the science, humanizing the scientists, and persuasively arguing why preservation of what remains is vital.”—Margaret Lowman, author of The Arbornaut“An inspiring and readable explanation of what reefs are, where they came from, how they’re put together, what goes on inside them, why they’re important and how to save them.”—Joan Roughgarden, author of Evolution’s Rainbow: Diversity, Gender and Sexuality in Nature and People“This is Peter Sale’s love song to the coral reef—that beautiful but imperiled ecosystem. Sale writes with passion and grace about reefs, reef creatures, and the scientists who study them.”—Stephen Heard, author of Charles Darwin’s Barnacle and David Bowie’s Spider“Peter Sale, an insightful scientist drawing on a lifetime of experience, offers original points of view that are compelling, persuasive, and occasionally paradoxical and a major contribution to our understanding of why coral reefs are so special.”—J. E. N. Veron, author of A Reef in Time: The Great Barrier Reef from Beginning to End
£21.38
HarperCollins Publishers 50 Things to Do by the Sea
Book Synopsis A beautifully presented, practical gift guide for all surf seekers. Explained with fascinating, easy-to-understand commentary from surfer and scientist Easkey Britton, this guide helps you soak up maximum vitamin sea. The book is divided into six main sections – each filled with exercises, ideas and fun facts to help you reconnect with your oceanic roots and create special moments by the sea… Reading the Sea – watch waves, move with the tides, understand rips and currents, getting to know the sea and your limits.What the Sea Does for Us – appreciate the food, feel-good factors, and even medicines that the sea has to offer. Plus learn about its fundamental role in climate control.We are Ocean – explore the multi-sensory environment the sea has to offer.The Power of the Sea to Heal – from seaweed and ocean plasma to social change and ocean therapy.The Sea is Calling – try your hand at beach combing, wave play, rockpooling, bird watching, searching for jellyfish and bioluminescence and swimming in the sea.Things to Do for the Sea – with guides to beach clean-ups, sustainable foraging, restoring coastal habitats and inclusion and diversity ideas to make the sea accessible to all, you’ll have everything you need to be the hero our seas need. Taking an inclusive global outlook on the subject, and complemented by Maria Nilsson’s captivating drawings, this timely book will show you the benefits of doing things by and for the sea – and how those benefits can spill over into your daily life.Trade Review‘If you have been unable to visit the coast during the last year due to the pandemic, this lovely book is a small step towards soothing your seaside cravings’ -- Country Life‘There’s something for everyone in this exploration of the sea’ -- Devon Life
£11.40
Profile Books Ltd A Natural History of the Hedgerow: and ditches,
Book SynopsisIt is difficult to think of a more quintessential symbol of the British countryside than the British Hedgerow, bursting with blackberries, hazelnuts and sloes, and home to oak and ash, field mice and butterflies. But as much as we might dream about foraging for mushrooms or collecting wayside nettles for soup, most of us are unaware of quite how profoundly hedgerows have shaped the history of our landscape and our fellow species. One of Britain's best known naturalists, John Wright introduces us to the natural and cultural history of hedges (as well as ditches, dykes and dry stone walls) - from the arrival of the first settlers in the British Isles to the modern day, when we have finally begun to recognise the importance of these unique ecosystems. His intimate knowledge of the countryside and its inhabitants brings this guide to life, whether discussing the skills and craft of hedge maintenance or the rich variety of animals, plants, algae and fungi who call them home. Informative, practical, entertaining and richly illustrated in colour throughout, A Natural History of the Hedgerow is a book to stuff into your pocket for country walks in every season, or to savour in winter before a roaring fire.Trade ReviewA beautifully presented field guide. -- Robbie Millen * Times *A true labour of love spiced with a fine dry humour... a rich and spellbinding love letter to the great British hedgerow... [not] just a delightful one-off read, but an invaluable work of reference that will remain on my bookshelves for good. -- Christopher Hart * The Sunday Times *This illustrated survey is historically detailed, enriched by the author's deep knowledge of British landscapes and natural history. * Guardian *After reading this delightful book, you'll see those humble boundaries as living archives of our island story. * Daily Mail *Fascinating... his book grows on me, like honeysuckle... shows a clean limb and a sense of humour... he does the hedgerow good. * Country Life *Hugely enjoyable ... such a pleasure to read ... laced with humour and an abundance of first-hand knowledge. * BBC Countryfile *Engaging... plants are described with tremendous knowledge and enthusiasm that can only come from someone who knows and loves them like old friends... [A] great educational tool - not to say fascinating read. * English Garden *Wright covers a respectable amount of ground in this hybrid field guide... Often humorous and richly informative, this a perfect book for dipping into. * The Lady *Praise for The Naming of the Shrew: Who would have thought that a book about Latin names could be quite so compelling! * Alan Titchmarsh *Brims with verbal curiosities * Nature *Nature writing at its best: insightful, entertaining and often very funny * British Wildlife *Weird and wonderful * Sunday Telegraph *Charming. * The Lady *The pleasure of Wright's book is the contrast between the rigour required for giving names and the careless minds and mischievous humour of those who devise them. * The Times *Fascinating and funny. * BBC Countrylife *Erudite but whimsical ... a book as charming as it is wise. * Irish Examiner *A great read. * Grow Your Own *
£11.69
Ebury Publishing A Life on Our Planet: My Witness Statement and a
Book SynopsisWith a new afterword, Why You Are Here: A speech on the opening of the COP26 climate summitAs a young man, I felt I was out there in the wild, experiencing the untouched natural world - but it was an illusion. The tragedy of our time has been happening all around us, barely noticeable from day to day - the loss of our planet's wild places, its biodiversity. I have been witness to this decline. A Life on Our Planet contains my witness statement, and my vision for the future - the story of how we came to make this, our greatest mistake, and how, if we act now, we can yet put it right.We have the opportunity to create the perfect home for ourselves and restore the wonderful world we inherited.All we need is the will do so.
£11.69
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Sarah Raven's Wild Flowers
Book SynopsisIn a new, practical format - the stunning book celebrating British wild flowers by award-winning garden writer Sarah Raven. Inspired by childhood excursions with her botanist father, Sarah Raven has travelled the length and breadth of the British Isles to find 500 of our most breathtakingly beautiful wild flowers. This lavishly illustrated book is divided by habitat, covering woods, downs and dales, lanes and hedgerows, meadows, coast, marshes and streams, moors and mountains, and wasteland. Sarah introduces a wide range of plants, telling you their names and something about them. Discover pulsatillas, fritillaries, bluebells, wild garlic, harebells, forget-me-nots, foxgloves, wood spurge, silverweed,purple cranesbill, deadly nightshade, St John's wort, comfrey, orchids,wood sorrel, snowdrops and more. There are glorious landscape photographs by Jonathan Buckley throughout, and one of his stunning plant portraits accompanies each of Sarah's authoritative, captivating species descriptions. Informative and lovely, Sarah Raven's Wild Flowers is a botanical marvel.Trade ReviewAn epic and beautiful volume, which I will be poring over with my children, and pressing many flowers between its pages -- Robert MacfarlaneImpressive, beautiful to look at and truly a labour of love * Sunday Times *Dazzling * Scotsman *William Blake found 'heaven in a wild flower' and so, too, has writer Sarah Raven in this epic treatise * Living *
£22.50
Papadakis Our Frozen Planet
Book SynopsisThis book is a celebration of the disappearing world of ice and snow, or what scientists know as The Cryosphere. Although frozen water represents a significant component of Planet Earth, it is rapidly declining, both in area and volume in response to global warming. The next few generations of humanity will see unprecedented change in ice and snow cover, so now is the time to place on record the magical beauty of such areas.The two authors have each studied glaciers for half a century, both as researchers and educators. We have had the opportunity to work in both polar regions, as well as several of the world's major mountain ranges. They examine ice and snow on all scales, from the mighty glaciers and ice sheets that still cover ten per cent of Earth's land surface to frozen puddles and fluffy snow. We illustrate how a myriad of snowflakes are transformed into glacier ice, which then flows under the influence of gravity, and finally disappears through melting. They illustrate how glaciers have eroded Earth's surface to produce some of our most stunning landscapes, and the importance of deposition of debris to the provision of rich soils. They explore ice in the ocean, on lakes and in rivers, and the illustrate the delicate beauty of frost and snow. Finally, they show some of the ways in which plants, animals and humans interact with the Cryosphere.Our Frozen Planet serves as a reminder of what we are losing, but also gives us the courage to tackle the global climate emergency.
£36.00
Stackpole Books The Ax Book
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewEvery page of this book is endowed with the confident, unfakable authority of real experience. -- Castle FreemanCook takes the reader over every step in the wood-harvesting process—tree felling, limbing, bucking, wood handling, splitting, cutting to size, storing, and burning. Cook packs his book with vivid, entertaining anecdotes from a lifetime of experience. -- Bud Leavitt, Bangor (ME) Daily NewsPraise of Cook’s treatment of saws cannot be complete without mention of the superb line drawings of S. Lawrence Whipple. The illustrations are large, clear, and with enough graphic perspective to enable the reader to appreciate what is involved when he drops off the saw `to be sharpened.’ Altogether, there are more than fifty of these beautifully drawn, incisive visual aids. -- Roy C. Gunter Jr., Southbridge (MA) NewsA remarkable piece of work…the illustrations are similar to Eric Sloane’s, and like Sloane’s they present pictures in clearest detail to back up the author’s story. -- Dirk van Loon, Rural Delivery, Liverpool, N.S., Canada
£16.19
HarperCollins Publishers British Coastal Wildlife
Book SynopsisDiscover over 1,200 species of animals and plants found in the coastal regions of Britain and make the most of your surroundings, whether you are on a holiday browse or serious quest. This is the definitive photographic reference guide for nature enthusiasts.This informative photographic guide will help nature enthusiasts visiting the seashore to discover and quickly and accurately identify the animals and plants commonly found in the coastal areas of Britain.The book is illustrated with beautiful photographs throughout, the perfect seashore companion for staycation' travelling nature enthusiasts as well as general natural history buffs. Young and old alike keen to discover the wildlife of Britain''s coastal areas will delight in this beautifully practical guide.Trade Review‘Beautiful photographs’ The London Naturalist Praise for the Collins Complete series: 'Wonderfully descriptive photographs'BBC Wildlife 'Packs in lots of well-chosen detail in compact form'British Wildlife ‘A bookshelf essential’The Field
£16.99
HarperCollins Publishers Yorkshire Dales Book 130 Collins New Naturalist
Book SynopsisA definitive natural history of the Yorkshire Dales, covering the range of wildlife habitats, rich cultural heritage and ecological history of one of our best-loved National Parks.Trade Review‘A pleasant excursion into another of our National Parks … in a very readable, engaged style.’ British Wildlife Praise for the New Naturalist series: ‘Taken either individually or as a whole, they are one of the proudest achievements of modern publishing’ The Sunday Times ‘The series is an amazing achievement’ The Times Literary Supplement ‘The books are glorious to own’ Independent
£45.00
HarperCollins Publishers Aurora
Book SynopsisThe beautiful aurorae, or northern lights, are the stuff of legends. The ancient stories of the Sami people warn that if you mock the lights they will seize you, and their mythical appeal continues to capture the hearts and imagination of people across the globe.Aurora explores the visual beauty, ancient myths and science of the northern lights and challenges the popular theory of how the lights are formed. Plasma physicist Melanie Windridge explains this extraordinary and evocative phenomenon, a scientific marvel unlike any other in which the powers of astronomy, geology, magnetism and atomic physics combine to create one of the wonders of the natural world.As Melanie travels in search of the perfect aurora, she uncovers the scientific realities of this plasmic phenomenon full of natural power. She combines the science behind the lights with a fascinating travelogue as she pursues the aurora across the northern hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to Scotland.Trade Review‘Captivating’ Nature ‘Spell-binding … a brilliant blend of auroral science, polar exploration, Sami heritage and folklore … full of wonders.’ The Simple Things ‘Her greatest strength is her ability to illuminate science for the lay person.’ Literary Review ‘Her enthusiasm for all things aurora is, ultimately, infectious and there will be something of interest here for anyone with even a passing curiosity in this remarkable natural phenomenon’ The Times Literary Supplement
£11.69
HarperCollins Publishers Forces of Nature
Book SynopsisA breathtaking and beautiful exploration of our planet, this groundbreaking book accompanies the acclaimed BBC TV series, providing the deepest answers to the simplest questions.Trade ReviewPraise for Professor Brian Cox: ‘Cox’s romantic, lyrical approach to astrophysics all adds up to an experience that feels less like homework and more like having a story told to you. A really good story, too.’ Guardian ‘He bridges the gap between our childish sense of wonder and a rather more professional grasp of the scale of things.’ Independent ‘If you didn’t utter a wow watching the TV, you will while reading the book.’ The Times ‘Engaging, ambitious and creative.’ Guardian ‘In this book of the acclaimed BBC2 TV series, Professor Cox shows us the cosmos as we have never seen it before – a place full of the most bizarre and powerful natural phenomena.’ Sunday Express ‘Will entertain and delight … what a priceless gift that would be.’ Independent on Sunday
£15.94
HarperCollins Publishers Legends of Land and Sky
Book SynopsisBig Cat Phonics for Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised has been developed in collaboration with Wandle Learning Trust and Little Sutton Primary School. It comprises classroom resources to support the SSP programme and a range of phonic readers that together provide a consistent and highly effective approach to teaching phonics.
£8.57
HarperCollins Publishers Seaweed The sustainable 2023 guide to our oceans
Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE BEST MIXED MEDIA BOOK AWARD AT THE CREATIVE BOOK AWARDS 2024A gorgeous guide to foraging, pressing and using seaweeds for a wealth of home creative projects. Both aspirational and inspirational, this guide to bringing the outdoors inside is quite unlike anything on the market and will inspire all readers to begin their beach foraging journey.A beautifully packaged, comprehensive visual guide to seaweed by design company Molesworth & Bird. Seaweed will inspire readers to look beyond the tangled piles of seaweed washed up at high tide, to discover its exceptional beauty and appreciate its many uses. The book celebrates the unique appeal of the plants and showcases the myriad ways to bring their beauty indoors, with the authors providing step-by-step activities so you can create your own prints at home. Whether pressing a deep khaki green Peacock's Tail seaweed or creating a stunning cyanotype with Eelgrass, the possibilities are endless with this seashore bounty.The book is packed with glorious photography of the UK coastlines where the seaweeds can be foraged, alongside stylish interiors, and scenes of beach cook-outs and wild swimming spots. It also includes a library of pressed seaweeds presented in colour categories, with notes for identification and use. There is expert guidance on collecting seaweeds, and it will show how foraged seaweeds can be used at home for cooking, dyeing and printing fabrics, and as part of your skincare routine. It explores the fascinating history of seaweed collecting and investigates its potential as a healthy food source and sustainable material, whether foraged or farmed.Trade Review‘Framed foraged seaweed is the wholesome homeware trend you need to know now […] these days the interiors cognoscenti are adorning walls in seaweed art in chic palettes of plum, moss and rhubarb’ – Sunday Times Style, 30th Oct 2022
£25.50
HarperCollins Publishers Little Forest Folk How to raise happy healthy
Book SynopsisThis is a book with a mission. A mission to help parents get their little ones into loving and caring for the outside world. For the sake of their mental health, their physical health and ultimately the good of the planet too.There's a whole world of fun, just beyond our doorstepsNatural play can do wonders for our kids helping them to feel calmer and happier, fostering creativity and critical thinking, encouraging self-confidence and increasing their resilience to life's challenges. But in our modern world sometimes we need a reminder to slow down and just play outside with our kids, ignoring the temptation to overschedule and overspend.Little Forest Folk is full of ideas for simple and fun outdoor activities from bug hotels to potion making, leaf-painting to adventure walks all designed to help parents and children to love natural world together, in any kind of outdoor space and whatever the weather.Let's give our children the childhood they deserve. These will be the memories t
£15.29
HarperCollins Publishers Inc A Crack in the Edge of the World
Book Synopsis
£17.09
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Krakatoa The Day the World Exploded August 27
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£18.99
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Chasing Shadows
Book Synopsis
£22.49
HarperCollins Publishers Inc The Amur River
Book SynopsisA gripping read with fascinating political insight. (Sunday Times, London)Elegant, elegiac and poignant...Thubron is an intrepid traveler, a shrewd observer and a lyrical guide... to the river, much of it along the border between these two powers at a time of rapid and tense reconfiguration of global geopolitics. (Washington Post)The most admired travel writer of our time—author of Shadow of the Silk Road and To a Mountain in Tibet—recounts an eye-opening, often perilous journey along a little known Far East Asian river that for over a thousand miles forms the highly contested border between Russia and China.The Amur River is almost unknown. Yet it is the tenth longest river in the world, rising in the Mongolian mountains and flowing through Siberia to the Pacific. For 1,100 miles it forms the tense border between Russia and China. Simmering with the memory of land-grabs and unequal
£17.10
HarperCollins Publishers Inc The Deepest Map
Book SynopsisTrade Review"There is no doubt in my mind that the ocean plays the most massive role in our past, present, and future—from transportation to planet health to long term sustainability. The Deepest Map shines a light on this massive yet ever-changing force and helps bring into focus so many unanswered questions, while giving us a beautiful reminder of how important it is to educate and protect these waters to the best of our abilities." — Garrett McNamara, Big Wave surfer, co-creator of the documentary series 100 Foot Wave and author of Hound of the Sea "Wow, what a great adventure story. Shipwrecks, octopus gardens, coral reefs as tall as the Empire State Building, 11,000 year-old sponges, deep sea robots—it’s a trip to another world, right here on Earth. This is not just a book about the epic quest to map the ocean floor, but an exploration of the mysteries and life of a planet we hardly know. The Deepest Map is one of those rare books that will change the way you see our world." — Jeff Goodell, author of The Water Will Come "A riveting ocean of a book, packed with gripping adventures, high-stakes exploration and political intrigue. Trethewey leads us to the bottom of the sea and deftly shows why it all matters so much." — Helen Scales, author of The Brilliant Abyss "The Deepest Map is a fascinating, poetic love letter to our planet and to the scientists and explorers risking their lives to understand its unconscious. With exhaustive reporting, Trethewey takes us on an awe-inspiring and humbling adventure that makes us realize how much we still have to learn about our home." — Jaimal Yogis, author of All Our Waves Are Water "An engrossing look at deep-sea exploration. Essential reading for environmentalists, armchair adventure divers, and those who care about the world’s oceans." — Kirkus (Starred Review) "Trethewey’s sharp eye for character brings out the humanity in the marine moonshot. It’s worth exploring." — Publishers Weekly
£21.25
Vintage Publishing The Tree
Book SynopsisIn this series of moving recollections involving both his childhood and his work as a mature artist, John Fowles explains the impact of nature on his life and the dangers inherent in our traditional urge to categorise, to tame and ultimately to possess the landscape. This acquisitive drive leads to alienation and an antagonism to the apparent disorder and randomness of the natural world. For John Fowles the tree is the best analogue of prose fiction, symbolising the wild side of our psyche, and he stresses the importance in art of the unpredictable, the unaccountable and the intuitive. This fascinating text gives a unique insight into the author and offers the key to a true understanding of the inspiration for his work.Trade ReviewA text of unusual beauty and perception * Publishers Weekly *Magnificent... Mystical * Daily Telegraph *Gritty and entertaining * Sunday Telegraph *Fowles' language is strong, green, discursive, related throughout to his own life and memories * Vogue *
£11.69
Vintage Publishing LINESCAPES
Book SynopsisGlorious Political, passionate, perceptive' Robert MacfarlaneAn eye-opening exploration of the lines that cut through our countryside, from hedges to railways, and a passionate manifesto for reconnecting wildlife.Our landscape has been transformed by a vast network of lines, from hedges and walls to railways and power cables. In Linescapes, Hugh Warwick unravels the far-reaching ecological consequences of these changes. As our lives and our land were fenced in and threaded together, wildlife habitats were cut into ever smaller and increasingly unviable fragments. Yet as Warwick travels across this linescape, he shows that we can help our flora and fauna to flourish once again. With his fresh and bracing perspective on Britain's countryside, he proposes a challenge and gives ground for hope, for our lines can and do contain a real potential for wildness and for wildlife.Trade ReviewIn Linescapes, Hugh Warwick has written a gloriously unclassifiable book, a manifesto-adventure-exploration-reflection that manages to be political, passionate, perceptive – and very funny -- Robert MacfarlaneA requiem, a call to arms and a delighted amble along a hedge: a kind, wise, angry, jolly and mournful book, as rumbustiously readable as it is urgently important -- Charles Foster, author of Being a BeastPart discovery, part wonderment, both a travel narrative and a scientific exploration, Linescapes could change the way we perceive our land and its inhabitants forever -- Miriam Darlington, author of Otter CountryA fascinating work of landscape detection based on entirely straight journeys -- Stephen Moss, Best Nature Books of 2017 * Guardian *Eye-opening and inspiring. Linescapes has utterly transformed my vision of the British countryside. Hugh Warwick offers a compelling primer for rethinking and rewilding our fragmented natural world. -- Roman Krznaric, author of Empathy and Carpe Diem Regained
£15.83
Penguin Books Ltd The Map That Changed the World
Book SynopsisTHE EXTRAORDINARY TALE OF THE FATHER OF MODERN GEOLOGYHidden behind velvet curtains above a stairway in a house in London''s Piccadilly is an enormous and beautiful hand-coloured map - the first geological map of anywhere in the world. Its maker was a farmer''s son named William Smith. Born in 1769 his life was troubled: he was imprisoned for debt, turned out of his home, his work was plagiarised, his wife went insane and the scientific establishment shunned him. It was not until 1829, when a Yorkshire aristocrat recognised his genius, that he was returned to London in triumph: The Map That Changed the World is his story.''For a geologist, this is a must read'' Amazon Reviewer''It serves to lift a genius from academic semi-obscurity and to award him the acknowledgement he undoubtedly deserves'' Amazon Reviewer''Never realised how seminal this map was'' Amazon Reviewer
£11.69
Penguin Books Ltd Origin Story
Book SynopsisDavid Christian, creator of Big History (''My favourite course of all time'' Bill Gates), brings us the epic story of the universe and our place in it, from 13.8 billion years ago to the remote future''Nails home the point: Life is a miracle ... A compelling history of everything'' Washington Post ''Spectacular'' Carlo RovelliHow did we get from the Big Bang to today''s staggering complexity, in which seven billion humans are connected into networks powerful enough to transform the planet? And why, in comparison, are our closest primate relatives reduced to near-extinction? Big History creator David Christian gives the answers in a mind-expanding cosmological detective story told on the grandest possible scale. He traces how, during eight key thresholds, the right conditions have allowed new forms of complexity to arise, from stars to galaxies, Earth to homo sapiens, agriculture to fossil fuels. This last mega-innovation gave us an energy bonanza that brought huge benefits to mankind, yet also threatens to shake apart everything we have created.''Rather like the Big Bang, the book is awe-inspiring ... Superb'' The Times''With fascinating ideas on every page and the page-turning energy of a good thriller, this is a landmark work'' Sir Ken Robinson, author of The ElementTrade ReviewIf you read one book this year, make it this one -- Fareed Zakaria, CNNA journey through billions of years that nails home the point: Life is a miracle ... [A] remarkably cogent and compelling history of everything * Washington Post *Rather like the Big Bang, the book is awe-inspiring. The processes it describes are all familiar, but I'd never seen them explained with such clarity and verve ... Superb -- Gerard Degroot * The Times *[Origin Story is] long-haul science with wit and oomph * Nature *Christian tells this story very well, providing, in effect, a short course in modern science. This is a brief history of the universe, and an excellent one * Wall Street Journal *I have long been a fan of David Christian. In Origin Story, he elegantly weaves evidence and insights from many scientific and historical disciplines into a single, accessible historical narrative -- Bill GatesIn Origin Story, David Christian has found a spectacular way to use history to put order in the entire set of our knowledge about the world. This is a wonderful achievement -- Carlo Rovelli * author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics and The Order of Time *Origin Story is a majestic distillation of our current understanding of the birth of the universe, of the solar system, of the oceans, of mountains and minerals, of all life on earth and of the driving dynamics of human culture and achievement. All of this in just over 300 pages of captivating prose that weaves together innumerable insights from the sciences, arts and humanities. With fascinating ideas on every page and the page turning energy of a good thriller, this is a landmark work that comes at a time when it has never been more important for humanity to have a clearer, more informed understanding of our place on earth and of the earth's place in the cosmos. A spellbinding synthesis -- Ken Robinson * educator and bestselling author of The Element and You, Your Child and School *A remarkable book that puts us self-important humans in our proper place in the cosmos, yet also explains why the story of human culture and knowledge - what Christian calls collective learning - matters for understanding our present world and shaping its future -- Merry Wiesner-Hanks, President of the World History Association
£10.44
