Set against a backdrop of untamed nature, this narrative follows the adventures of a group of characters as they navigate the challenges of survival and self-discovery. The story explores themes of freedom, the primal instinct to connect with the wild, and the transformative power of the natural world. Richly described landscapes and vivid encounters with wildlife create a sense of immersion, inviting readers to reflect on their relationship with nature and the essence of what it means to be truly alive.
THE PERFECT GIFT FOR NATURE LOVERS'To see a hare sit still as stone, to watch
a hare boxing on a frosty March morning, to witness a hare bolt . They are
arrogant, as in Aesop's The Hare and the Tortoise, and absurd, as in Lewis
Carroll's Mad March Hare.
The extraordinary story of British junior officers in the First World War, who
led their men out of the trenches and faced a life expectancy of six weeks.
My book of the year. Meadowland is a seasonal journey of discovery, a
pilgrimage that nurtures the soul and gives meaning to life; all life. Each
beautifully crafted sentence provides a stepping-stone to absorb and
understand the land, with the writer's lyrical voice acting as guide and
trusty staff as well as illuminating the mind's eye with wonderful imagery and
perceptive literary devices. Stuart Winter Sunday Express 20140601
'An important book on several levels... Read a few sentences out loud, wherever you are.' Rosamund Young I look at the Ryeland ewes, white and fat with fecundity. Replete with contentment. Contentment is a transmissible condition. I catch it off the sheep. The old time shepherds used to sleep with their sheep, out in the fields. I do it sometimes too, on the dry nights, the sheep lying down around me. I'm not sure on those nights who is protecting whom. Everybody thinks they know what sheep are like: they're stupid, noisy, cowardly ('lambs to the slaughter'), and they're 'sheepwrecking' the environment. Or maybe not. Contrary to popular prejudice, sheep are among the smartest animals in the farmyard, fiercely loyal, forming long and lasting friendships. Sheep, farmed properly, are boons to biodiversity. They also happen to taste good and their fleeces warm us through the winter - indeed, John Lewis-Stempel's family supplied the wool for Queen Elizabeth's 'hose'. Observing the traditional shepherd's calendar, The Sheep's Tale is a loving biography of ewes, lambs, and rams through the seasons. Lewis-Stempel tends to his flock with deep-rooted wisdom, ethical consideration, affection, and humour. This book is a tribute to all the sheep he has reared and sheared - from gregarious Action Ram to sweet Maid Marion. In his inimitable style, he shares the tales that only a shepherd can tell.
A 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.
Fountainhead of democracy, engine of the Industrial Revolution, epicentre of the globe's greatest empire and the first-ditch stand against an expansionist Germany in two world England's history is among the most fascinating and influential the world has ever known.This volume presents that history in unique first-hand, through the words of those who saw it and those who made it. All the great events of the last 2,000 years are the Norman Conquest, Magna Carta, the Peasants' Revolt, Henry VIII's break with Rome, the Great Fire of London, Nelson at Trafalgar, two world wars. Alongside these are the less obvious happenings which together capture the nation's social history, such as the Black Death of 1349 or life as a chimney sweep in 1817. And of couse there are the things that have shaped the nature of 'Englishness', like theatregoing in Elizabethan London, fox hunting in 1898, Oates's self-sacrifice at the South Pole, the Beatles and the 1966 World Cup.Presented chronologically and a joy to read whether cover-to-cover or dipped into as a treasury of sources, The Autobiography offers an intimate, vivid and revealing portrait of England and the English - and the unique place of both in world history.
