Nature writing, celebrating and meditating on the non-human environment and our relationship with it, has a long literary pedigree, stretching back to the 18th century. Beginning there, Lucy Newlyn discusses William and Dorothy Wordsworth, how brother and sister influenced each other’s writing and their commitment to writing about the every day and the sights and sounds of their environment. Laura Dassow Walls looks at Henry David Thoreau, an early advocate of simple living and ecology. T C Boyle chooses his best books on man and nature, and talks about why the Dodo didn’t have a chance and whether it really matters if lions, tigers and polar bears become extinct (it does).
Our nature interviews cover diverse parts of the world. Sarah Wheeler talks about the polar regions, and Michael Jacobs talks about the Andes. Paul Brassley discusses the English countryside and Hari Kunzru chooses his best books on the American desert.
Robert Macfarlane talks about wild places and Sara Maitland discusses silence. Jeremy Mynott looks at birdwatching and David George Haskell chooses his best books on trees.
More generally, Amy Liptrot chooses her best books on nature writing, Charles Foster his best nature books of 2017 and 2018, while M G Leonard chooses her the best nature books for kids.
The Best Nature Books of 2018, recommended by Charles Foster
There has been a rash of books about epiphanic incursions into wilderness—but the best nature writing digs too into the complexities of our relationship with the natural world, says Charles Foster, the bestselling author of Being A Beast. Here, he discusses the best nature books of 2018.
The best books on Predators, recommended by Nick Pyenson
The predators that stalked our ancestors have been marginalised to the brink of extinction, but these animals still fill us with awe, says Nick Pyenson. They play a vital role in life on Earth, and we need to understand them if we are to survive.
Laura Dassow Walls on Henry David Thoreau
Again and again we return to the question: how should we live? To Henry David Thoreau, the 19th-century author, philosopher and naturalist, the answer was simplicity itself. Here his biographer Laura Dassow Walls selects five key texts that explore the Thoreauvian way of thinking.
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1
Swimming With Seals
by Victoria Whitworth -
2
Animals Strike Curious Poses
by Elena Passarello -
3
Science and Spiritual Practices: Transformative Experiences and their Effects on our Bodies, Brains and Health
by Rupert Sheldrake -
4
Islander: A Journey Around Our Archipelago
by Patrick Barkham -
5
The Seabirds Cry: The Lives and Loves of Puffins, Gannets and Other Ocean Voyagers
by Adam Nicolson
The Best Nature Writing of 2017, recommended by Charles Foster
The Best Nature Writing of 2017, recommended by Charles Foster
Sales of nature books have been booming, but only the most exacting of authors get right to the heart of our own interconnectedness with the natural world, says Charles Foster, bestselling author of Being A Beast. Here, he chooses five of the best books of nature writing published in 2017.
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1
Ecology of a Cracker Childhood
by Janisse Ray -
2
Handbook of Nature Study
by Anna Botsford Comstock -
3
The New Sylva: A Discourse of Forest and Orchard Trees for the Twenty-First Century
by Gabriel Hemery & Sarah Simblet -
4
Chuang Tzu: The Inner Chapters
by Books by Zhuangzi (aka Chuang Tzu) & David Hinton -
5
The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World
by Michael Pollan
The best books on Trees, recommended by David George Haskell
The best books on Trees, recommended by David George Haskell
‘The wood that frames our houses, holds up our furniture, and gives us paper arrives with signs of its ecological history purged.’ We’re a long way from the campfire where our relationship with trees got going. Here, David George Haskell takes us back, deep into the forest.
The best books on Wild Places, recommended by Robert Macfarlane
Robert Macfarlane, author of an acclaimed trilogy of books about landscape and human thought tells us about the intrepid, sometimes misanthropic writers who inspired his own investigation of wilderness. He chooses some of his favourite books of nature-writing.
The best books on The English Countryside, recommended by Paul Brassley
The English countryside on a sunny summer’s day is one of the most beguiling places in the world to be. But how has it changed since the Black Death? Is there still a meaningful difference between urban and rural society? Rural historian Paul Brassley talks us through the best books to get a fuller understanding of England’s green and pleasant land.