Description

‘John Lewis-Stempel is the hottest nature writer around.’ – Spectator

‘Assured and expert countryside writing’ -TLS

‘His immense, patient powers of observation – along with a flair for the anthropomorphic – mean he is able to offer a portrait of animal life that’s rare in its colour and drama.’ – Observer

‘That John Lewis-Stempel is one of the best nature writers of his generation is undisputed.’ – Country Life

‘I love the earthiness of John Lewis-Stempel’s writing … The author has seen it, done it, sweated it, and has earned the right to write about it with straw-cut fingers and itchy palms. Brilliant stuff.’ – Christopher Somerville, walking correspondent for The Times

‘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

‘Lewis-Stempel sees and hears things others will never see and hear, and he can write about them as no one else can.’- Daily Mail

‘Gilbert White for the 21st Century.’ The Bookseller

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Our countryside is iconic: a series of distinctive habitats that unite to create a landscape that is unique for the rich diversity of our flora and fauna. In England, his most magisterial book to date, John Lewis-Stempel explores each in turn, taking us from coast to moor, from downs to field, from the park to the village to create a vivid living portrait of our natural history.

In his trademark lyrical prose, Lewis-Stempel reveals the hidden workings of each habitat: the clear waters and dragonflies; the bluebells, badgers and stag beetles; wild thyme; granite cliffs; rock pools and sandy beaches; red deer standing at ancient oaks; the wayside flowers of the lane; hedgehogs and hares; and snow on the high peak. Each landscape – be it calm green or wild moor, plunging cliff or flatland fen – has shaped our idea of ourselves, our sense of what it is to be in England.

In a stunning package, complete with decorated boards, endpapers, chapterheads and a map, England: A Natural History is the definitive volume on the English landscape and the capstone of John Lewis-Stempel’s nature writing.

Publisher Review

In an age when it seems that nothing has been left unscathed by our bulldozing technological advances, John Lewis-Stempel offers a breath of fresh (and natural) air. * The Times * It is now expected of the modern nature writer to draw together landscape, wildlife, history and culture, but few – if any – do it as deftly as Lewis-Stempel does here … There is still a place for this kind of assured and expert countryside writing. Not just a place, but acres of room. — Richard Smythe * Times Literary Supplement * A richly enjoyable treasure trove for any nature lover. Gilbert White for the 21st century. — Caroline Sanderson * The Bookseller, Editor’s Choice * No-one comes close to Lewis-Stempel’s ability to paint the English landscape in words. Maddeningly brilliant. — Sally Coulthard, author of A Brief History of the Countryside in 100 Objects Lewis-Stempel is the most splendid company as he stomps and meanders through England. He’s congenial, lyrical, unsentimental and smart, with a rare eye both for the big picture and the tiny, telling detail. Marvellous! — Charles Foster, author of Cry of the Wild