England: A Natural History is the ultimate guide to our countryside and native wildlife. England is a series of distinctive habitats that unite to create a landscape that is unique for its rich diversity of flora and fauna. In his book, the author explores each habitat 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 promise, John reveals the hidden workings of each habitat:
- The clear waters & dragonflies
- The bluebells, badgers & stag beetles
- Wild thyme & granite cliffs
- Rock pools & sandy beaches
- Red deer standing at ancient trees
- The wayside flowers of the lane
- Hedgehogs & hares
- 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, and a sense of what it is to be in England. John Lewis-Stempel is one of England’s best-selling nature writers, and the only person to have twice won the Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing.
England is a lot older than many countries (say Italy, which is only around 200 years old, when it was merged from other nations). However, most history books on England (or Britain) are super-boring.
Secret Britain looks at this country of ancient wonders: not grand like the Egyptian pyramids, but containing over 70 intriguing ancient places. This book explores the mysteries behind them from an Ice Age cannibal’s skull cap to a hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold. Anthopologist Mary-Anne Ochota unearths small strange places and objects that hint at a deep enduring relationship with the mystic.
Illustrated with beautiful photographs, the wonders include buried treasure, outdoor places of worship and caves filled with medieval carvings. Explore famous sites like Stonehenge, but also discover The Lindow Man bog body (with neatly trimmed hair and manicured fingernails, despite having been killed 2000 years ago), the Uffington White Horse (maintained by an unbroken chain of people for 3000 years) and the Wenhaston Doom painting (an extraordinary medieval depiction of the Last Judgement painted on a chancel arch).
Britain’s Landmarks & Legends is a beautifully illustrated book to reveal the secrets and stories of 50 icons of our landscapes. From natural wonders like Cheddar Gorge, Sherwood Foreset and the White Cliffs of Dover, to others made by our distance ancestors (the standing stones of Avebury and Calanais), the Uffington White Horse and the burial mounds of Sutton Hoo. Discover how they came to be, the legends surrounding them and how they have inspired famous writers and poets.
Jo Woolf is a writer with particular interest in landscape, wildlife and nature. She also writes on ancient sites and the stories and legends connected to them. She was Writer in Residence at Royal Scottish Geographical Society and is an Honorary Fellow of the Society.
England’s Villages is a stunning book by the host of BBC2’s Villages by the Sea. What makes a village, and how have some survived and others thrived? Take a charming and unexpected journey through the quirks of England’s villages through the ages, with the excellent company of archaeologist Dr Ben Robinson as your guide.
Join him in visiting prehistoric to Roman to medieval villages, through to modern urban villages of today. Learn how landowners, governments and communities have shaped villages, and why village greens, pubs and halls exist. And the meaning behind names like Great Snoring!